Easter was celebrated on April 9th and the Pentecostal Season began. The Christian world celebrates the 50 days after Easter as the Pentecostal Season, which is when the risen Jesus walked with His followers. The actual day of Pentecost is the day that the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and others before Jesus made his final ascension into Heaven. This year the actual day of Pentecost was on Sunday, May 28th. There’s a lot more going on than that, however. Spring is drawing to a close and Summer is about to begin, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. May is still Spring, but the weather is definitely changing. It is often considered the Goddess’s month, so when better to celebrate Mother’s Day?
It is the end of May that starts what I think of as the Patriotic Season, Summer. Patriotic holidays dominate our Summer here in the US. We start with Memorial Day on the last day of May. This holiday commemorates service personnel who fell in action, heroes. We celebrate Flag Day on June 14th and Independence Day on July 4th. We end Summer with Labor Day on the first Monday in September. Lots of flag waving and cookouts.
Those of us who celebrate in the pre-Christian or pagan traditions focus on the actual day that Summer begins, the Summer Solstice, Litha. This year our holy day falls on June 21st. If May is the Goddess’s month, then June is the God’s time to shine. The Sun is high in the sky. It is the month we celebrate Father’s Day.
Late Spring and the first half of Summer are all about growing those crops. It is at mid-Summer that those of us who worship and celebrate in pre-Christian religions start our harvest holidays. August 1st through 2nd is the celebration of Lughnasa, the first harvest. Our big harvest celebration is Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox. This year it falls on September 23rd. Summer ends and Autumn begins. Enjoy some cookouts and wave your flag while Summer reigns, and get ready for the harvest.
How they fall in 2023:
May 14 – Mother’s Day
May 28 – Pentecost, or Whitsunday
May 29 – Memorial Day
June 14 – Flag Day
June 18 – Father’s Day
June 21 – Litha, the Summer Solstice
July 4 – Independence Day
August 1-2 – Lughnasa
September 4 – Labor Day
September 23 – Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox
