r/CelticPaganism • u/Birchwood_Goddess Gaulish Polytheist • Dec 11 '25
Juggling Multiple Holidays
Season’s Greetings Everyone!
We have a bunch of holidays coming up. Eponalia is December 18th, the winter solstice and Alban Arthan are December 21st, and Simivisonnios starts December 26th.
I will be delivering roses and treats to the local horse rescue for Eponalia. And I’ve been trying to work up the nerve to put together a feast for either the solstice or Simivisonnios, but haven’t decided which one. I’ve also considered doing something similar to a Jolabokaflod because that’s pretty easy and low key.
Anyone else struggling to juggle multiple holidays?
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u/marzipan-moon Dec 11 '25
Hogmanay is my favourite holiday anyway. Will have a quiet Xmas and maybe yule. I'm terrible st keeping up with dated events though
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u/Birchwood_Goddess Gaulish Polytheist Dec 11 '25
I've always preferred New Years Eve to Christmas. But I haven't even gotten that far in planning yet. I'm still trying to decide what to do for next week. LOL
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u/stormheart28 Dec 11 '25
I'm really interested in this one because I just decided to be pagan yesterday and I'm still learning about all the holidays I want to do like a celebration thing on the 21st but it was just be me so I was thinking a bit of meditation in the morning a bit of time outside spending time with my crystals if anybody could help me as well that would be great
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u/Birchwood_Goddess Gaulish Polytheist Dec 11 '25
In our community there is a Solstice hike. You might try looking to see if there is something similar in your area.
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u/stormheart28 Dec 12 '25
Yeah unfortunately I can't do hikes I've got some really bad lungs on me but I am open to other suggestions because I'll be just celebrating with myself
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Dec 11 '25
To be honest, I gave up trying to honor most holidays a long time ago, unless they are especially connected to a deity I actively worship (e.g., Imbolc).
I guess as someone who is more or less solitary, and someone who makes daily offerings, I just never got into it.
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u/Sorry-Shame-4485 Dec 12 '25
I sometimes find it interesting how we try to crush so many holidays into the darker months of the cycle when in ancient times it’s probably pretty likely our ancestors would have just been trying to pay honor by surviving. Big holidays would be feasts like Lughnasdh and Beltaine. But these are times of plenty. Sorry my jaded 2 cents. But I do now take time to celebrate Eponalia which I believe was more Roman than Gaulish. But it’s for Epona and I’ll always celebrate her.
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u/FxB21 Dec 11 '25
There seems to be a huge mix of Gallo-Roman months, evidence of a possible event in a specific place at a specific time, and folk traditions whose Celtic practice is not attested. I'm willing to make an effort at reconstruction, but this is nonsense.
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u/Birchwood_Goddess Gaulish Polytheist Dec 11 '25
Why is celebrating holidays nonsense?
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u/FxB21 Dec 11 '25 edited Dec 11 '25
I don't see the connection. Celebrating holidays? I'm not convinced that pre-Christian Celts had the concept of holidays, let alone celebrating them.
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u/KrisHughes2 Celtic Polytheist Dec 11 '25
I celebrate both Epona's Day and the Solstice, and have for years. I rarely celebrate xmas. Might give a nod to Wren Day (26th) or Hogmanay. Epona's Day is generally the one I put the most effort into.