StArSHiNe FE2 WoLf's blog: "Why is it?"

Samhain
(Oct 31)

This holiday is pronounced (sow-en) and is the Pagan New Year. It marks the beginning of the darkest part of the year. This is when the sun God dies, and journeys to the underworld to be reborn again at Yule.
It is the ending of summer, and the beginning of wintertime.
It is also a time when the veils between the worlds of the living and dead, or physical and spiritual are the thinnest, and a time to remember and visit with loved ones who have passed on.
It is also the ending of the agricultural year, the third and final harvest.
It is a celebration of the eternal cycle of reincarnation, of life, death and rebirth, and it reminds us that physical death is not an ending, and it is a time for change and a time to look to the future.

Yule
(Dec21-22)
Winter Solstice

This is the longest night, and the shortest day of the year.
This is when the Sun God is born to the mother Goddess bringing hope and promise of summers return, as the days begin to grow longer and the sun begins to bring warmth and fertility to the land.
It is a celebration of light, giving and rebirth.

Imbolc
(also called Candlmas, Bridids Day 
(Feb 2)

This is a time when the Sun God begins to grow, when the seeds in the earth prepare to sprout.
It is a time of hope and inspiration.

Ostara
(Spring Equinox)
March 21

This is the time, when spring returns, it is a celebration of when life begins to burst forth from the earth.
The Sun God rises and reunites with the Goddess, who has returned from the underworld.
Together they encourage growth and abundance. This is the one of the days where day and night are equal in length.

Beltaine
(May Eve)
April 30-May1

This is the celebration of fertility and the renewal of life. When the Goddess in her maiden phase embraces the horned God, and they mate.
A time to rejoice in warm and fertile days.
The arrival of springtime.

Litha
( Midsummer, Summer Solstice)
June 21-22

This is the longest day, and shortest night of the year, when the sun is at its highest point of power, and light triumphs over darkness one last time and begins to give way to the night.
The Sun King prepares for his death, and from this point forward we enter the waning year.
The Goddess is heavy with pregnancy, just as the earth is pregnant with with harvest.
Midsummer rituals focus on nurturing life in both animals and in the ground.

Lughnasadh
Aug 1

This is the time of the first of the 3 harvests, and is the grain harvest.
The Goddess becomes the reaper in her mother phase and the Sun God dies.

Mabon
(Autumn Equinox)
Sept 21

This is the witches Thankgiving, sometimes considered the final harvest (although fruits are still harvested until Samhain.
It is a time for giving thanks for what we have been provided with throughout the year.
It is also a time when day and night are equal, and perfect balance exists.