Festivals For May

[Earth Walker]

MAY 14
GODDESS TITHE DAY
(NORTH AFRICAN)

The black-robed Isis receives one-tenth of the riches She has
given to the wealthy. This is the day when those blessed with
her gifts return a tithe to the Goddess's representatives on
earth.

Oh, Isis, hearer of prayers, the merciful
healer of all ills, renew your blessings for us
one more year, that we may gather in the
riches of life and keep them in your honour.

Give money generously to your local or national goddess
activity and renew your own good luck in finances. If you
don't have a way to do this, buy some books about the
Goddess in the bookstores and let that be your offering.

MAY 15
RAIN DANCE NIGHT
(GUATEMALAN)

If the waters are not coming as they should, perform the
following rain dance. Take a pitcher full of natural water --
rain, river, lake, or sea. Build a fire in the middle of the circle
with sacred wood like oak, rowan, willow, pine, fern, and so on.
Take your water and sprinkle a little all around the circle,
praying to the goddess of space, the power of the cosmos.
Call down the powers of the east and south and west and north
with words and chanting. Dance with your friends as wildly as
you can to raise power. Move to the sound of some good
drumming, a deep-bellied steady beat, as you dance barefoot
directly on the earth. When you have all danced, pour out the
rest of the water to the four corners of the universe and say:

This is the beginning of the rain you are
releasing on this land. This is the blessing
you bestow on your people. Great Spirit, let
the waters flow out of your skies and onto
this parched and thirsty earth! It is done!
It is done! It is done!

Then go home and watch the clouds gather
and the rain pour forth.

Oh, oh, have to go. :(
More postings in a bit. :)

[Earth Walker]

MAY 18
FEAST OF PAN
Greek

On this day, women and men celebrate men. Pan is all that is
male in the universe. Pan is represented by a wild-, but good-
looking man, not your deodorized modern type. He has hooves
because many of the male animals he represents in nature
have hooves. He has horns for the same reason; he is hairy,
and he usually sports an erect penis. He plays the flute
divinely. He is a son of the earth. He is not a patriarch who
oppresses women. He is, however, all male.
Pan likes parties with wine, song, and women. Invoke him in
some wild place or burn patchouli on your altar in his honour.
Christians stole his image and made him into the picture of their
own negative male god, the devil. This act of twisting the old ways didn't make Pan into the christian devil; however, his
worship slowly disappeared, as did the worship of the Goddess.
The gentle male role model, the singing-dancing pagan priest,
medicine man, good-time lover Pan, is much needed to reclaim
the the lost wildness in our men today. Without him, nothing is
conceived or glad. His view of the world was not that of a warrior but of the lover. Give a party for men today. Let the men define
this: What is manhood without violence or competition?
Do a guided meditation to visit Pan; he'll tell you the answer.

MAY 20
SUN ENTERS GEMINI
During Gemini, sign of the twins, seek to understand the twin
hidden within you, you unconscious, the hidden part of your soul.

MAY 19 through 28
KALLYNTARIA & PLYNTERIA
SPRING CLEANING (Greek)

These days are devoted to the cleaning and nurturance of the
sacred places. The Greeks were good at that, and they called this festival Kallyntaria and Plynteria, by which they meant making a
special effort to clean the sacred statues of the goddess and
god. With all that incense burning and dust gathering, the
sacred images got pretty dirty, and you had to take them to be
washed in the nearest rivers or lakes, submerging them and
letting them reunite with the life-giving waters.
Afterward, the women dressed the goddess in her jewels, with much ceremony, and paraded her proudly back to her home in the temple. No singing or fun was allowed during this procedure.
These festivals were solemnized because it was work, not play.
The same principle applies to us today. Let's get those brooms out, and wash the house from top to bottom, really giving it an
old-fashioned purification. What could be more natural than to
transform the old custom of spring cleaning into a religious
devotion!

MAY 24 through 28
THE MOTHERS OF ARLES
(French)

This unique festival celebrating the triple goddess is still alive
and well in France, celebrated mostly by the gypsies.
The "Three Maries of the Sea" recall the ancient goddess of life,
death, and beauty. The gypsies gather from all over Europe and
carry on their annual celebrations of the triple goddess.
Three women dressed up as Mare, Tavobe, and Mary impersonate
the goddesses, reaching the shore in boats. In modern times,
Sarah and Salome are the companions of Mary in this trinity.
Fancy processions, gypsy weddings, trading of all sorts, fortune-
telling, the leaping of cows (a survival from the ancient practice
of bull leaping), dancing gypsy style, and candles give these days and nights their wild beauty.

[Earth Walker]

MAY 25
CELEBRATION OF THE TAO,
MOTHER OF THE WORLD
CHINESE & JAPANESE

In Taoism, a great spiritual tradition of the East, the Goddess
is perceived as the mother of the world, the Way to the heart.
On this day, burn incense to the Goddess and meditate on
Divine Harmony. The whole philosophy of the Way (or Tao) in
Chinese mysticism is essentially a respect for the truth in nature
and her ways. It is also a belief that peopel must live in harmony
with the Way and not destroy or interfere but, rather, flow with
it. This, as they say, is

holding fast to the Mother. She is the origin of all things and beings, born before heaven and earth. Silent and void she stands
alone, does not change, goes round and does not weary, and is
capable of being the mother of the world.*
----------------------------------------------------------
*Tao Teh Ching cited in Lawrence Durbin-Robertson,
Juno Covella, 121.

MAY 29
AMBARVALIA: CORN MOTHER FESTIVAL
ROMAN

The Goddess Ceres, the food giver, now has her corn festival, which was the cause of a great deal of festivity. Celebrants
gathered to walk around the freshly plowed fields in joyous
processions, wearing crowns of oak leaves and singing hymns
to the Earth. Three times they circled the fields and blessed them.
In Hungary, young women dressed as the goddess in colourful
skirts and wore the PARTA on their heads (the crescent decorated
with shining beads). They danced a certain sacred dance in the
entrance to those fields of corn in order to protect them from
hail and pestilence. Sacred dances have been used as a magical
device by groups all over the world.

MAY 30 and 31
FEAST OF THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN
EUROPEAN

Queen of Heaven, lovely goddess of May, fully grown and
gloriously enthroned in Pagan and christian times. May honours
the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the modern-day Queen of
Heaven, though somewhat demoted in status from her original
divinity. But have you noticed that it was always Mary who
caused the miracles, who appeared to children (as at Lourdes
and Fatima)? The Queen of Heaven is a hard-working woman,
and we light white candles to her. Praise active womanhood
wherever you are and all will be well.
In Roman times, May 31 was the date of a celebration for the
Queen of the Underworld, Proserpine, and her consort Pluto, in
whose honour people held what we think of as Olympic games,
not on Olympus, but near the river Tiber in a place known as
Tarentum.

NIMAN KACHINA
FULL MOON of the SIXTH MONTH--HOPI

The ceremony held by the Hopis during the Full Moon, just
before midsummer, celebrates the return of the kachinas to
their home in Sipapo, the underworld realm. Since the winter
solstice, the kachinas have been active in our world, encouraging
the forces of growth. By midsummer the first ears of corn are
ripening, and it is time for the kachinas to retire to rest below.
Female and male spruce trees, the tree of power, are cut and set up in the plaza of the pueblo. At dawn of the first day, the
masked kachinas come dancing, and their movements portray the
broken harmonies of the world. Later that day they distribute
gifts to the children. As darkness is falling, they withdraw.
Until midwinter they will not be seen again. The Kachina Father
offers a parting prayer, asking the kachinas to take with them
the wishes of the people that all living things may be renewed
by the life-giving rain.
Each region suffers if it does not have the correct amount of rain
and sun for its ecology, and human actions have more effect on this than we used to believe. Hopi religious practice is dedicated
to helping the people to live in harmony with the cycles of
nature; this is the essence of earth religions, whatever their
source or symbols. Through the centuries the Hopi have evolved
an elaborate system of ceremonies to help them to live
successfully on their land. In a delicately balanced environment,
it is essential to know how things work and what you can and
cannot do. Whether you call it science or religion, respectful
appreciation will help you to survive.
Note that the kachinas do not ascend into some distant heaven.
Instead they descend into Mother Earth, they go within.
Whether you are seeking protection and renewal for yourself or for the worls around you, open yourself to awareness of the Goddess within you.

[Silver Venus]

Wow! They are all brilliant!! I will print them out and try to praise each of the days because I plan to be working on my house allot the next few weeks!!
Thanks so much Mystique ~ can I ask where you got them from? because I would love to know this for every month :D

[Earth Walker]

Originally posted by Silver Venus
Wow! They are all brilliant!! I will print them out and try to praise each of the days because I plan to be working on my house allot the next few weeks!!
Thanks so much Mystique ~ can I ask where you got them from? because I would love to know this for every month :D

I learned some from my father, and others I learned from
other Pagans, and some from books.
I will post more for June/July shortly. :) :) :)

[Silver Venus]

Thanks they are so interesting ~ I will really look forward to next months!! :D

[dragondancer]

Thanks so much, my birthday is May 30 and I was interested to see that it was one of the days dedicated to the Queen of Heavens!! Seems perfect to celebrate my birthday on a day that celebrates women!!
I wonder if it would be possible to add these to our calendar or make a seperate calendar with this type of information on it

[Drag0nzNSwords]

MM 2 all,
thanks i needed more holidays in my bos. it has been a while since i worked on it. life got in the way.
my b-day is May 12th.... not one holiday on my b-day. awwww man! oh well.
Blessed be to the ones who have b-day on holidays

[Pan]

Why settle for just May.. when you can have almost all of them? Through September:


April

1 Day of Venus; Roman goddess of love

4 Greek Megalesia of Cybele; games dedicated to the Great Mother

5 roman Day of Fortuna; goddess of fate

7 Rumanian Feast of Blajini; offerings made to Other People

8 Day of Mooncakes; Goddess Selene

12 Roman Cerelia; games dedicated to Ceres, farming goddess

23 Erope Festival of the Green Man; Spirit of Vegetation and forests

24 Roman Vinalia Prioria; First Wine festival

25 Greek day of Adonis; God of Vegetation and Resurrection
Roman Robligalia; Corn Mothers (Ceres and Demeter) and Harvest
Various Spring festivals dedicated to Herne, Pan, Horned God

28 - May 3 Floralia; festival of Goddess Flora; remembrace to those who have passed on.

30 German Walpurgis night; May Eve
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May

1 Beltane: May Day, Spring Festival of Fertility

4 Celtic festival of Cerridwen and Brid; Fertility, Poets, Healing

8 English Furry Dance; Morris Dancers welcome spring

9 Roman Lemuria; honour ancestors

11 Irish Old May Eve; Lights for the Faery Mounds

13 Roman Garland Day; honouring Neptune

18 Celtic/European Feast of the Horned God; Greenwood, Hunt, Animals

21 Dark/Bight Mother Goddesses; Kali/Parvati, Hecate/Demeter

28 Thracian feast of Bendidia; Goddess of the Moon, Inderworld, Secrets.

29 British Oak Apple Day; fertility

31 Feast of Stella Maris; Venus as the star of the sea
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June

5 Earth Mother Day; good harvest

13 Celtic feast of Epona; Horse Goddess

18 Roman day of Anna; Danu to the Celts

21 Litha; Midsummer; Summer Solstice; fullness of the year

23 Celtic Day of the Greenman; Herne, Lugh, Cernynnos
Day of Faery Goddesses; Aine, Ana, Any, Danu

25 Parvati Praise Day; festival of women and the Earth Mother

27 Roman day of the Lares; household deities honoured (Hestia, Vesta)

29 Shiva Day; dancing lord invoked for blessings

30 Sumerian Day of Aestas; corn goddess
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July

1 Greek Kronia; honour Kronos (father time) and Rhea (old mother nature)

10 English/Norse/ German day of Holda, Hel, Mother Hulda; Underworld Goddess

15 Finnish day of Rauni; Rowan Tree Goddess

17 Celtic feast of Tailtiu; nature goddess, fostered Lugh

19 Egyptian Opet Festival; marriage of Osiris and Isis

23 roman Neptunalia; honouring Neptune

27 Belgium festival of Witches

31 Celtic Oidche Lughnassadh; August Eve, Sun god, Harvest God, Horned God willing sacrifice as the grain of life
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August

1 Lughnassadh; Festival of Lugh (sun god), Bread festival, harvest festival

3 Macedonian Day of Dryads

9 Druid Feast of the fire spirits
Roman Vinalia Rustica; wine festival of Pan and Venus

11-13 Celtic Puck Fair; fertility

18 Roman Feast of Flowers; celebrate acheivments

19 Roman Vinalial marriage of Bacchus (Dionysus)

20 Eurpoean marriage day of the god and goddess

21 Greek Festival of Hecate; to protect the harvest

28 Norse Harvest Festival
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September

2 Greek Grape Vine festival; honouring Ariadne and Dionysus

13 Egyptian lighting the fire ceremony; for spirits of the dead

21 Mabon

23 Babylonian Ishtar's Day; great goddess

26 Mesopotamian day of the Sheepfolds; sacrifice to goat god Azazel

27 Mesopotamian day of the willows; festival of Astarte

29 Greek festival of Nemesis; goddess of fate