Start Here: The Wheel Of The Year, The 8 Fire Festivals & Their Astrology…
Discover the annual cycle of the seasons and cosmic celebration points throughout the year!
There are a total of eight ‘fire festivals’ in the year that originated in ancient times, celebrated throughout the year, based on the Sun or Solar Cycle.
In astrology, a date is never just a date it’s a degree of the Zodiac.
The solstices and equinoxes are calculated when the sun reaches 0º00′ of the CARDINAL SIGNS: Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. Note the ZERO DEGREE below, signifying the turning of the wheel into each new season. They are the ‘Quarter Days’.
The Four Solar Fire Festivals or Quarter Days are…
- Spring Equinox (Ostara) – 0º00′ Aries – 20th-22nd March, the start of Aries Season
- Summer Solstice (Litha) – 0º00′ Cancer – 20th-22nd June, the start of Cancer Season
- Autumn Equinox (Mabon) – 0º00′ Libra – 20th-22nd September, the start of Libra Season
- Winter Solstice (Yule) – 0º00′ Capricorn – 20th-22nd December, the start of Capricorn Season.
Cardinal is the modality of action and shifts of change, and these four days show the entry to spring, summer, fall, and winter, with the new star sign season.
The other four celebrations occur in when the sun reaches the middle of the FIXED SIGNS: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Note that the degree has shifted a little, as we enjoy the moments in our calendar (rearranged to suit the Romans!) They are the ‘Cross Quarter Days’, the four points between equinox and solstice.
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The Four Lunar Fire Festivals or Cross Quarter Days are…
- Beltane (May Eve) – 9º Taurus – May 1st, the middle of Taurus Season
- Lughnasadh (Lammas) – 9º Leo – August 1st, the middle of Leo Season
- Samhain (Hallowe’en) – 9º Scorpio – October 31st-November 2nd, the middle of Scorpio Season
- Imbolc (Candlemas) – 13º Aquarius – February 2nd-7th, the middle of Aquarius Season.
[Across all of the festivals above the date of ritual and celebration can change depending on the year, times the festivals are celebrated are often flexible, aligned with the Full or New Moon, too.]
You can light a bonfire or smaller flame on any of these days!
The three Harvest Festivals are Lughnasadh, Autumnal Equinox and Samhain (or Lammas, Mabon, and Halloween).
Wheel Of The Year Dates & Timing…
Originally celebrated by people in the Northern Hemisphere, the traditional times for festivities don’t correspond with the Southern Hemisphere.
However Pagans in the Southern Hemisphere flip seasonal celebrations to coincide with their own.
- Spring Equinox / Ostara, 19th-22nd March
- Beltane / May Eve, 1st May
- Summer Solstice / Litha, 19th-23rd June
- Lughnasadh / Lammas, 1st August
- Autumn Equinox / Mabon, 21st-24th September
- Halloween / Samhain, 31st October
- Winter Solstice / Yule, 20th-23rd December
- Candlemas / Imbolc, 2nd February.