festival dates?

[rype]

Does anyone have a calender or website that lists the festival dates? I've looked on google, most of what I find are schools celebration dates.

Thanks!

[MammaG]

I looked, too, and can't find one. I have to say I typically use the online Episcopal calendar because most of the ones we celebrate are the Christian ones and the more Pagan ones we love are obvious...Equinoxes and Solstices.

Maybe this is because there's no standardized list of celebrations...people and communities choose which ones resonate with them.

Don't know if this helps you, but on our calendar is:
(And we don't make a huge deal of all of these, BTW. For instance, on St Nicholas Day, the kids get gelt in their shoes in the morning and we read a story and that's pretty much it. Michaelmas, Christmas-Epiphany and Holy Week-Easter are our biggies. We also like the longer rhythms of whole seasons; Advent, Lent, Ordinary Time after Whitsun)


*Apple Day (this is our tradition. We spend the day apple picking and the whole week doing apple-themed stuff. Start-of-school tradition at our house!)
21 Sept Equinox
29 Sept Michaelmas (celebrated long ago on 11 Oct, I think?)
31 Oct Hallowe'en
1 Nov All Saints
2 Nov All Souls (we celebrate it as Ancestor Day..tell stories, get out old albums)
5 Nov Guy Fawkes (this is just because of my Englishness and a good excuse to buy sparklers when the kids can actually stay up to use them [silly day to have a National Holiday involving fireworks, is 4 July!])
11 Nov Martinmas
*Thanksgiving
*Advent 1 (as in the First Sunday of Advent)
1 Dec Advent (as in 25-day calendar countdown)
5 Dec St Nicholas
12 Dec St. Lucia
21 Dec Solstice
24 Dec Christmas Eve
25 Dec-5 Jan Christmas
5 Jan 12th Night
6 Jan Epiphany
2 Feb Candlemas
14 Feb St. Valentine
* Lunar New Year
* Shrove Tuesday & Ash Wednesday
* Mothering Sunday (4th Sunday in Lent)
* 6 weeks of Lent
17 Mar St. Patrick (I'm wavering on this and St. Valentine)
21 Mar Equinox
* Kite Day (also our own...near the Equinox, we make and fly kites in the March breeze)
* Holy Week & Easter
22 April Earth Day
1 May May Day/Beltane
* Ascension Day
* Whitsun Day (Pentecost)
21 June Equinox
24 June St. John's Day

Phew. The starred ones are moveable dates, but I plopped them in where they mostly go. Most of these holidays, with a description and a date, can be found on your friend, Wiki.

Hope that helps you, OP.

[rype]

Thank you! That's perfect. I previously researched when the date of each festival I wanted to celebrate and now it's stuck in computer limbo. We celebrate the Equinoxes and Solstices as well. Thank you again.

[AislinCarys]

St Lucia is 13 dec, actually. I am from Sweden, where it is celebrated all over the country, one of the major celebrations. Every school has Lucia, every town, every riding school, motorcycle club, tv...

[zoebird]

in the southern hemisphere, we foul it all up. it makes no sense to celebrate apples and death (halloween--seriously an important holiday) in spring (Sept 1 is considered the first day of spring here). or Christmas--a winter holiday--in the heat of december.

so, seriously, i just make it up as i go. i started with equinoxes, solstices, and birthdays. that makes it simple. I'm thinking of focusing the birthdays around the astrological signs (gemini for DH; cancer for me; virgo for DS). haven't decided on that though. then, going seasonal as it fits. Firebird festival is our winter holiday--didn't manage it this year (in june/july), but did before we left the US (in winter). hopefully for next year. i'm thinking of celebrating the buddha's enlightenment in december. it's not technically seasonal, but it will add another holiday and it's pretty important to me. fall will focus on thanksgiving (that's april here, btw), and then spring. . .well, i don't have one for that but i am intregued by the root children.

anyway, i completely muck it up> living in the southern hemisphere is weird.

[rype]

Hey Zoebird, I saw you used to live near me. I live in Phoenixville. Have you ever been to the Firebird Festival here?

As for Halloween, we lean more toward Dias De los Muertos, there's just a lot more meaning in that for me. It's like poor commercialized Christmas vs Yule.

[zoebird]

yes, we are obsessed with Firebird and are recreating it down here for ourselves based on that!

last year--our last in PA--we helped to plan the bird, build it, and were there until about 3 am (had to get the baby inside, as the fire died down).

this year, we just did a drawing of a phoenix and some candles (so sad) in June, but we are working with some friends adn the wellington city council to see if we can do something like firebird here. we are not sure what form it will take yet.

in dunedin (south island, a fair distance from us) there is a strong pagan community, so they actually have "flipped" the festivals to match then seasons here. they do a more Dias De Los Muertos-styled event there in April. but i don't think i will be travelling down for it. I do feel it is a very important holiday, personally, but i'm not sure how to incorporate it yet.

[zoebird]

yes, we are obsessed with Firebird and are recreating it down here for ourselves based on that!

last year--our last in PA--we helped to plan the bird, build it, and were there until about 3 am (had to get the baby inside, as the fire died down).

this year, we just did a drawing of a phoenix and some candles (so sad) in June, but we are working with some friends adn the wellington city council to see if we can do something like firebird here. we are not sure what form it will take yet.

in dunedin (south island, a fair distance from us) there is a strong pagan community, so they actually have "flipped" the festivals to match then seasons here. they do a more Dias De Los Muertos-styled event there in April. but i don't think i will be travelling down for it. I do feel it is a very important holiday, personally, but i'm not sure how to incorporate it yet.

[rype]

Originally Posted by zoebird

last year--our last in PA--we helped to plan the bird, build it, and were there until about 3 am (had to get the baby inside, as the fire died down).

I wonder if I've seen you! We lived in the house directly across the street. The yellow one with blue trim. The boys watched through the front windows almost everyday.

For us celebrating Dias de los Muertos really took off after that amazing Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Philly art museum. While we were there we spotted a book called Frida's Fiestas, the book is written by one of Diego Riveras children. She writes about Fridas over-the-top celebrations. One for each month, including the Day of the Dead. She has a Pan de la Muerto recipe and that inspired me to really make a day of it. We also have a kids book called Day of the Dead by Tony Johnston illustrated by Jeanette Winter, that my kid loves. I have a hutch with three shelves on it that is a combo nature table/alter shelf and we put pictures of our ancestors on it to remember.

[zoebird]

very cool. i think i'm just not wrapping my head around doing it in april, when everyone here is celebrating easter.

i personally find it completely annoying that the holidays are celebrated in the same months as the northern hemisphere, but the completely wrong season.

drives me bonkers. but eventually, i'll adapt.

[tallulahma]

mammaG thats a great compilation list!

thats mostly what we do.

its funny how some things resonate with some communities/people more.

i get so excited for Michaelmas & candlemas- those are my two big ones... then the equinoxes/solstices and all saints.....

im so excited that september is here!

[MammaG]

Originally Posted by AislinCarys

St Lucia is 13 dec, actually. I am from Sweden, where it is celebrated all over the country, one of the major celebrations. Every school has Lucia, every town, every riding school, motorcycle club, tv...

Oops, you are absolutely right, sorry! We lived in Sweden when I was a child, which is why my family celebrates this holiday (we picked up a lot of holidays living all over the world! So many light-related.). As the youngest (only) girl, I put out my white outfit and wreath with candles the night of the 12th, then made breakfast for the family on the 13th. Having an English mother, this tradition got a bit warped....I made tea and toast for everyone!

AislinCarys, do you have the words to the Santa Lucia song? I went to an American School in Sweden and we learnt it in English. I remember the tune, but only the words "Santa Lucia". It would be lovely to pass along that song to my kids.

[knittygritty]

Thank you for taking the time and energy to compile this lovely calendar! It is very helpful. But isn't St. Nicholas Day on December 6? I always remember it because it is my sister's birthday.

[MammaG]

Originally Posted by knittygritty

Thank you for taking the time and energy to compile this lovely calendar! It is very helpful. But isn't St. Nicholas Day on December 6? I always remember it because it is my sister's birthday.

Oh, dear. You know, I think I put those ones on my homeschool calendar on the Eve so that I remember to put out the kids' shoes for St. Nick and prep the bread for St. Lucia. Yeah, that's my story.

Anyone else have a calendar or more dates/festivals to share? Anything special that's a 'just you' thing?