Modern pagans, spiritualists, and anyone who chooses to live close to the natural cycles of the Earth measure the passage of time via the Wheel of the Year. These are the important lunar and solar events that mark the passage of time and the changes of season. Some of these important moments in the annual cycle are associated with ancient pagan festivals.
Below is a list of some of the important days to note in the 2024 Wheel of the Year. Equinoxes are according to the northern hemisphere. You will need to invert for the souther hemisphere.
January
3rd/4th – Annual Quadrantids meteor shower (expect to see hundreds of metorites per hour)
11th – New Wolf Moon/New Moon in Capricorn
18th – Day of Danu, a Celtic goddess of fertility, creation, water, and land
20th – Aquarius zodiac period begins
25th – Full Wolf Moon/Full Moon in Leo
31st – Disablot, the Norse festival honoring Disir spirits and ancestors
February
1st/2nd – Imbolc, the pagan sabbat connected withe the Celtic goddess Brigid and the return of the sun
9th- New Snow Moon/New Moon in Aquarius
10th – Chinese New Year, year of the Green Wood Dragon
13th/15th Lupercalia – This ancient Roman festival honoring the Wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus, the twin founders of the Roman Empire, spanned three days. The debaucherous celebration was filled with nudity, sexuality, ritual sacrifices, feasting, and games, and is thought to be the origin of modern-day Valentine’s Day.
19th – Pisces zodiac period begins
24th – Full Snow Moon/Full Moon in Virgo
March
1st – Matronalia, the ancient Roman festivall of Juno, goddess of birth and fertility
7th – New Worl Moon/New Moon in Pisces
20th – Spring Equinox, also called Ostara, the major spring festival in Germanic tradition linked with the fertility goodess Eostre
21st – Aries zodiac period begins
24th/25th – Penumbral Eclipse
25th – Full Worm Moon/Full Moon in Libra
April
1st – Veneralia, an ancient Roman holiday celebrating Venus and Fortuna
8th – New Pink Moon/New Moon in Aries
8th – Great North American Total Solar Eclipse
15th – Sigrblot, a Norse celebration of the first day of summer
20th – Taurus Zodiac period begins
21st/22nd – Lyrids Meteor Shower
23rd – Full Pink Moon/Full Moon in Scorpio
May
1st – Beltane, the Celtic festival celebrating the first da of summer
5th/6th – Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
7th – New Flower Moon/New Moon in Taurus
9th – Lemuria, an ancient Roman festival to exorcise ghosts and malevolent spirirts
21st – Gemini zodiac period begins
23rd – Full Flower Moon/Full Moon in Sagittarius
28th – Feast of Bendidia, an ancient Athenian festival celebrating the Thracian goddess Bendis, the Goddess of the Moon and the Underworld
June
6th – New Strawberry Moon/New Moon in Gemini
7th/15th – Vestalia, a Roman holiday to honor the Goddess Vesta, the Goddess of the heart
20th – Summer solstice, also called Litha, the midsummer celebration
21st – Cancer zodiac period begins
21st – Full Strawberry Moon/Full Moon in Capricorn
July
5th – New Buck Moon/New Moon in Cancer
6th – Kupala Night is a Slavic fertility festival dating back to the 12th century
21st – Full Buck Moon/Full Moon in Capricorn
23rd – Leo zodiac period begins
30th – Delta Aquariids Meteor
August
1st – Lughnasadh, harvest celebration in honor of Lugh
4th – New Sturgeon Moon/New Moon in Leo
11th/12th – Perseids Meteor shower
19th – Full Sturgeon Moon/Full Moon in Aquarius
23rd – Virgo zodiac period begins
23rd – Vulcanalia, the festival of the ancient Roman God Vulcan
September
2nd – New Harvest Moon/New Moon in Virgo
17th – Full Harvest Moon/Full Moon in Pisces
17th – Partial Lunar Eclipse, viewable across North America
22nd – Autumn equinox, also called Mabon
23rd – Libra zodiac period begins
October
2nd – New Hunter’s Moon/New Moon in Libra
2nd – Annual Solar Eclipse
7th/8th – Draconid Meteor Shower
17th – Almost Lunar Eclipse, with the Sun, Earth, and Moon in close alignment
17th – Full Hunter’s Moon/Full Moon in Aries
20th/21st – Orionid Meteor Shower
23rd – Scorpio zodiac period begins
31st – Samhain, the Celtic new year
November
1st – New Beaver Moon/New Moon in Scorpio
1st – Diwali, one the most important holidays of Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, commonly known as the festival of lights
15th – Full Beaver Moon/Full Moon in Taurus
17th/18th – Leonids Meteor Shower
22nd – Sagittarius zodiac period begins
30th – New Cold Moon/New Moon in Sagittarius
December
13th/14th – Geminids Meteor Shower
15th – Full Cold Moon/Full Moon in Gemini
17th – Saturnalia, the popular Roman holiday of the agricultural god Saturn
21st – Winter solstice and Yule, the Norse holiday of the darkest night
22nd – Capricorn zodiac period begins
22nd – Ursid Meteor Shower
30th – New Wolf Moon/New Moon in Capricorn
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