I feel like Pagans (and witches) love holidays...more than jars or stones or even tarot decks (okay maybe not tarot decks...lol). But so many witchy folk I know embrace holidays, and not only our own, but everyone's. Holidays are a great way to celebrate whatever we might find important, and we love a good excuse to either gather together and have a party, or take some time out of our 'regular' life for something sacred.
Now, many Pagans have already had to accept the idea that the witchy holidays aren't steeped in history the way they may have been explained when we were first learning. I, for one, very distinctly remember reading that the Sabbats were ancient rituals of observance, sometimes even being linked back to cave people times. Now, a lot of us acknowledge that many of the holidays that formed the structure around which we built our practice are much more modern inventions (and very tied to the area in which they were created), and not the ancient, universal practices that we might have originally believed.
And there is nothing wrong with this! The power of a holiday is in what it means to you, not necessarily where it's roots are. I have no problem continuing to work with the Sabbat model, knowing full well that it is a modern thing. In some ways, I feel more free to adapt it as I feel necessary than I might if I were trying to practice in a historically accurate way.
But sometimes we may feel like there is a thing we want to honor that doesn't have a good holiday. Maybe you work with a deity that doesn't have a day or festival devoted to them. Perhaps you have an important practice that you want to honor with it's own special day. Or maybe you have a beloved ancestor (of blood or heart or path) that you feel deserves more recognition. These are all great ideas for potential holidays!
So what makes up a holiday? Well first, you want to sort out what you are celebrating...what is they core concept of your holiday? Ideally this should be a single person, place or thing (and concepts are a thing, so you can totally make a holiday devoted to friendship!). But that can often feel a bit too unfocused for a holiday, so think about making an intent statement for your holiday. A single sentence that describes the 'true meaning' of the holiday to you. For example, if you wanted to make a holiday to recognize your tarot practice, it might be something like, "a day to touch base with all my decks, tidying the space I keep them in and checking in to see if I need to reorganize or de-clutter."
Once you know basically what your holiday is going to be about, it's time for the nitty gritty (but also fun) stuff. You need to figure out the details of your holiday! Think about this like collecting correspondences that fit your theme.
A good one to start with is the date: when is your holiday celebrated? This might be an exact date, or it could be a lunar date (like the first new moon of the year, or the full moon after my birthday). For a holiday centered around a person, it might be their birthday (or death day if they are deceased), or an important day in their life.
Then, think about what you will do on this holiday. This might be a main event kind of thing (maybe a shared meal or some kind of activity), but it can also include support activities (maybe you need to create things to use in the main event, or these may be smaller things you do as part of the bigger event).
When thinking about things to do, think about not only what was important to the focus of your holiday (so if you are celebrating a person, it might be things they were passionate about), but it can also be things that remind you of your focus (more personal things, maybe memories you have related to it).
A great way to approach these activities is to think of your senses: what sounds would fit (maybe there are songs or chants that are appropriate), what colors or decorations are connected to it (sight), what foods or drinks should be served (taste), is there an incense you want to burn or flowers to decorate with (scent), what physical things are associated with it (touch). It's kind of like picking correspondences for a spell, you can think of building a holiday like building a ritual...that you do every year (or however often you want to celebrate it).
And finally, consider if this is going to be a personal (solitary) holiday or a shared one. If you are doing something just for you, then once you figure out all the details, you are good to go. But if you are planning a shared holiday, then it can be helpful to talk with others, especially the folks you think you will want to celebrate it with, to see how your ideas sound to them. Sometimes, people will point out things that don't fit for them, and may be able to suggest an substitution that you like even better.
At the end of the day, it is YOUR created holiday, so you have the final decision about what fits and what doesn't. But it is always nice to try to make things as inclusive as possible. If, however, you find that someone just can't agree with one of your core concepts, then maybe suggest they create their own holiday that better fits them, and you go ahead and do yours the way you want.
Holidays are great fun, and creating one to fit a need you have can be an amazing experience. You can end up with wonderful memories and an ongoing tradition that helps you pay homage to something that is important to you....and share those feelings with others! It is a great way to personalize your practice, to build the type of celebrations into your year that you need. Have fun with it, and you may be surprised at where it takes you!
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