Your first Pagan holiday?

[Windsmith]

In reading the thread on our favorite Sabbats (http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=153731), I notice that many people have a special affinity for the first Sabbat they celebrated as a Pagan. I got curious about folks' first Pagan holiday.

Me, the first holiday I ever celebrated was Beltane. A friend invited me to the ritual she held every year. But I still identified as a Christian at the time. The first one I celebrated after self-dedicating as a Pagan was Imbolc.

I offered the "other" option for all of us here who use a different calendar with different holidays.

[Sacredsin]

The first Pagan holiday I ever celebrated was Beltane, which is also one of my favorites.

The first Pagan holiday I ever celebrated with a coven was a few days ago, it was a late Ostara ritual. It was really interesting and a lot of fun. Lol, Ostara is also one of my favorite holidays, with Litha, and Samhain as well. :)

[blueangel]

Samhain is much easier to celebrate as it's much more a part of society. Although it's not the only holiday I celebrate, I love the way that everyone gets into the spirit of the season!

[Arion]

I first started looking into Wicca many years ago during November, and the first holiday I actually celebrated as a Pagan was Yule. It was really exciting, since the Christian meaning behind the holiday season meant nothing to me anymore, it was really nice to have a reason to celebrate again. I jumped right on in to the whole thing rather quickly.

[Nitefalle]

The first that I ever remember doing anything for was Ostara, when I was still living at home. I did a meditation with a candle and I had little wooden cutouts of bunnies that I had colored with markers, lol. I just did a little meditation on "The Goddess", not really knowing at that point what the actual day was about, really. Wow, that was seven years ago! Oh lord, lol. The year before that, I had loosely attempted something in my college dorm room for Beltane, but I don't count that because people were walking in and out and I don't think I even finished the ritual, let alone focused on it properly. However, neither of those are my favorites. Midsummer and Yule are big faves for me, with Lughnassadh and Imbolc following closely afterwards.

[SoulFire]

In reading the thread on our favorite Sabbats (http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=153731), I notice that many people have a special affinity for the first Sabbat they celebrated as a Pagan. I got curious about folks' first Pagan holiday.

The first Pagan holiday I formally celebrated was Oimelc (Imbolc/Candlemas) in 1984, on the day that I was initiated. Though as a kid, I celebrated May Day every year by not wearing any shoes. :) I also did candlemagic every May Day or Lammas (I don't remember which now).

[Childof_theMorrigan]

first one i celebrated was winter solstice as a congregational member of the coven I am now an initiate of. but Samhain remains my fav :D

[Sage Rainsong]

The first Pagan ritual that I went to was an open circle for Lughnasadh.

[Silver Nightfire]

My first was Samhain :) It's in the top 3 of my favourite sabbats.

[Glory]

My first pagan holiday I actually attended and celebrated formally was only a few days ago... it was an Autumn Equinox. Great food, great people, nice ceremony too, lots of druid influences as the main orchestrators of the event were druid.

[Libris]

My first holiday was Ostara and its also my favorite. Partly because it was my first and partly because I just -LOVE- spring :D It was also nice because I think about spring as new beginnings and birthing so it was really apropriate that it was my birth into a new religion (which I had been following for quite sometime without knowing it LOL)

[RubyRose]

Beltane was the first sabbat I ever celebrated.

[Whitewolf]

The first pagan holiday I celebrated was Winter Solstice/Yule. That was also the first circle I ever went to. I still remember it to this day.

[Reahanna24]

Samhain has always been my favorite. But unfortunatly I have to say it's probably has alot to do with the fact that I have never been to an official celebration with others of 'like mind'. Hopefully I will get the opportunity some day.

[StarEyedShelly]

The first pagan holiday where I "felt" something was Samhain. I'd always get a special, relaxed peaceful feeling on Halloween, even before I officially became pagan. The first holiday that I formally celebrated was the winter solstice.

[Astara Seague]

mine was Mabon
but my favorites were Ostara and Samhain

[Dawa Lhamo]

Beltane. I was almost 2 mos. old. I don't remember it at all. ^_^ It's hard to say what the first one I remember is. I have lots of memories of Sabbats long ago, but identifying which was which is difficult. My favorite is probably Candlemas, because my parents used to host it all the time. Good memories. ^_^

[coyoger]

The summer sol was the first one I offically celebrated, and though I had fun, my fav. holiday is and shall always be Samhain!

[ravenscape]

Imbolc was the first holiday I celebrated as a Pagan. I have several favorites, as I mentioned on the other thread. There is something very personal about Imbolc. It's hard to say whether it's because it was my first Pagan holiday, if it's because I was married on Imbolc (though I wasn't pagan 20-some years ago), or because it's usually a very inward time of year for me. I feel like I go to ground after Midwinter.

[Jadewynd~]

Well I have always connected with the Equinoxes before I knew what I was being drawn to as child. But, my first celebration was Samhain; again I was always drawn to this time. But, not a surprise since in Native American birth your true birthday is the time of conception which for myself would have been during this time. Everything moves in a circle. :)

[bbnflpn]

my first time i celebrated a pagan holiday i guess would be when we did the may day festival in mississippi. i didnt get to dance around the may pole i was bummed. they never did stuff like that out in califorina. but i was in 2nd grade when that happend, and i dont think that it was truly a pagan rite i dont remember much about it other than it was a school function.

the very first rite i went to was a moon esabbat. i was running late, cause i had to work and i knew they would have already started. when i got there they were just closing the circle, and they held it open for me to come in (it was on the beach, and i was in a paid parking spot and i didnt pay for my ticket at that time) i watched over my shoulder every so often hoping that a cop wouldnt give me a ticket. after the rite was over i went and bought one. but it was cool. i had only met the group once and the hp seemed to know i was on my way lol.

[Tigerlily]

I think mine was Esbat, but I don't really remember!

[enteef89]

I wouldn't say that I actually celebrated Samhain, so to say, but around last years Samhain was when I first started realizing that I was pagan. So I count that as my first Sabbat. But once I actually "celebrate" one in ritual, then I will count that one. But for now, its Samhain.

[Lolair]

The first time I celebrated a festival as a pagan it was Yule. The first time I attended a group sabbat ritual was at Lughnasadh and it was amazing. I love the personal depth you can get into when doing a solo ritual, but there's nothing like a rowdy group ritual to celebrate the seasons. My group's Beltane has to be my favourite, it's an amazing two day ritual full of traditions and sounds like something Frazer would have written about in the Golden Bough.