The Hedonist's Wheel of the Year: Erotic Holidays
by SHEELA ARDRIAN

Everybody knows the traditional Pagan "Wheel of the Year" of eight holidays based on the sun: Samhain, Yule (winter solstice), Imbolc, Ostara (spring equinox), Beltane, Litha (summer solstice), Lammas, and Mabon (autumn equinox). Sure, some of these are famous fertility festivals - but others are not. What use are they to a devoted hedonist? Throw 'em out!

Of course, that leaves your calendar looking a little bare. Not to worry, history books are full of hedonists who knew how to have a good time. They thoughtfully left a whole heap of saucy, sexy holidays for us to enjoy.

Look out for bunnies!
Naturally, our ancestors were concerned with fertility in the interest of perpetuating the human race. Holidays gave people a theological excuse to do what they wanted to do anyhow and it also freed up important resources of time and energy. Because most historic people spent a lot of time in back-breaking work, they didn't always have much pep left at bedtime. But introduce an erotic holiday, and suddenly, love is work! Everyone had a chance to relax and enjoy themselves … and each other.

In fact, such celebrations were so popular that they proved impossible to stamp out. People tried, oh how they tried. But somehow it never quite worked. Invading cultures and religions usually had to settle for renaming the holidays to something they found more palatable and trying to refocus the activities over the long term. Even today, you can see vestiges of fertility symbols in holidays like Easter - for goodness sakes, look at eggs and rabbits - although the practice of sacred sex has, sadly, diminished. The contemporary Pagan community observes many of these erotic holidays, and there's no reason you shouldn't observe them all. Most of the actual nookie has moved from the fields and altars to private bedrooms, but many a couple still celebrates the Old Ways … in the old way.

Happy days are here again
Some calendars and other annuals include Pagan celebrations from around the world; the SageWoman calendar and Llewellyn's Magical Almanac are particularly useful in this regard. Zsuzsanna Budapest's book, The Grandmother of Time, lists numerous holidays - some of them downright lascivious. Here are a few of the highlights. (All of these dates are based on Northern Hemisphere seasons; to calculate Southern Hemisphere holidays, simply add six months.)

Carnivale (January 8-9) - During this merry time, people dress up and behave outrageously. In Spain, young men may safely make social advances to upper-class ladies, and women may choose whatever partner they fancy for the festivities, without waiting to be asked.

Lupercalia (February 13-15) - Forget that old fuddy-duddy St. Valentine and get it on with the wolves! This Roman holiday celebrates heat, the passion of the animals, and all of Nature. Interested maidens and youths would enter a lottery, then spend the day in romance or more carnal pursuits with their randomly selected partner.

Festival of Astarte (March 17) - Canaanites (pre-Biblical Palestinians) honored the union of male and female on this day. Besides indulging in lots of sex, people also dyed eggs red as fertility charms. Sound familiar?

Ostara (March 21) - The Spring Equinox brings returning life. Many cultures celebrated this with playful sex as well as decorating with symbols of rebirth.

Veneralia (April 1) - Women worshipped the goddess Venus by bathing her statue in sacred rivers or lakes, then carrying her back to the temple to adorn her with jewels and fine robes. The women also bathed nude in the wild waters, and decorated themselves sensuously … hence the popularity of this holiday among young men, reputedly snuck through the woods to watch!

Beltane (May 1) - Perhaps the most famous fertility festival today, this Celtic rite features huge bonfires. People leapt over the coals and drove cattle between the fires for health and procreative power. Other activities included contests to win the May Queen's favor, dancing around the (phallic) Maypole, and picking flowers for love charms.

Feast of Pan (May 18) - A paean to male sexuality at its best. Men celebrated by dancing nude, sometimes while wearing gigantic stuffed phalluses for emphasis. Ithyphallic (erect) statues of Pan were especially popular.

Jarila's Day (June 4) - This Slavic holiday celebrated Jarila, god of the sun and of fertility. Huge crowds of people gather to sing and carouse. A highlight is the erotic dancing.

Litha (June 21) - This day marks the height of the sun's power, an especially magical time. Children conceived at the summer solstice are considered lucky - or even the offspring of the Sun God - in many Pagan traditions.

Feast of Hathor (July 24) - This Egyptian goddess wears the horns of a cow, symbolizing both fertility and nurturing love. Her festival invokes the gentle, enduring love between married people. Cook shredded beef and take turns feeding each other!

Feast of Aphrodite and Eros (August 1-2) - Together, these deities represent love and passion. They remind us that either can grow out of the other, but neither alone is enough for a long-term relationship.

Radha's Day (September 1) - Another holiday for married folks, this one honors the Indian goddess Radha. She brings fertility, joy, and prosperity.

Thesmophoria (October 6-9) - Kore elopes with tall-dark-and-handsome Hades to transform into Persephone, Queen of the Underworld. Claim your sexual power!

Isis Resurrects Osiris (November 13) - After reassembling his severed body parts, Isis constructed a new phallus (to replace the original, eaten by crabs!) for Osiris. She then revived him, and their lovemaking conceived Horus. Now that's what I call devotion!

Mother Night (December 24) - Many goddesses around the world give birth at this time. The holiday celebrates the fruit of lovemaking.

It's all too easy to forget about love in the hustle and bustle of modern life. These holy days remind us to make time for romance and the slow, sensual pleasures of the body. Choose the holidays that best resonate with your needs. Set aside a day or an evening to pleasure yourself and/or your sweetheart. Love is the law!

References
Janet and Stewart Farrar, Eight Sabbats for Witches, Phoenix Publishing, Custer, Washington, 1981.
Rafael Lorenzo, editor, A Sacred Sex Devotional: 365 Inspiring Thoughts to Enhance Intimacy, Park Street Press, Rochester, VT, 2000.
Zsuzsanna E. Budapest, The Grandmother of Time: A Woman's Book of Celebrations, Spells, and Sacred Objects for Every Month of the Year, Harper & Row, New York, NY, 1989. Y

SHEELA ARDRIAN lives with her partner Dave in an elegant Victorian house in the middle of nowhere.