The Pagan Holiday Calendar for 2022 features a variety of festivals and celebrations that are observed by Pagans and Wiccans around the world. These holidays, also known as Sabbats, follow the cycles of nature and honor the changing seasons. The calendar begins with Imbolc, which is celebrated on February 2nd. Imbolc marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and is a time to welcome the return of the sun and the first signs of spring. Following Imbolc is Ostara, observed on March 20th or 21st. Ostara celebrates the spring equinox and the arrival of longer days and increased sunlight.
The film switches abruptly to a child observing a woman carrying a pot of water on her head. Seeing the child, the woman falters, the pot slips, the water spills. The woman shouts that the child is a witch. A courtroom scene ensues, presided over by a woman in uniform hearing testimony that the child is a witch. She is carefully neutral but it’s clear she’s concerned for the girl, who observes all but says nothing. When the child refuses to speak to deny that she’s a witch, the officer appears resigned. She confers with a higher official who takes the call in his bathtub where he’s being soaped and scrubbed by a well dressed woman. The girl’s fate is sealed, she is delivered to the witches’ compound.
While she is removed from the field work to serve other purposes by the local leader who consigned her to her status, including being asked to pick the criminal from a line-up and serving as the source for white eggs promoted on TV, the ribbon is never removed. One of my biggest dreams is to learn Swahili and to spend time traveling across central Africa, exploring all the food and cultures, the vibrancy of the countries that have faced so much oppression from colonialism.
Ostara celebrates the spring equinox and the arrival of longer days and increased sunlight. It is a time of balance and growth as nature awakens from its winter slumber. Beltane is the next holiday on the Pagan calendar and is celebrated on May 1st.
I Am Not a Witch review – straight-faced satire on Zambian witchcraft casts a spell
Z ambian-born Welsh director Rungano Nyoni has delivered a pulsingly odd and strikingly original debut: a tale of dogma, prejudice and corruption in the country of her birth. It’s a strange witches brew of deadpan farce and arthouse stillness that some will find exasperating, and it’s not without its missteps; but there’s a confidence and clarity of vision that’s hard not to admire, especially for a first feature.
Events open with Shula (Maggie Mulubwa), a shy and inexpressive orphan, being accused by her fellow townspeople of witchcraft: one woman has alleged that she made her trip over while carrying a bucket of water, and a man has backed up her allegation with his own account of the girl chopping of his arm with an axe. (Said arm has miraculously reattached itself by the time he makes this claim.) A gloriously droll police officer indulges these accusations with a mix of apathy and outright disdain, but the will of the people is clear, and Shula is exiled from the town.
Good Time review - Robert Pattinson sticks up for his brother in chaotic heist movie Read moreShula falls into the care – though that word is used with a degree of caution – of Mr Banda (Henry BJ Phiri), a venal and desperately inept public official who spies an opportunity to make a fortune from the girl’s supposed gifts. She’s swiftly enrolled into a witch camp, a shabby conurbation on the edge of town whose occupants are, Shula aside, exclusively elderly women. Shula has a white ribbon attached to her back – the other end is attached to a large spool – and is told that if she cuts it she will become a goat. The presence of the ribbon naturally brings to mind Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon, and there are certainly the same themes of puritanism as seen in that film, albeit expressed in a far less austere manner.
Soon Shula is being put to work, picking criminals from lineups, appearing on talk shows in full witchy get-up, and attempting to summon rain to the dried-up region. Shula does all of this grudgingly, far more sceptical of these superstitious beliefs than the adults around her – although it is notable that the general belief in witchcraft seems to be conditional, and tends to be expressed more vociferously when there’s a benefit to doing so. Many of the witches, for example, are elderly relatives who family members were keen to dispose of, and a tourist industry has built up around the camp.
I Am Not A Witch. Photograph: film company handout
There’s a seam of straight-faced satire running through I Am Not a Witch that curiously brings to mind the naturalistic farce of The Thick of It. Phiri is excellent as the officious Banda, a snake oil salesman frequently upended by his own incompetence, reminiscent of Chabuddy G in People Just Do Nothing or David Brent at his most brazen. Yet Nyoni never lets the comedy overwhelm our outrage at the treatment of Shula, especially when events take a troubling turn towards the film’s conclusion.
For all its charms, there is a languidness to Nyoni’s film that can become aggravating. Scenes that should pass by in moments outstay their welcome, and the film sometimes prioritises aesthetics over clear storytelling, with one of the film’s most crucial moments rendered difficult to understand due to a tricksy camera shot.
Still, there’s more than enough here to mark out Nyoni, whose film has been supported by Cannes’ Cinefondation Residency, as a major talent. In the staid and Eurocentric world of arthouse cinema, she looks set to be a significant new broom.
The movie I Am Not A Witch was a documentary that brought to a society in Zambia that sheds a light to a little girl that showed up near a village well without explanation. Since the education in system there is very poor, the adults did not know how to react or deal with a new unexplained face in town and came down to the explanation of this little eight year old girl being a witch. Once she was declared a witch, the little girl by name of Shula was confined to the the length of a ribbon so she wouldn’t fly away or she could cut it and turn into a goat. As a witch, she had a different role in their society, she was in charge of going into fields and harvesting crops, convicting criminals of crimes with her “powers” as a witch, and making it rain.
This festival marks the beginning of summer and is associated with fertility, abundance, and the blooming of flowers. Beltane is often celebrated with bonfires, feasting, and dancing. Midsummer, also known as Litha, falls on June 20th or 21st. This holiday celebrates the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year. It is a time of peak energy and abundance, and many Pagans gather to watch the sunrise and partake in rituals to honor the sun's power. Lughnasadh, also called Lammas, is observed on August 1st. This holiday marks the first harvest of the year and is dedicated to the Celtic god Lugh. It is a time to show gratitude for the bounty of the land and to celebrate the abundance of nature. Mabon, celebrated on September 22nd or 23rd, is the autumn equinox. It marks the transition from summer to fall and is a time of balance and introspection. Pagans honor the changing seasons and give thanks for the harvest. The final holiday on the Pagan calendar is Samhain, celebrated on October 31st. Samhain is a time when the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is believed to be thin, and many Pagans use this holiday to honor their ancestors and communicate with the spirit realm. It is often associated with themes of death and rebirth. The Pagan Holiday Calendar for 2022 provides Pagans and Wiccans with a guide to the important dates and celebrations throughout the year. By honoring these Sabbats, practitioners connect with the natural cycles of the Earth and their own spiritual beliefs. These holidays are a time for reflection, gratitude, and celebration of the interconnectedness of all living things..
Reviews for "Finding Meaning in Nature: Pagan Holiday Calendar 2022"
- Jennifer - 1 star
I was really disappointed with the Pagan Holiday Calendar 2022. The selection of holidays included was very limited and didn't cover the full spectrum of pagan traditions. It felt like they just randomly picked a few popular holidays and ignored the rest. Additionally, the overall design of the calendar was quite plain and lacked any creativity or visuals to make it visually appealing. Overall, I would not recommend this calendar to anyone looking for a comprehensive and visually pleasing pagan holiday guide.
- Mark - 2 stars
As someone who follows a specific pagan tradition, I found the Pagan Holiday Calendar 2022 to be very generic and non-specific. It seemed like they tried to cover all the different pagan traditions, but in doing so, they ended up lacking depth and specificity. The dates and information provided for each holiday were pretty basic and didn't offer much insight or guidance. I was hoping for a more in-depth and personalized experience, but this calendar fell short of my expectations.
- Sarah - 2 stars
The Pagan Holiday Calendar 2022 was a disappointment for me. It didn't provide enough information about each holiday, leaving me feeling unsatisfied and confused. I was hoping to learn more about the symbolism, rituals, and traditions behind each pagan holiday, but this calendar only provided the dates and a brief description. It felt like a missed opportunity to educate and engage the reader. I believe there are better pagan holiday calendars out there that offer a more enriching and informative experience.