Common Holidays in Relation to Equinoxes, Solstices & Cross-Quarter Days

http://www.naic.edu/~gibson/cal/

January 1 - New Year's Day
January 5 - Twelfth Night
January 6 - Eastern Orthodox Christmas
- Twelfth Day
or Epiphany
or Old Christmas
January 20 - Inauguration Day
- Saint Agnes' Eve - woman dreams of future husband
2nd New Moon after
Winter Solstice - Chinese New Year (lunar calendar)

February 2-6 1st Cross-Quarter Day

February 2 - Groundhog Day
- Candlemas
or feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary
or of the Presentation of the Child Jesus
- 40th Day of Christmas
- Imbolg / Imbolc (other Celtic names)
or Brighid
or Oimelc
February 14 - Valentine's Day
March 2nd Sunday - Begin U.S. Daylight Savings Time (clocks 1 hour forward)
March 15 - Ides of March - 1st month middle, Roman calendar
also assassination of Julius Caesar
March 17 - St. Patrick's Day - sowing of peas in Ireland

March 19-21 1st Quarter Day - Spring (Vernal) Equinox

March 21 - Ostara / Eostre (Saxon goddess of Spring)
Full Moon after SE - Passover
Following Sunday - Easter
Previous Friday - Good Friday
April 1 - All Fool's Day (old new year's day)

April 30 - May Eve
or Walpurgisnacht (witches' Sabbath)
or Walpurgis Night (after St. Walpurga)
May 1 - May Day - May Poles, May Queens, May-dew, etc.
- Beltane / Bealtaine - Celtic bonfire festival

May 4-7 2nd Cross-Quarter Day

May 5 - Cinco de Mayo (Mexico)
May 2nd Sunday - Mother's Day
May last Monday - Memorial Day ("Decoration Day", officially May 30)
June 14 - Flag Day
June 3rd Sunday - Father's Day

June 20-22 2nd Quarter Day - Summer Solstice

June 21 - Litha (Norse/Anglo-Saxon for "longest day")
June 23 - St. John's Eve - European Midsummer celebration
July 1 - Dominion Day (Canada)
July 4 - Independence Day (U.S.)
August 1 - Lammas ("loaf mass") - harvest festival
or festival of St. Peter's Chains
or of the Maccabees
or of the Gule ("mouth") of August
- Lugnasad - Gaelic summer "games of Lug" (sun-god)
or Lughnasada
or Lunasa

August 5-8 3rd Cross-Quarter Day

September 1st Mon - Labor Day

September 21-24 3rd Quarter Day - Fall (Autumnal) Equinox

September 21 - Mabon (Welsh for "son")
New Moon after FE - Rosh ha-Shanah (Jewish New Year)
10 days later - Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement")
October 2nd Monday - Thanksgiving (Canada)

October 31 - Hallowe'en
or All Hallows E'en
or Hallowmas Eve
November 1 - Dia de los Muertos
or Day of the Dead (Mexico)
- All Saints' Day
or Hallowmas or Allhallowmas or Allhallows
- Samhain - Celtic feast of departing Sun & new year
or All Souls' Night
November 2 - All Soul's Day - prayer for souls in purgatory
November 1st Sun. - End U.S. Daylight Savings Time (clocks 1 hour back)
November 1st Tues
after 1st Mon - U.S. Election Day

November 5-8 4th Cross-Quarter Day

November 5 - Guy Fawkes Day
November 11 - Veterans' Day (World War I Armistice Day)
- Martinmas (death of St. Martin)
or Martinmas-in-Winter
November 4th Thurs - Thanksgiving (U.S.)
December 13 - St. Lucy's Day ("the year's midnight")
December 19 - Saturnalia - Roman midwinter festival, 7 days long

December 20-23 4th Quarter Day - Winter Solstice

December 21 - Yule (Norse for "wheel") - Germanic 12-day feast
December 24 - Christmas Eve
December 25 - Christmas Day
December 31 - New Year's Eve