Since Samhain is coming up, and so many of you might celebrate it on the wrong day, I want to break this down easily for you.
This year, Samhain is actually on the 5th and 6th of November. It starts at noon on the 5th, and ends at noon on the 6th.
The proper wheel looks something a little like this:
rough holiday schedual
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 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 1st Sunday - Begin Daylight Savings Time (clocks 1 hour forward)
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 last Sun. - End Daylight Savings Time (clocks 1 hour back)
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 Tues
after 1st Mon - 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
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 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 1st Sunday - Begin Daylight Savings Time (clocks 1 hour forward)
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 last Sun. - End Daylight Savings Time (clocks 1 hour back)
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 Tues
after 1st Mon - 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
Now, this is including some other religions holidays, as well, to give it a feel of how different holidays fall on different days. But even this one has a few generalizations.
Now, I broke the year down into eight 45 day parts. Starting from this year's Samhain, November 5th, which is my New Year. At the beginning of each count (or, if you like, at the end), there is a major holiday.
For instance, at the beginning of the 45 days of Death, there is Samhain. At the beginning of the 45 days of Cold, there is Winter Solstice.
At the beginning of the 45 days of Rebirth, there is Imbolc, or whatever your path calls it.
After that, the 45 days of Warmth (Spring Equinox); the 45 days of Rain (Beltane); the 45 days of Heat (Summer Solstice); the 45 days of Harvest (Lammas); and the 45 days of Preperation (Fall Equinox).
These are just the names I've given each of the 8 segments. You can call them anything you wish. But the fact of the matter still remains that if you want to be solarly correct about your holidays, than these segments of the year are important to remember.
And since the day is always shifting, you have to go through the calendar each year, and count 44 days between the solstices and equinoxes. That 44th day, at noon, until noon the next day, is your cross quarter.
I just wanted to set that straight.