Sacred Fires: Ancient Pagan Holidays and Bonfire Traditions

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The ancient pagan holidays calendar for 2023 is a fascinating insight into the rich cultural and religious traditions of past civilizations. These holidays, which were celebrated by pagans of various cultures and regions, provide a glimpse into their beliefs and practices. In the modern world, many people are unfamiliar with these ancient traditions, making the exploration of these holidays particularly intriguing. One of the most well-known pagan holidays is the Winter Solstice, which marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. Celebrated on December 21st, this holiday was a time of renewal and rebirth for ancient pagans. **They believed that the sun was "reborn" on this day, and celebrated by lighting bonfires and partaking in feasts**.


4th Celtic Tree Month of Holly ends

Many of the traditions of this holiday are considered the source of modern-day traditions of Christmas, including wreaths, candles, feasting and exchanging of gifts. Языческий календарь теперь поддерживает и более древние календари Старый английский календарь Древнескандинавский календарь Старый ирландский календарь Календарь Гайдлиг шотландский гэльский календарь Ирландский календарь Мэнский календарь Валлийский календарь Корнуоллский календарь Бретонский календарь.

Ancient pagan holidays calendar 2023

**They believed that the sun was "reborn" on this day, and celebrated by lighting bonfires and partaking in feasts**. Another important holiday in the pagan calendar is Beltane, celebrated on May 1st. This holiday welcomes the arrival of summer and is associated with fertility rituals and the coming of new life.

2023 Pagan Calendar – Sabbats, Moon Cycles, Zodiac, and More

The 2023 pagan calendar includes traditional pagan celebration dates and times across many different belief systems. It also includes both full moon and new moon dates, and peak times. Additionally, other noteworthy astrological events, zodiac periods, Asatru, Celtic Tree months, and more. This 2023 pagan calendar is shown in Mountain Standard Time (USA). To Convert to another time zone, find yours and add or subtract the shown amounts. USA Time Zones, Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands +3, Eastern +2, Central +1, Pacific -1, Alaska -2, Hawaii -3, American Samoa -4 (in hours).

January

3rd/4th Quadrantids Meteor Shower
If you’ve ever considered becoming a star gazer, this would be an excellent time to start. Of all the annual meteor showers, this is the best, with about 40 meteors per hour. Watch the night sky from Tuesday at 5:00 PM until Wednesday at 8:00 AM.

6th Full Wolf Moon (4:08 PM, MST) – January’s full moon is called the Wolf Moon. The very cold air carried the howling of hungry wolves across many miles. Other names include the Spirit Moon, Greeting Moon, Cold Moon, Hard Moon, Frost Moon, and the Center Moon.

6th Full Moon in Cancer (16 Can 22′)

12th Mars becomes progressive (1:56 PM, MST) – 8 Cap 08

14th Maker Sankranti – A Hindu harvest festival celebrated in most of India.

18th Mercury becomes progressive (6:12 AM, MST) – 8 Cap 08

19th Zodiac Period of Capricorn ends

20th Celtic Tree Month of Birch ends

20th Zodiac Period of Aquarius begins

21st Celtic Tree Month of Rowan begins

21st New Moon (1:53 PM, MST) – New Snow Moon

21st New Moon in Aquarius (1 Aqu 33′)

22nd Chinese New Year (Year of the Rabbit)

29th Uranus becomes progressive (3:58 PM, MST) – 14 Tau 57

31st Disablot – A Norse/Germanic holiday that honors female deities, female ancestors, and other influential women in one’s life. This holiday is also called “Charming of the Plow” where offerings were made to female ancestors, and farmers would pray for a positive planting season. Some people celebrate this on February 2nd.

February

1st/2nd Imbolc – A pagan Sabbat, with origins in ancient Celtic celebrations of spring and welcoming the return of the Sun God. The celebration is focused on the Goddess Brigid (Goddess of Spring, Fertility, and the Dawn.) Imbolc is celebrated from sunrise on February 1 through sundown on February 2.

5th Full Snow Moon (11:29 AM, MST) – February’s full moon is called the snow moon since most of northern North America was covered in snow during this time. It is also called the Hunger Moon, Storm Moon, Wild Moon, Eagle Moon, Trappers Moon, Bear Moon, Racoon Moon, and the Goose Moon.

5th Full Moon in Leo (16 Leo 41′)

13th/15th Lupercalia – An ancient Roman festival that lasted for three days (13th through the 15th.) The festival was centered on honoring the Wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus, the twin founders of the Roman Empire. The celebration was filled with nudity, sexuality, ritual sacrifices, feasting, and games. Lupercalia is the origin of Valentine’s Day.

17th Celtic Tree Month of Rowan ends

18th Celtic Tree Month of Ash begins

18th Zodiac Period of Aquarius ends

19th Zodiac Period of Pisces begins

20th New Moon (12:06 AM, MST) – New Worm Moon

20th New Moon in Pisces (1 Pis 22′)

March

7th/8th Holi – Hindu festival of colors or festival of sharing and love is celebrated in the Spring. For the year 2023 it begins at sundown the 6th and ends at sundown on the 7th.

7th Full Moon in Virgo (16 Ver 40′)

7th Full Worm Moon (5:40 AM, MST) – March’s full moon relates to when the earthworms start to emerge. It is also called Crow Moon, the Crust Full Moon, the Sap Moon, Sugar Moon, Chaste Moon, and the Death Moon.

17th Celtic Tree Month of Ash ends

18th Celtic Tree Month of Alder begin

20th Ostara – A pagan Sabbat believed to originate in various form by the Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and Germanic cultures. It was fertility festival to celebrate the arrival of Spring.

20th Spring or Vernal equinox; when night and day are equal (3:24 PM, MST)

20th Zodiac Period of Pisces ends

21st Zodiac Period of Aries begins

21st New Moon (11:23 AM, MST) – New Pink Moon

21st New Moon in Aires (0 Ari 49′)

30th Ram Navi – a Hindu celebration to honor the birth of Lord Rama.

April

1st Veneralia – An ancient Roman holiday celebrating Venus and Fortuna

5th Full Moon in Libra (16 Lib 07′)

5th Full Pink Moon (10:34 PM, MST) – Named after one of the first spring flowers which bloom in early April, the pink phlox. April’s full moon has also been called the Sprouting Grass Full Moon, Full Fish Moon, Hare Moon, and the Egg Moon.

14th Celtic Tree Month of Alder ends

15th Celtic Tree Month of Willow begins

19th New Moon (10:12 PM, MST) – New Flower Moon

19th New Moon in Aries (29 Aries 50)

19th Zodiac Period of Aries ends

20th Zodiac Period of Taurus begins

20th Solar Eclipse (not visible in the US or Europe)

21st Mercury becomes retrograde (2:35 AM, MST) – 15 Tau 38

22nd Yggdrasil Day – A newer neopagan holiday celebrated as an alternative to Arbor Day. Yggdrasil is the Tree of Life in Norse Mythology.

22nd/23rd Lyrids Meteor Shower – One of the oldest known meteor showers, starting April 15th and ending April 29th. The peak days are the 22nd and 23rd, when very bright and fast moving meteors can be seen about twenty per hour.

May

1st Beltane – A pagan Sabbat originating with the ancient Celtic people of Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Mann. It is a fire festival to mark the beginning of summer and fertility.

1st Pluto becomes retrograde (11:08 AM, MST) – 0 Aqu 22

5th Penumbral Lunar Eclipse – Full Moon in Scorpio (14 Sco 58′) – Only visible in Australia, parts of Africa, and parts of Asia

5th Full Flower Moon (11:34 AM, MST) – May’s full moon is called the Flower Moon because of the abundance of wildflowers everywhere. It is also called the Full Hare Moon, the Corn Planting Moon, the Bright Moon, the Blessing Moon and the Milk Moon.

5th/6th Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower – An annual meteor shower which is usually active between April 19 and May 28, peaking on the night between the 5th and 6th of May in 2023. Visibility this year will be fair. Best viewing will be between 4:00 AM and 7:00 AM May 6th.

9th Lemuria – An ancient holiday during which the Romans performed rites to exorcise the malevolent and fearful ghosts of the dead from their homes.

12th Celtic Tree Month of Willow ends

13th Celtic Tree Month of Hawthorn begins

14th Mercury becomes progressive (9:17 PM, MST) – 5 Tau 51

19th New Moon (9:53 AM, MST) – New Strawberry Moon

19th New Moon in Taurus (28 Tau 26′)

20th Zodiac Period of Taurus ends

21st Zodiac Period of Gemini begins

June

3rd Full Moon in Sagittarius (13 Sag 18′)

3rd Full Strawberry Moon (9:42 PM, MST) – The June full moon name comes the short window for harvesting wild strawberries and other berries. Other names for this moon are the Honey Moon, the Rose Moon, Birth Moon, Blooming Moon, Egg Laying Moon, the Hatching Moon, Green Corn Moon, Mead Mon, Hot Moon and the Berries Ripen Moon.

7th Vestalia – A Roman holiday which dates back to the 7th Century BC. From June 7th until June 15th, Vesta, the virgin Goddess of the hearth, home, and family was celebrated .

9th Celtic Tree Month of Hawthorn ends

10th Celtic Tree Month of Oak begins

17th New Moon (10:37 PM, MST) – New Buck Moon

17th New Moon in Gemini (26 Gem 44′)

17th Saturn becomes retrograde (11:27 AM, MST) – 7 Pis 13

20th Zodiac Period of Gemini ends

21st Litha – A pagan Sabbat also called Midsummer and Midsummarblot. It is a celebration of the Sun, the longest day of the year, and the Oak King and Holly King’s great dual for power over the earth. At Litha, the Holly King wins the battle and days begin to grow darker until Yule, when the Oak King regains power and days grow brighter.

21st Sun enters Cancer (Sun 00 Cancer 00)

21st Summer Solstice (Wednesday, Jun 21, 8:57 AM, MST)

21st Zodiac Period of Cancer begins

24th Midsummer celebrated in Finland & Sweden – Midsummer started as a pagan ritual for fertility and a successful harvest during the Stone Age. Bonfires were used to keep away any evil spirits. It was said that spirits were free to roam the earth when the sun was turning towards the southern hemisphere.

30th Neptune becomes retrograde (3:06 PM, MST) – 27 Pis 42

July

3rd Full Moon in Capricorn (11 Cap 18′) Supermoon

3rd Full Buck Moon (5:39 AM, MST) – July’s full moon is named because this is the time of the year when the male deer sprout their antlers. July’s full moon is also called the Thunder Moon due to the high number of thunderstorms in July. Some of the other lesser-known names are the Hay Moon, the Blessing Moon, Meadow Moon, and the Wort Moon.

6th Kupala Night – This day is also known by the name Ivan Kupala. It is a pagan fertility rite celebrated in Russia and Slavic countries where young couples participate in several rituals related to the day.

7th Celtic Tree Month of Oak ends

8th Celtic Tree Month of Holly begins

17th New Moon in Cancer (24 Cancer 56′)

17th New Moon (12:32 PM, MST) – New Sturgeon Moon

22nd Zodiac Period of Cancer end

22nd Venus becomes retrograde (7:33 PM, MST) – 28 Leo 36

23rd Zodiac Period of Leo begins

30th Delta Aquariids Meteor – This meteor shower occurs between July 18 to August 21. It is expected to peak on July 30th.

August

1st Lughnasadh – A pagan Sabbat. One of the four primary Celtic celebrations, honoring the God Lugh. The first of the three annual harvest festivals; this is the harvest of the grain, which are used to bake bread and brew the first beers and ales of the season.

1st Lammas – Many modern-day pagans interchange Lammas with Lughnasadh except that it only focuses on the harvest aspects.

1st Freysblot – A Norse celebration of thanksgiving for the fruits of the first harvest of the year. A loaf of bread is baked as an offering to the god Frey.

1st Full Moon in Aquarius (9 Aqu 16′) Supermoon

1st Full Sturgeon Moon (12:32 PM, MST) – The August full moon gets its name from the Algonquin tribes that surrounded the North American Great Lakes. The August full Moon has also been called the Green Corn Moon, Fruit Moon, the Barley Moon, full Grain Moon, and the Red Moon.

4th Celtic Tree Month of Holly ends

5th Celtic Tree Month of Hazel begins

12th/13th Perseids Meteor shower – One of the brighter meteor showers of the year. They occur every year between July 17 and August 24 and tend to peak August 12th-13th.

16th New Moon in Leo (23 Leo 17′)

16th New Moon (3:38 AM, MST) – New Blue Moon

22nd Zodiac Period of Leo ends

23rd Zodiac Period of Virgo begins

23rd Mercury becomes retrograde (1:59 PM, MST) – 21 Vir 51

28th Uranus becomes retrograde (8:39 PM, MST) – 23 Tau 05

30th Raksha Bandhan – A Hindu festival that focuses on the love and duty between brothers and sisters.

30th Full Moon in Pisces (7 Pis 25′) Supermoon

30th Full Blue Moon (7:35 PM, MST) – When two full moons fall in the same month, the second one is always called a blue moon.

September

1st Celtic Tree Month of Hazel ends

2nd Celtic Tree Month of Vine begins

3rd Venus becomes progressive (7:20 PM, MST) – 12 Leo 13

4th Jupiter becomes retrograde (8:11 AM, MST) – 15 Tau 35

6th Krishna Janmashtami – A Hindu festival to celebrate the birthday of Lord Krishna

14th New Moon in Virgo (21 Virgo 59′)

14th New Moon (7:40 PM, MST) – New Harvest Moon

15th Mercury becomes progressive (2:21 PM, MST) – 8 Vir 00

22nd Zodiac Period of Virgo ends

23rd Mabon – A pagan Sabbat to celebrate the second of the three harvests. Key survival foods were harvested and put into storage for the winter during this time of the year. This included apples, onions, potatoes, pears, corn, carrots, turnips, hard squash, cabbage, and many more. This is the origin of modern day Thanksgiving.

23rd Fall or Autumnal Equinox: when night and day are equal (12:49 AM, MST)

23rd Haustblot – A Norse pagan holiday to honor the second harvest of the season and it’s the time to gather food for the upcoming winter months. It’s also a time to give thanks for what we have.

23rd Zodiac Period of Libra begins

29th Full Harvest Moon (3:57 AM, MST) – If September’s Full Moon is closest to Mabon, then it is called the Harvest Moon. If October’s full moon is closer, it becomes the Harvest Mon and September’s is the Corn Moon. Other names are the Wine Moon, Elk Call Moon, and Barley Moon.

29th Full Moon in Aries (6 Ari 01′) Supermoon

29th Celtic Tree Month of Vine ends

30th Celtic Tree Month of Ivy begins

October

8th/9th Draconid Meteor Shower – Also known as the Giacobinids, this is one of the two annual meteor showers in the month of October.

10th Pluto becomes progressive (7:09 PM, MST) – 27 Cap 53

14th New Moon in Libra (21 Lin 07′)

14th New Moon (11:55 AM, MST) – New Hunter’s Moon

14th Annular Solar Eclipse – An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far away from the Earth to completely cover the Sun. This results in a ring of light around the darkened Moon. The eclipse path will begin off the coast of southern Canada and move across the southwestern United States and Central America, Columbia, and Brazil. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout much of North and South America.

14th Vetrablot – An Icelandic celebration of harvest, fertility, and honors Freya.

22nd Orionid Meteor Shower – In 2023, the Orionid meteor shower should rain down its greatest number of meteors on the morning of October 22, in a moonless sky.

22nd Zodiac Period of Libra ends

23rd Zodiac Period of Scorpio begins

27th Celtic Tree Month of Ivy ends

28th Celtic Tree Month of Reed begins

28th Partial Lunar Eclipse – A Blood Moon will be visible across parts of E. Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia

28th Full Moon in Taurus (5 Tau 09′)

28th Full Hunter’s Moon (2:24 PM, MST) – After the harvests were finished, the people would head to the forests to hunt for meat to store for the winter. The October full moon is also called the Dying Grass Moon, the Sanguine Moon, the Travel Moon, and the Blood Moon, even when there is no eclipse.

31st Samhain (/ˈsɑːwɪn, ˈsaʊɪn/; Irish: [ˈsˠəuɪnʲ]; [sah-win]) – A pagan Sabbat that originated with the Irish Celts. It’s the third of the three annual harvest festivals, when the last of the row crops, wild herbs and forage, and animals would be slaughtered as meat for winter. It also marks the New Year for the Celts, and is a very auspicious day. On Samhain, the veil which separates the world of the living with the spirit world is thin enough to cross over. It is a time of congress with the ancestors. Origin for modern day Halloween.

31st Vetrnaetr – A Norse pagan holiday to honor ancestors and the harvest. It signifies the time to use the meat of the farm animals and start hunting. The Goddess Hela is honored on this night. The Norse also believe the veil between the worlds is thinner during this night.

November

4th Saturn becomes progressive (1:02 AM, MST) – 0 Pis 31

11th Feast of the Einherjar – Asatru celebration honoring the fallen heroes in Valhalla, and in the halls of the other Gods and Goddesses.

12th Diwali – One the most important holidays of Hindu, Jainism, and Sikhism, commonly known as the festival of lights. The festival generally symbolizes the victory of light over darkness.

13th New Moon in Scorpio (20 Sco 44′)

13th New Moon (2:27 AM. MST) – New Beaver Moon

17th/18th Leonids Meteor Shower – The Leonid meteor shower will be active from 6 November to 30 November, producing its peak rate of meteors the night between the 17th and 18th. The shower is called Leonids because its radiant, or the point in the sky where the meteors seem to emerge from, lies in the constellation Leo.

21st Zodiac Period of Scorpio ends

22nd Zodiac Period of Sagittarius begins

23rd Celtic Tree Month of Reed ends

24th Celtic Tree Month of Elder begins

27th Full Beaver Moon (2:16 AM, MST) – During November, beaver pelts would be harvested since this is the time when their coats were the thickest and most useful. It is also called the Trading Moon, the Full Sassafras Moon, Frost Moon, Fog Moon and the Mourning Moon (the last full moon before the Winter Solstice).

27th Full Moon in Gemini (4 Gem 51′)

December

5th Krampusnacht – Eastern European and other Germanic people celebrate ‘Krampus night.’ every year. Krampus is a horned, beastly creature that terrorizes children who have been naughty. Over the last decade, this holiday has grown in popularity and is now celebrated to one degree or another in all of Europe and America.

6th Neptune becomes progressive (6:22 AM, MST) – 24 Pis 53

13th/14th Geminids Meteor Shower – This meteor shower will be active from the 4th to the 17th of December, producing its peak rate of meteors the night between the 13th and 14th of December.

12th New Moon (4:32 PM, MST) – New Cold Moon

12th New Moon in Sagittarius (20 Sag 40′)

13th Mercury becomes retrograde (12:09 AM, MST) – 8 Cap 29

17th Saturnalia – The most popular of all ancient Roman holiday’s. The Agriculture God Saturn is honored from the 17th through the 23rd. Many of the traditions of this holiday are considered the source of modern-day traditions of Christmas, including wreaths, candles, feasting and exchanging of gifts.

21st Yule/Yuletide – the most important of all Norse holidays during the darkest of nights. It has a duration of 12 nights, starting at sundown on the night of the winter solstice. The Celts and other tribes in western Europe adopted the traditions of Yule, but no one is really sure why; holidays were usually culture specific in ancient times. Yule is widely considered the basis for modern-day Christmas.

21st Winter Solstice (Thursday, Dec 21 8:27 PM MST)

21st Sun enters Capricorn (Sun 00 Cap 00′)

21st Zodiac Period of Sagittarius ends

22nd Zodiac Period of Capricorn begins

23rd Celtic Tree Month of Elder ends

24th Celtic Tree Month of Birch begins

26th Full Cold Moon (5:33 PM, MST) – December is very cold across much of the northern United States, thus the naming of this full moon. It is also called the Bitter Moon, the Big Winter Moon, the Oak Moon, and the Long Night Moon.

26th Full Moon in Cancer (4 Can 58)

30th Jupiter becomes progressive (7:40 PM, MST) – 5 Tau 35

31st Hogmanay – A Scottish festival to celebrate the New Year, with some similarity to Christmas.

Additional Resources & Information

If we’ve made a mistake or an omission, please email [email protected] – thank you.

Full and New Moon times & dates courtesy of the Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, California.

Vestalia – Vestal Virgins and Thirty Years of Chastity

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Ancient pagan holidays calendar 2023

**Beltane was traditionally celebrated with bonfires, dancing, and the gathering of flowers and herbs for luck and prosperity**. Samhain, celebrated on October 31st, also holds significance in the pagan calendar. This holiday, which is now associated with Halloween, marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the "darker half" of the year. **Ancient pagans believed that the veil between the living and the dead was thinnest on this night, and practiced rituals to honor their ancestors and seek guidance for the coming year**. In addition to **these well-known holidays**, there are **numerous other celebrations throughout** the year **that were observed by pagans**. These **include Imbolc, a holiday connected to the beginning of spring**; **Lughnasadh, which celebrates the first harvest**; and **Mabon, a holiday which marks the autumn equinox**. Each of these holidays had its own significance and rituals, **linking ancient pagans to the cycles of nature** and the turning of the seasons. In exploring the ancient pagan holidays calendar for 2023, it becomes evident that **these traditions** still influence **contemporary celebrations** and rituals, **even if many are unaware of their origins**. **By understanding the history and symbolism behind these holidays, we gain a deeper appreciation for** the important role **they** played in the lives of our ancient ancestors..

Reviews for "Reconnecting with Nature: Celebrating Ancient Pagan Holidays"

1. Emily - 1 star - I was extremely disappointed with the "Ancient pagan holidays calendar 2023". The information provided was incredibly vague and did not give any insight into the history or significance of the holidays. Additionally, many of the dates were incorrect or conflicting, which made it frustrating to use for planning purposes. I was hoping to learn more about ancient pagan traditions, but this calendar just left me confused and frustrated. I would not recommend it.
2. James - 2 stars - I have mixed feelings about the "Ancient pagan holidays calendar 2023". While it featured a variety of pagan holidays, the content was quite limited. I was hoping for more in-depth explanations and historical background, but it felt like surface-level information copied from a quick internet search. The design of the calendar was also underwhelming, with minimal graphics or visual appeal. Overall, it felt like a missed opportunity to create a comprehensive and visually appealing resource for those interested in ancient pagan traditions.
3. Sarah - 2 stars - As someone who was looking forward to exploring ancient pagan holidays, I found this calendar to be disappointing. The majority of holidays featured on the calendar lacked any explanation or context, leaving me feeling confused and unable to fully appreciate their significance. Additionally, the formatting of the calendar was cluttered and difficult to read, with small fonts and cramped spaces. I was hoping for a more user-friendly and informative calendar, and unfortunately, this fell short of my expectations.

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