#mayfest

Disclaimers: 

-> these are the celebrations that I personally celebrate. I personally prefer celebrating on equinoxes, solstices, and the dates in the middle of these events, but many other pagans have other preferences or set dates

-> there are also other pagan celebrations that I personally do not take part in but which other pagans might find important. Also, I do not celebrate Samhain, Imbolc, Mabon, and the like, since these are more Irish / Celtic pagan celebrations (though many of the following celebrations are on the same day and carry a similar meaning as these holidays)

Disting / Charming of the Plow:

This day celebrates the overcoming of winter and the revival of nature. It is also called the ‘charming of the plow’ and marks the beginning of the agricultural year and celebrates the hope for spring and a bountiful growing season. 

I celebrate Disablót / Disting at the halfway-point between winter solstice and spring equinox. In 2023, this day fell on the 3rd of February.

Várblót / Spring Equinox:

This day celebrates the return of the sun since as of this day, the days will be longer than the nights. Thus, sun symbolism and sun gods play a big role on this day. It also marks the beginning of spring and therefore has a strong connection to fertility and agricultural themes and the gods connected to these themes. 

I celebrate várblót on the day of the spring equinox, so usually around the 20th of March.

Mayfest / Majblót:

This day marks the half-way point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice and it celebrates the end of the colder half of the year and the beginning of summer. It also celebrates the greening, blooming, and blossoming of the plants around us.

I celebrate this holiday on the day that marks the half-way point between the spring equinox and summer solstice. In 2023, this day fell on the 5th of May.

Summer Solstice / Midsummer:

This day is the longest day of the year and celebrates the return of the sun and its light and warmth, life, fertility, and the potential for a good harvest.

This celebration is on the day of the summer solstice, so usually around the 21st of June. 

Freyfest / Freysblót / Freyfaxi:

This day marks the half-way point between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox. It celebrates the first harvest of the year (usually the grains) and the collection of the fruits of our labours this year. Frey, the god of fertility, is especially celebrated on this day.

I celebrate this holiday on the day that marks the half-way point between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox. In 2023, this holiday falls on the 7th of August.

Höstblót / Autumnal Equinox:

As of this day, the days will be shorter than the nights. Therefore, this day celebrates the end of the light and warm season, and the preparation for the upcoming dark and cold months. It is also seen as the second harvest festival, where we celebrate the bountiful summer and stock up for winter. 

I celebrate höstblot on the day of the autumnal equinox, so usually around the 23rd of September.

Vetrnætr / Winter Nights:

This day celebrates the end of summer and the beginning of winter. It is the last of the three harvest festivals of the year where we celebrate the end of the harvest season and everything it brought us, and prepare for the harsh winter that is coming.

I celebrate this holiday on the day that marks the half-way point between autumnal equinox and winter solstice. In 2023, this day falls on the 6th of November. The vetrnaetr are often celebrated for 3 days.

Winter Solstice / Midwinter / Yule:

This day celebrates the shortest and darkest day of the year. It celebrates the hardest and darkest part of winter that has been overcome and the return of the sun and its light and warmth. 

I celebrate yule on the day of the winter solstice, so usually around the 21st of December, and yuletide on the 12 days following it.

Në kujtim të poetit Kujtim Paçaku që një jetë të tërë ja kushtoi poezisë dhe romëve të tij ❤️📚

On the day of Mayfest / May Day, the greening & blooming of nature is celebrated.

It is the day that marks the halfway point between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice, which is why i'll be celebrating on the 5th of May 2023 since it marks the exact halfway point.

As always, i want to do a lot of homemade and handmade things to celebrate and give thanks for what i have. These are my plans for this year:

spending the day outside 🌞, going for a walk or picnic, etc.

collecting and pressing seasonal flowers🌸 (will probably make book marks out of them)

buying some local fruits & making a homemade fruit salad 🍎🍊🍒

making a may basket 🧺 (either out of pine needles or raffia) -> maybe also including ribbons to represent may poles

i have some wildflower seeds for the bees which i'll spread around the garden 🌷🐝

picking a flower bouquet 💐

i'm also making an embroidered altar cloth for the occasion 🧵

All the materials i'll be using/needing:

maybe food for the picnic

handpicked flowers from the garden

fruits for the fruit salad

materials for the basket: pine needles or raffia (+ ribbon)

wildflower seeds

I’m trying to make an embroidered altar cloth for all of the pagan celebrations of this year. They’re inspired by and based on traditional German cross stitch patterns. So here’s my design for Mayfest, which represents the celebration of the greening and blooming of nature (feel free to use it yourself :) ):

Patterns:

the vines are from a German pattern book from ca. 1725

the border is from a German pattern book from ca. 1597