What's your Least Favorite Pagan Holiday -- And Why?

[Rainfall]

I'm more of the kind of person that celebrates the day when I'm struck with the notion. For example if I take a walk in a forest, come upon a stream, and just sit there, listening to the little wilderness critters and letting Daddy Longlegs (aka Harvestmen) scamper all around and over me (I love those things : ), and I just feel more spiritual than usual, I tend to savor the moment, the energy, the feeling. . .

THAT'S more important to me than some puffed up holiday that you MUST-PARTICIPATE-IN blah blah blah. . . :whis:

I love this idea! It seems great to celebrate good days on a whim, ones that feel magical and personal to you, rather than reserving songs and dances only for specially marked occasions.

Although I think there's no harm in celebrating specially marked occasions too, especially if you want to single out festivals in which particular aspects of your path are emphasised. Or dates devoted to particular deities. Etc. (Every day is special, but they might be special for different reasons, or have different associations with things that are important to you? )

As for me, I don't think I really have a least favourite holiday, either pagan or secular. I've been pagan for less than a year, and I'm not sure if I'm going for a strict WOTY approach in terms of seasonal celebrations. Either way - I'm definitely looking forward to my first Samhain.

[Siren]

I honestly have a hard time getting into the "summer spirit." Something about summer just completely drains my focus and energy levels. So, the holidays beginning from the spring equinox to the summer solstice don't often get as much attention as the others.

I'm another one of these. I'd have to pick Summer Solstice as my least favorite of the 8 popular holidays. I don't like heat, and I associate the sun with feeling gross and lethargic and having a sunburn rather than happy happy pagan time. I do celebrate a Wheel, but thinking about the way I actually observe it and which deities I associate with what, they're pretty much all plant/agricultural deities and there's almost no solar imagery in anything I do. I recognize its importance in the scientific sense, but the sun and I aren't really buddies in the mystical sense. Beltane I can enjoy because it's still nice here at the beginning of May, and Lammas I can enjoy because (a) I'm drawn to the sacrificial themes and (b) the heat is sometimes getting broken up by storms by that point. But late June is just ick, and I suppose I should be glad there's no pagan holiday in mid-July, because that's really the worst.

[Vitkyng]

As a counterpart to our long-running What's your favorite holiday? thread, what is your least favorite Pagan holiday? The (fairly important) holiday in your religion that you just can't get into celebrating like you believe you should? Why is this holiday a problem for you?

I would say Ostara would be my least favourite holiday. The symbolism of spring, fertility and new beginnings doesn't apply well to the Canadian climate. This holiday ends up feeling more as wishful thinking, rather than a celebration of springs return.

[Nyktelios]

As a counterpart to our long-running What's your favorite holiday? thread, what is your least favorite Pagan holiday? The (fairly important) holiday in your religion that you just can't get into celebrating like you believe you should? Why is this holiday a problem for you?

I don't really observe specific holidays now, but in terms of the major eight neo-pagan festivals, I never really cared for Imbolc and Lughnasadh. They felt pretty redundant to me, and since I have no Celtic influences, I found them rather meaningless.

[troll maiden]

I don't really have a least favorite holiday, as such; but when celebrating the Wheel of the Year, Lammas and Mabon feel so same-y to me, like they're almost one holiday split over a month and a half.  I can usually get into the spirit of Lammas, but by the time Mabon rolls around I'm usually all harvested out.

 
I feel the same about these two. I tend to smush them together. Or I make Mabon something completely different; a festival about balance. I mean one festival with corn doll making is one festival too many for me...but two, no thanks~

[outlaw393]

As a counterpart to our long-running What's your favorite holiday? thread, what is your least favorite Pagan holiday? The (fairly important) holiday in your religion that you just can't get into celebrating like you believe you should? Why is this holiday a problem for you?

All of them except April Fools Day, Samhain, and Yule.

The others I don't see a point in celebrating.

[FollowerofOdin]

As a counterpart to our long-running What's your favorite holiday? thread, what is your least favorite Pagan holiday? The (fairly important) holiday in your religion that you just can't get into celebrating like you believe you should? Why is this holiday a problem for you?

Lammas, because it's still too dang hot to think about harvesting anything. I just want to pass out and die due to the amount of sweat that seems to be pouring from every part of my body. Non-pagan holiday is St. Patrick's Day, because I just don't get why people think he drove the snakes out of Ireland when Ireland has no snakes.

[Fireof9]

As a counterpart to our long-running What's your favorite holiday? thread, what is your least favorite Pagan holiday? The (fairly important) holiday in your religion that you just can't get into celebrating like you believe you should? Why is this holiday a problem for you?

 

Bridget's Fire.

The Gwyddon ritual for this (as done in the COTBB) is absolutely beautiful. But I feel zero connection to Bridget. I have tried really hard to get into it, but all that I get out of it is the vibe of the others enjoyment of it. The rest for me is going through the motions.