The Wheel of the Year. The Wheel of the Year is a representation of the eight major festivals and holidays falling during the calendar year. While various other minor holidays might be celebrated intermittently, the eight major holidays are represented on the wheel. For each of these holidays, I give a brief overview and share some associated customs. I have had direct experience with all of these. The Sabbat cycle I describe here reflects the climate zone in the Northern hemisphere where I live as well as my own multi-cultural, spiritual approach with a Wiccan emphasis. Spellbound - The Ultimate Pagan Software! A must have for all pagans and wiccans alike. Within this program you will find information on runes, sabbats, tools used in the craft, calendar of events, moon cycles including waxing or waning, glossary of. Calendar iCal Address. Society & Culture Website. Final examinations for Summer Session 2. How to Show or Hide Week Numbers. If you want, it will display your events as a companion to the Mac Calendar app. Please be careful. Main: (313) 961-4060. List of United States Holidays Calendar 2020.
To see Wiccan holiday dates for 2021, click here!
Each year, there are eight major Wiccan holidays that we collectively refer to as the Wheel of the Year. Each one highlights an important aspect of our magickal craft, and celebrating them all is one of the great joys of Wicca.
That being said, some of our holidays have movable dates based around the sun and moon, which can make remembering when they occur a bit of a pain.
But we’ve got you covered!
In this article, we’re taking a look at the dates for all eight major Wiccan holidays in 2020. You’ll not only find out when they occur but also what they mean to the Wiccans and witches that celebrate them.
Let’s explore 2020!
Imbolg
Imbolg occurs every year on February 1st, and in 2020, that will be a Saturday.
Imbolg marks the beginning of spring on the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. It’s a time of new beginnings both physically and spiritually. Additionally, some Wiccans use Imbolg as a time to honor the goddess Brigid—which is why you’ll sometimes see this holiday referred to as Brigid’s Day or simply Brigid.
Ostara
2020’s Ostara celebration takes place on Thursday, March 19th.
For Wiccans, the holiday is known as Ostara, but all around the world this day is celebrated by many others as the spring equinox. This is one of two days a year when both day and night are equal in length.
Some Wiccans focus on honoring and worshiping the Triple Goddess during this time, while others use it as an opportunity for blessings of all kinds.
Beltane
Beltane occurs every year on May 1st—that will be a Friday in 2020.
In the Wiccan Wheel of the Year, we refer to this day as Beltane, but it also goes by other names—most famously, May Day.
This holiday marks the midpoint between the celebrations of the spring equinox and the summer solstice. It’s traditionally associated with fertility magick, and it’s the time of year when some dance around the beautiful maypole.
Litha
Wicca Calendar
In 2020, Litha will occur on Wednesday, June 24th.
Litha (aka the summer solstice or midsummer) is a holiday that marks the high point of the sun—on this day, daylight is longer than it will be at any other time on the calendar.
For Wiccans, this is typically the time we honor the Horned God, and many Litha celebrations can get downright rambunctious in their merriment!
Lammas
The date for Lammas is always August 1st, and this year, that will be a Saturday.
Lammas was traditionally the time when the first crops of the year were being harvested. Because of this, the holiday is associated with abundance and growth.
In some traditions, you might also see Lammas referred to as Lughnasadh.
Mabon
The 2020 Mabon celebration falls on Tuesday, September 22nd.
Along with Ostara, Mabon is one of the two days a year when both day and night are equal in length. It is also considered the second harvest festival on the Wiccan Wheel of the Year (with the first being Lammas).
This is a time for reflecting on the blessings of the year and cultivating gratitude towards the Lord and Lady for all they have bestowed upon us.
Samhain
Every year, Samhain falls on October 31st, which will be a Saturday in 2020.
It may fall on Halloween and it may feel Halloween-y, but Samhain is much more than just costumes and candy.
Samhain is the time of year when Wiccans and other pagans honor the dead and pay respect to our ancestors who are no longer with us. You’re likely to see all sorts of spells and magick involving the dead or communication with the dead on this day.
Yule
In 2020, Yule will occur on Monday, December 21st.
In Wicca, this holiday is known as Yule, but people around the world also commemorate it as the winter solstice. It’s basically the opposite of midsummer—this is the date on the calendar when daytime is shortest and nighttime is longest.
Despite the cooler temperatures and lack of sunlight, this is actually an important holiday for Wiccans. We use it as a time to meditate on the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. And on this date, we also wait expectantly for the return of spring and new life.
Make 2020 a Magickal Year
Keeping track of all eight, major Wiccan holidays can seem like a lot of work, but it’s a labor of love. We commemorate these days because their celebration brings us closer to the natural rhythms of nature. Also, since each holiday represents such a wide variety of things, the Wheel of the Year is a guided tour of all the many different aspects and areas of magick.
How will you be celebrating in 2020?
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Blessed be!
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It seems that around Halloween every year there are articles in Christian publications and comments on Fox News about how Halloween is a pagan holiday. Participate, some warn, at your own peril. I'm a modern-day pagan and real-life Wiccan (or witch), and this commentary usually makes me laugh. Kids begging for candy and college students getting drunk in odd outfits really have very little to do with the Wiccan holiday I celebrate every year on the 31st of October.
But wait, if Halloween isn’t an ancient pagan festival honoring Satan or darkness or maybe Satan and darkness, then what is it? Well, that’s actually an interesting question, and it depends who in the pagan community you ask. Scholars and historians disagree about what exactly the ancient Celts did on October 31st or surrounding days. It was definitely a significant time — most agree it was, at the very least, the Celtic new year. But the specific details are debated, and celebrations probably varied over time.
Modern Halloween tradition mostly came about from the Christianizing of ancient pagan practices, and subsequent secularization of Christian traditions. The trick-or-treating we see today probably began as parades for All Souls Day (also known as All Hallows Day), a Catholic holiday which now falls on November 1st, and which was probably intended to supersede the old holiday. The ancient festival was thus renamed as All Hallows Eve, and it's been growing more and more divorced from its roots ever since.
Today, the holiday is still celebrated in the non-standardized, revived witchcraft tradition known as Wicca, and in the even less standardized group known as neo-pagans. In these circles, Halloween is called Samhain (pronunciations vary; I go with Sah-wen). Its significance and celebrations are rooted in traditional, pre-Christian practice, though they are by no means exact replicas.
October 31st is the midway point between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. As such it is considered the end of the harvest time, when everything has stopped growing and the earth goes back to sleep. On the Wiccan calendar, known as the “wheel of the year” it is also the day when the god dies, to be reborn again on the Winter Solstice. Samhain is therefore the day when the veil between the living and the dead is considered thinnest, and is a time to remember people in our lives who have passed away.
In all honesty, it’s not as exciting as the super conservative Christians would have us all believe.
Wiccan Holidays For Mac Calendar 2020
I typically celebrate by dressing up, making a ton of autumn appropriate food (think squash), and having a dinner party for all my friends. Then, after everyone leaves, I do a small, private ceremony involving scandalous things like candles, fallen leaves, a pumpkin, photos of anyone I know who's died this year, and meditation. It may be disappointing to some, but sexual congress with the devil is not on the agenda.
Because really, for all the darkness and ghosts and evil talk, Sahwain, like all Wiccan holidays, is most firmly rooted in the natural world, and in natural processes. Death is a natural thing, and this holiday is the time when we acknowledge and honor its place in our lives. For some reason we live in a culture obsessed with youth and bright lights, and that is so incredibly ubiquitous that for me it's honestly a relief to dwell on the other side of the coin for a while. Far away from sugar rushes and sexy outfits, to me October 31st is peaceful.
The fact that Halloween is such a huge, secular holiday doesn’t bother me and neither does the fact that people try to boycott it because of its pagan roots. To me, the holiday of Halloween, with its costumes and candy and haunted houses, is not my holiday at all. I’ll celebrate that Halloween, sure, by going out on a night that isn’t the 31st. But just because jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, and the colors orange and black are Samhain-appropriate doesn’t mean that Halloween is the same holiday. Just because some modern pagans refer to Samhain as Halloween doesn’t mean it’s the same holiday. Just because Halloween has the same roots as Samhain doesn't mean it's the same holiday.
Because I love Halloween, but it's a secular holiday. The religious holiday I celebrate isn’t the same thing at all. And that’s okay.
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