Tax Day
2027-04-15 - 2027-04-16

Patriots Day
2027-04-19 - 2027-04-20

Full Moon
2027-04-20 - 2027-04-21, 2027-05-20 - 2027-05-21, 2027-06-18 - 2027-06-19

Administrative Professionals Day
2027-04-21 - 2027-04-22

Earth Day
2027-04-22 - 2027-04-23

Third Quarter Moon
2027-04-28 - 2027-04-29, 2027-05-28 - 2027-05-29, 2027-06-27 - 2027-06-28

Arbor Day
2027-04-30 - 2027-05-01

Kentucky Derby Day
2027-05-01 - 2027-05-02

May Day (Beltane)
2027-05-01 - 2027-05-02
When the gates of Beltane swing open on May 1, sunlight and blossom welcome the procession of the year into the green halls of summer. At Imbolc we rejoiced at the return of light; now we celebrate life, growth, love and sexuality: “the force that drives the green fuse through the flower,” in the words of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.
While the second part of Irish Beltane and Scottish Bealtuinn clearly means “fire,” from the old Celtic word tene, linguists are uncertain as to whether Bel refers to Belenos, the Gaulish Apollo, or is simply derived from bel, meaning “brilliant.” It might even derive from bil tene, or “lucky fire,” because to jump between two Beltaine fires was sure to bring good fortune, health to your livestock, and prosperity.
Gods of the Celts: Belenos
Belenos (Beh-ley-noss) was a sun god who may have been connected with the festival of Beltaine. His name means “bright” or “brilliant.” The Romans called him Apollo Belenos, after their god of the sun, but he seems to have existed as a Celtic god in his own right before this period. His cult extended from northern Italy and up through Austria and Gaul, where there were sanctuaries dedicated to him at healing springs, for the sun was believed to have marvelous curative properties when associated with water. A shrine to Belenos may still stand at Paimpont in the old forest of Broceliande in Brittany, Gaul. In the clearing, the sacred well known as the Fountain of Barenton bubbles up near an ancient dolmen stone. The old name of the sacred well was Belenton, probably a contraction of Bel-Nementon, the sacred grove of Belenos.
The Blessing of Fire
I’ll tell you of a special festival,
The glorious dues of May-day;
Ale, roots, sweet whey,
And fresh curds to the fire.
— Early Irish Calendar Poem
On Beltane Eve the druids and their successors assembled on high hills with a view of the rising sun. They came to raise the great fires that would bring the power of the sun to Earth and to sanctify and purify the whole community and their livestock in readiness for the new cycle. Fire was an interface between the human race and the divine, in particular, the elemental powers of the Upperworld who would determine the fate of herds, the flocks, and the growing harvest. Sacrificial offerings were cast into the fire to gain their goodwill, born skyward on flames like hands uplifted in prayer.
In later centuries the Beltane fires continued to blaze in Scotland and Ireland. An eighteenth-century account from the Scottish Highlands describes how every fire in the household was put out, and on the hill the fire for the great bonfires, known as the “needfire,” was kindled with the wood of nine sacred trees. Only the best men were fit to kindle the sacred fire. If any were guilty of murder, adultery, theft, or other major crime, the fire would not kindle or else it would lack its usual virtues. Three times three, three times nine, or even nine times nine men took turns twirling the stick, or “windle” of oak, which fitted snugly inside a hole bored in a well-seasoned plank of oak, the tree of the sun. As soon as sparks began to appear, they applied a piece of agaric, a fungus that grows on old birch trees and is very combustible. Birch, as we have seen, is a tree associated with new beginnings, purification and the spirit world.
The fire came like a blessing from the gods. From this magical flame the great bonfire was lit, and now shadowy figures emerged from their darkened homesteads below the hill, driving their cattle before them. They also carried provisions–a custard of eggs, butter, oatmeal, and milk, and plenty of beer and whiskey.
Some of the custard was poured on the ground as an offering to the gods and the sacred land.
There was also an oatmeal bannock upon which were raised nine square knobs, one each for a god or saint who protected their flocks and herds, and also for the particular animals that preyed on them. Turning to the fire, each person broke off a knob and threw it over his or her shoulder, saying, “This I give to thee, preserve thou my horses; this to thee, preserve thou my sheep.” And to the predators: “This I give to thee, O Fox! Spare thou my lambs. This to thee, O hooded Crow! This to thee, O Eagle!” When the ceremony was over they ate the rest of the food.
A nineteenth-century account from Ireland gives us a glimpse of the scenes that might have followed. The whole hillside came alive as the boys thrust brands of dried sedge and heather into the newly roaring flames and whirled them about their heads in imitation of the circling sun. Dances spun in a ring. Young men leaped through the flames to sain, or protect, themselves and their livestock, while old folk slowly walked around the fire muttering prayers. A man about to embark on a long journey or dangerous undertaking–or to do both by getting married–leaped backward and forward three times through the flames for luck. In some places two fires were built and the livestock driven between them to purify them from disease after the long winter inside. As the fire sunk low, the girls jumped across it to procure good husbands; pregnant women stepped through it to ensure easy birth; and mothers carried their children across the smoldering ashes. All celebrated the power of the sacred fire to purify the air of demon and disease, thunder and lightning, and anything else that might harm their hopes for the unborn child of the year’s harvest.
When the fire died down the embers were thrown among the sprouting crops for good luck, while each household carried some back to kindle a new fire in their hearth. When the sun rose those who had stayed up to watch it might see it dance for joy three times upon the horizon before leaping up in all its summer glory.

National Teacher's Day
2027-05-04 - 2027-05-05

Cinco de Mayo
2027-05-05 - 2027-05-06

New Moon
2027-05-06 - 2027-05-07, 2027-06-04 - 2027-06-05, 2027-07-03 - 2027-07-04

First Quarter Moon
2027-05-13 - 2027-05-14, 2027-06-11 - 2027-06-12

Mother's Day
2027-05-16 - 2027-05-17

John F. Kennedy's Birthday
2027-05-29 - 2027-05-30

Memorial Day
2027-05-31 - 2027-06-01

D-Day
2027-06-06 - 2027-06-07

Flag Day
2027-06-14 - 2027-06-15

Juneteenth
2027-06-19 - 2027-06-20

Father's Day
2027-06-20 - 2027-06-21

First Day of Summer
2027-06-21 - 2027-06-22

Summer Solstice
2027-06-21 - 2027-06-22
Midsummer: A Celebration of the Goddess Sunna For Northern Heathens, marking the Holy Tide of Midsummer is a joyous celebration of kith and kin, Gods, Goddesses, and nature.
Spring is waning. Sunna, Heathen Goddess of the Sun, drives her chariot through the darkening sky. On Midsummer Eve, Sunna’s strength begins to decline, and those who honor her gather to celebrate this passage. For the Reconstructionists of the pre-Christian religions of Northern Europe, this is the Heathen Holy Tide of Midsummer. Songs are sung, poems are read, libations and toasts fill the air. The day is Summer Solstice Eve.
Far from solemn occasions, Northern Heathen celebrations are about joy and abundance. The Heathen faith of Asatru embraces life, forging bonds of caring and connection with Gods, Goddesses, kith, kin, and local spirits, called wights.
Speaking to the local land wights, and seeking their consent to a gathering before it takes place, is considered common courtesy among Reconstructionists. In a secluded place before the gathering begins, a child is often chosen to place offerings such as porridge and butter out for the wights. These spirits were on the land first, and the gift of their consent deserves a gift in return.
In honor of the strength of light and warmth that are Sunna’s blessing, fire is a central part of the celebration at this Holy Tide.
A focal point is a bonfire set ablaze early on Midsummer Eve. Adding fuel to a Midsummer bonfire is said to bring good fortune, and celebrants throw in flowers and other burnt offerings-including little dolls of twisted straw that have been wished upon. Dancing, singing, and telling tales around the blaze are also traditional. Leaping through the flames for luck, health, good crops-or loving relationships-is common behavior at a Midsummer celebration.
Creating Sunwheels-flaming wheels rolled down grassy hills-are a traditional way of honoring Sunna’s waning days after the solstice. For those wary of the rolling flames, decorations in the form of a Sunwheel-an equal-armed cross inside a circle, made from wire, beads, pipe cleaners, Mason jar lids, almost anything you can think of-as well as Sunwheel-shape cookies and cakes can be safely substituted and hung on a Midsummer tree.
If the celebration is held by a pond or lake, celebrants often craft model Viking longboats, fill them with symbolic gifts, and then set them adrift and ablaze in reverence to the ancestors and their funeral practices.
Midsummer is an auspicious time for divination. Runes-mystery symbols provided by Odin, the All-Father-are often used for readings. Signs and dreams around this Holy Tide are given special respect, as are portents of birds, clouds, and other reflections of the Northern Way’s connection to nature. Joy and fellowship abound, nurtured by fine food and good company.
When the long day wanes and Sunna starts to dip behind the horizon, Heathen folk gather once again around the bonfire to stand in Blot (worship) to those they term their Eldest Kin. Those Gods and Goddesses of the Northern Pantheon are hailed in this ancient rite of passing a mead horn among those assembled. This act of sharing a hallowed drink forges bonds of caring and well being between the people and the Gods, drawing the mind and soul of man closer to the divine.
A vigil is kept through the night to greet Sunna’s return with the dawn. During this watch, the celebrants join in another sacred rite, Sumble. The mead horn is again passed, as praise, stories, and boasts are exchanged. Those assembled forge bonds of kith and kin with each other, deepening friendships and family relations with this holy sharing.
As Sunna’s chariot again appears at the dawning of the Summer Solstice, another Great Blessing has been celebrated. The Holy Wheel of the year has moved on.

June Solstice
2027-06-21 - 2027-06-22
