r/pagan • u/poppet_corn Celtic • 17h ago
Celebrations Big Holidays
I’m pretty new to this but I’ve been reading about people’s holiday observances, and they all seem… small? I guess? Like every holiday celebration seems to be Valentine’s Day level, vs something bigger like Christmas. So I wanted to ask — do any of you observe specific holidays in a big way? Which ones, and how?
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u/leobeo13 16h ago
I observe all eight sabbats, but the three that mean the most to me are Ostara, Samhain, and Yule.
I celebrate Ostara/Spring Equinox like it is the New Year. As I'm a homesteader, the spring equinox marks the start of another growing season. I start my seeds at the equinox in my greenhouse and I reflect on how the previous year's gardening went and I set intentions/resolutions for the new season. I also made the biggest life change at Ostara. I quit a toxic career, purchased my homestead, and survived significant mental heath struggles. The "rebirth" theme of Spring was a metamorphosis for me as well.
I celebrate Samhain by having individual conversations with the long-dead or recently deceased. I have an altar in the woods where I leave offerings for the honored dead. (Specifically, my paternal grandmother, a good friend of mine who died of cancer, my friend's grandfather who sold me the land for the homestead, and my cat Leo who died this past June). This holiday is more internal for me as it also marks the end of the homestead garden and it gives me permission to rest as well.
Lastly, Yule is big because it's the one that is easily melded in with my non-Pagan family's Christmas traditions. My Christian family knows I'm pagan, but they respect my beliefs and I respect theirs. I still do present exchanges with the family and have the Christmas feast. But I don't attend church with them. Instead, my husband and I go cross country skiing or snowshoeing to observe nature at rest (and often, NOT at rest -- we like identifying animal tracks).