What's your favorite holiday?

[Fausta]

What's your favorite Pagan holiday or festival, and why?

The Feast for the Three Days of the Writing of the Book of the Law, April 8-10, starting from noon each day. If I manage to remember the dates... I'm really, truly horrible when it comes to remembering festival dates, have always been. To the point of standing alone on a bus stop on my way to school wondering why there aren't anybody else at the stop and no buses and only then figuring out it was a national holiday... Or last month wondering to myself at work why all the kids were wearing heart-shaped cards. OH, Valentine's Day! :

[Louisvillian]

What's your favorite Pagan holiday or festival, and why?

Beltane and Samhain, in its plethora of forms.

For Beltane, its because of the sexual and fertility aspects of it. I'm a very sex-positive person; I was never raised to think of sex as something shameful or bad. Wicca's inherent sex-positivity is one of the things that has drawn me to it. Beltane celebrates that, along with general growth and renewal. To me, it's a festival of passion and positive change.

For Samhain, I must admit it's in part due to its proximity to Halloween, which is my favourite civic holiday. But aside from that, it's a beautiful and strange festival. It's a celebration of death and rebirth, of examining how we deal with death and community. Its a very "how to deal with others" type of festival, which I find is a great balance to the more individual-centred holidays that focus on personal growth and desires. Its Celtic roots also held to this notion of community, which continues in modern Halloween.

[Forsythiae]

And I guess I should start with mine, actually.

My favorite holy day is Imbolc, probably because it was the first real holiday that I celebrated "as a Pagan." I was still in college, and it was a dark, cold February night, and I spread about two dozen tea-light candles all over my dorm room while I performed a very basic ritual celebrating the growing warmth and light.

Since that year, I've had many truly moving and beautiful Imbolc rituals - often subdued and intimate ones where it's just me and a single candle huddled out in a dark, snowy wood somewhere. And since I began cultivating my relationship with Brigid as a patron goddess, the holiday has taken on even more meaning for me.

--Ali

 
I would have to say that Beltane is my favorite, I love the spring time. I love how everything starts to blossom, the birds chirping and the beautiful nests I find all over my yard. To me it is the most peaceful season and I love making spring crafts with my daughter. Now only if I could find somewhere that has a celebration, and a maypole of course!

[ALiteraryLady]

For the sake of getting things rolling in this subforum, here's a real easy one:

What's your favorite Pagan holiday or festival, and why?

 
Yule and midsummer. I like Yule because you get to huddle inside and really focus on yourself internally, and Midsummer due to being able to finally break out from being inside for so long (Ohio winters are silly) and really enjoy the outdoors.

[CoraFrost]

What's your favorite Pagan holiday or festival, and why?

 
Samhain for the obvious reasons that its the one I'm most familiar with having grown up Italian Catholic-- which, at least in my mother's house involved profound reverence for the Saints and the dead between Oct 31-Nov 2.  Also having grown up in the Northeast, the landscape is always so exquisite this time of year. The magic is palatable.

Believe it or not, Mabon (perhaps because it was must first "real" ritual this past year) is now also a favorite.

[Riothamus12]

For the sake of getting things rolling in this subforum, here's a real easy one:

What's your favorite Pagan holiday or festival, and why?

 
The winter and Yule celebrations are close to Samhain on my list. The winter rites of old and many of the customs associated with Christmas are closely tied so I can honor both my elder ancestors and my later ones. It's also a very peaceful time for me. It seems like there's hardly ever any conflict in my life around that time of year. Samhain is part of my Celtic ancestors rites and reminds me of the sacred aspects of death and holy beauty of life. I also enjoy the other more common associations have with it as Halloween.

[Rune]

For the sake of getting things rolling in this subforum, here's a real easy one:

What's your favorite Pagan holiday or festival, and why?

Beltane.
I was born May 1st, and so natural festivities take place on that day for me..
The flowers start to bloom and the birds start to sing more expressively near Beltane.

I ADORE the Springtime.

Also, I've found few things as exhilarating as winding in and out to wrap the may pole in colorful ribbons with my friends.

I felt so connected to the people in my pagan group.. living that moment in time.

Also, I love the romanticness between the May Queen and the Green Man.. ^_^
Such a beautiful story..


Next favorite holiday is tied between Yule and Samhain..

Samhain makes me so very happy because I love spirits..
Yule.. Yule is just so cozy and special..
I loved playing secret Santa with my Pagan group..
My Asatru friend gave me a wicked awesome chandelier he had made himself with his blacksmithing skills.

and I got to give something handcrafted, not manufactured, as a gift..
I put my time and energy into that gift, and even though it wasn't anywhere close to as awesome as what some people were gifting, my gift was special because I made it.. not some random anonymous mass manufacturing company..

I suppose I sort of wish Yule was celebrated instead of Christmas since I really enjoy the ideals much more..

[incendium]

All I need as a holiday, is to know that the gods love me enough to be in my life, and all is good I continue my life normals from then on. However, I will say I celebrate no pagan holidays, for it is strainful to my mind in relation to it being burdensome that I need to WAIT for the next RETRIEVAL. It is NOT my cup of tea, and that's all.

[RandallS]

All I need as a holiday, is to know that the gods love me enough to be in my life, and all is good I continue my life normals from then on.

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[Kezmerus]

For the sake of getting things rolling in this subforum, here's a real easy one:

What's your favorite Pagan holiday or festival, and why?

 
I enjoy Halloween but its a toss up between this and Yuletime.