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Beltane/Pünkösd/May Day/Calan Mai

April 30th & May 31st

Beltane

Customs (From the wonderful Lancs Green Witch)

It marks the turning of the season from spring into early summer. This vibrant fire festival honors fertility, passion, and the full expression of life.

As the earth blossoms, so too does our connection with vitality and growth. Nature is in full bloom, and Beltane encourages us to tune in to that living energy.

Each sign of life reflects the energy of creation.

More importantly, this is a time to celebrate the joy of being alive. The air feels warmer, the days grow longer, and everything around us reminds us that growth is inevitable

A central theme of Beltane is the sacred union between the God and Goddess. Their symbolic joining represents the blending of masculine and feminine energies. This union ensures fertility for the land and balance within the self.

In modern times, this idea reminds us to honour connection—between people, between opposites, and between ourselves and nature.

Today, you might light a candle or gather around a firepit. Even a symbolic flame can connect you with the power of this season. Through fire, we release the old and welcome new possibilities.

Beltane is not only a celebration—it’s a mindset. It invites you to take bold steps, express passion, and follow your heart. This is the perfect time to start new projects, set fresh goals, or take action on your dreams.

Even small gestures—like planting a seed or dancing under the stars—can help you align with the season’s vibrant energy.

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Pünkösd

Customs

Friendship platters to give to friends and family

Coming of age ceremonies

Decorating your surroundings with greenery and bushes

Making flower mandalas or crowns

The holiday is associated with renewal and the beginning of spring, reflecting the season's spirit. 

May Day

Customs

Gathering wildflowers and green branches to decorate homes and decorate a maypole. 

Dancing around a decorated maypole, often with ribbons, is a popular tradition. 

Creating baskets filled with flowers and treats to be left at neighbors' doors as a surprise. 

Crowning a May Queen, often with a May King, to symbolize the coming of spring and abundance. 

Bonfires are a significant part of May Day celebrations in some regions, symbolizing the end of winter and welcoming spring. 

Decorating homes and public spaces with flowers and garlands is a common practice. 

Calan Mai

Customs

May carols (carolau Mai) were sung in villages and around houses, often starting on May Eve and continuing throughout the month. 

Villagers would gather hawthorn (draenen wen) branches and flowers and decorate their houses, symbolizing new growth and fertility. 

Village greens would be decorated with branches and people would gather there to dance and celebrate. 

Farmers would traditionally turn their herds out to pasture, marking the start of summer. 

Some traditions, like divining on May Eve and the need for protective magic against diseases, reflect a belief in the power of spirits and nature on this day

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Walpurgis

April 22nd thru 30th

Customs From The Pagan Journey

The festival of Walpurgis, a night both of revelry and darkness.  The nine nights of April 22 (interestingly enough, the modern festival of Earth Day) to April 30 are venerated as rememberance of the AllFather's self-sacrifice upon the World Tree Yggdrasil.  It was on the ninth night (April 30, Walpurgisnacht) that he beheld the Runes, grasped them, and ritually died for an instant.  At that moment, all the Light in the 9 worlds is extinguished, and utter Chaos reigns.  At the final stroke of midnight, the Light returns in dazzling brilliance, and the bale-fires are lit.  On Walpurgisnacht, the dead have full sway upon the earth; it is the ending night of the Wild Hunt.

One of the main traditions is to light large bonfires, and for the younger people to collect greens and branches from the woods at twilight, which were used to adorn the houses of the village. The expected reward for this task to be paid in eggs.

The tradition which is most spread throughout the country is probably singing songs of spring. The strongest and most traditional spring festivities take up most of the day from early morning to late night on April 30.

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Sigrblót

4th Full moon after Yule/Winter Solstice

Customs (From Pagan Kids)

The changing seasons are the perfect time to start planning things for the future summer days and to start setting things into motion

Sígrblót is a three-day celebration that starts at first sun. Wake everyone up early to enjoy a favorite hot beverage and watch the sunrise.

You may choose to sacrifice wine, mead or something else favoured by Odin and gods of fertility and harvest. You may also choose to sacrifice something prized by the family, like your first plant of the year, a sun-wheel you worked hard to craft, or food you worked hard to create.

Play sun inspired games

When Sigrblot was first celebrated, it was done for victory. Not many of us are sailing away to find land, trade merchandise or battle, but we can set goals for victory in other ways. One idea is running into battle to advocate for the planet to avoid our own Ragnarok. Whatever cause you think it worth battling for, the idea is to make the world a better place for our descendants.

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Nagyböjt (The Great Fast)

3 weeks before Easter

Customs

Similar to lent, you give something up for the allotted amount of time as a sacrifice

A way to show devotion to the universe or Gods before the beginnings of the fruits of our labors

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Ostara/Kikelet/Spring Equinox

March 19th thru 23rd

Ostara

Customs From the lovely Lancs Green Witch

Ostara marks a time of profound balance and renewal. Celebrated when day and night are equal, Ostara symbolises the harmonious interplay between light and dark.

This sabbat is a celebration of fertility, growth, and new beginnings, honoring the rebirth of nature after the cold grip of winter.

Ostara offers a unique opportunity to realign with the natural rhythms of the earth. It is a transformative time of year.

Ostara is a celebration of life’s renewal. The days grow longer, flowers begin to bloom, and the earth stirs with the energy of growth. It is a time to honour both the fertility of the land and our own personal aspirations.

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Kikelet

Means "emergence"

Fertility magic

Shaking plants and fruit trees to wake them up after the long winter

Purifying everything after winter; physically (spring cleaning, ritual baths, hair cut, new clothes, etc.) spiritually (prayer, releasing rituals, cleansing spells, etc.)

Braided green onions, braided bread

Spring Equinox

Honor the balance of light and dark, acknowledging inner and outer harmony.

Celebrate fertility, growth, and rebirth, both in nature and within ourselves.

Mark the beginning of planting season, physically and metaphorically.

Use symbols like eggs, seeds, rabbits, flowers, and birds to connect with the energies of the season.

Some traditions light spring fires, create seed blessings or fertility altars, or hold dawn rituals to greet the rising sun. Others celebrate more privately through reflection, journaling, or simply spending time in nature.

Dawn meditations or sunrise gatherings to honor the first light of spring.

Candle-lighting ceremonies, often using natural or homemade candles, to represent the returning sun.

Planting seeds, either in gardens or in symbolic planters, as a way to set intentions and invite growth.

Spring cleaning or altar refreshing, clearing out stagnant energy and making space for new blessings.

Rites of balance, such as journaling on dualities—light/dark, rest/action, letting go/calling in.

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Imbolc/Farsang/Gŵyl Fair y Canhwllau/Sun Return

February 1st & 2nd

Gŵyl Fair y Canhwllau (Candlemas)-

Customs (From wikipedia)

It was customary for people to light two candles, and place them on a table or high bench. Then each member of the family in turn would sit down on a chair between the candles and take a drink out of a horn goblet or beaker. Afterward, they would throw the vessel over their head and if it fell in an upright position, the person who threw it would live to reach very old age; if it fell bottom-up, the person would die early. That 'drink', usually beer, was associated with Candlemas.

The custom of wassailing involved wishing for fertile crops and an increase of livestock in the coming year for those who provided the wassailers with ale. Like the ceremonies in Ireland for St Brigit's day, the early Spring was the time to ensure protection and fertility for the crops and animals. If the sun shone on the altar on Candlemas Day, it was thought that there would be an abundant harvest the following year. However, if a single crow was seen hovering or circling over a house on the eve or day of Candlemas, it was considered unlucky.

The period of time when working by candlelight was allowed, due to it being the dark part of the year, was amser gwylad, the time of keeping vigil. The candle was then handed back on 2 February when the light had increased enough for candles to be dispensed with and the farm animals to be fed before dark.

Farsang (Joytide)(Sun Return)

Similar to Mardi Gras (celebrations, parades, stories, rich foods, costumes, etc.)

Cleaning and refreshing your home and surroundings as a cleansing ritual/way of bringing in new life after the long, dark winter.

Celebrations of light, feasting for luck, worshipping the returning sun!

Farsang is also a symbolic event of saying goodbye to winter and looking forward to spring.

Historically, in this period lots of wedding celebrations were held. It was because the farm workers could have a rest, celebrate and make food and fill their stores, so they could make a perfect place to their guests.

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Imbolc

Customs (From Lancs Green Witch)

Imbolc marks the halfway point between winter solstice and spring equinox. It is a time of renewal, growth, and the welcoming of light as we prepare for the warmer months ahead. As the season shifts, it’s the perfect opportunity to refresh your spiritual practice and set meaningful intentions for the year.

Imbolc is a time for reflection and planning, making it ideal for setting intentions. Take a moment to consider what you wish to manifest in the year ahead. Focus on areas like personal growth, career ambitions, or spiritual practices.

Take a walk to observe the subtle signs of spring and connect with the earth.

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