First, I would venture that the eight 'holidays' that make up the modern Pagan Wheel of the Year were not universally celebrated at any other time in history. The various days have different origins, I would submit to the reader. Some of them appear to be amalgams of customs from a variety of cultures (yes, with any luck I will find the time to substantiate and elaborate on this opinion). This should not detract from the joy that can come from celebrating them, however, as ritual and spiritual partying have value to their practitioners.

These opinions of mine are the basis of my own practice which varies somewhat from "pagan standard." The Solstices and Equinoxes are special to me as, where I live, they mark the seasons very well: they have a definite purpose. The other days, well......I don't follow so exactly. Samhain is the time when the walls between the worlds is thinnest, a process that builds from the Autumnal Equinox until we reach that cusp of descent into winter. I don't do Imbolc or Litha. Beltaine is a planting ceremony, usually done a little later in May for me. I do a lot with Harvest festivals, as you can tell from my thread about them, but, then, I am into keeping in touch with the Earth through participating in the Agricultural cycle in a down-and-dirty sort of way.

Anyway, I thought I would start a thread for discussion about pagan holidays, in general.