The Wheel of the Year is basically a holiday calendar for some religions including Paganism and Wicca.
Do I need to follow it?
Like I said in previous chapters, there are are only a few things you NEED to follow, or that you NEED to do in order to be Pagan/Wiccan or a practitioner of the craft. Not every Pagan follows this calendar, and that's fine. It's all up to what you feel you want to do or what you like to do. I, however, am someone who follows this calendar. This information is easy to learn and it is something that one should at least study for a bit.
What does it look like and what are the holidays?
There is some debate on when the holidays are. For example, a lot of people debate wether Imbolc is on the first or the second of February. But it all comes down to how you would like to practice. With that being said, here is a picture of the Wheel of the Year, which also includes all of the debated dates.
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As you can see, there are 8 holidays. Their names are Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon, Samhain, and Yule. They are spread all throughout the year, and some of them fall on the days of other holidays. For example, half of the holidays fall on the solstices and the equinoxes. The other four fall in between. This is because Paganism is an earth based religion, and one of the focuses is celebrating the seasons, the weather, and the different gods and goddesses associated with them.
What & who are all the holidays celebrating, and how do I celebrate them?
Like I said before, nothing is final and different people will celebrate and practice in different ways, so I will not dictate what you can and can't do on these days. I will, however, be making separate chapters on celebration ideas in the future if you do choose to celebrate these holidays and need some ideas.
