THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT PAGAN HOLIDAYS IN THE WORLD - HISTORY - 2025

The pagan festivals are those celebrations that are not motivated by any of the great monotheistic religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The term pagan was a term used in the late Ancient Era, by the early Christians of Southern Europe. It was used to designate those who practiced other types of rituals and ceremonies that did not correspond to those imposed by the Christian Church.

Owen Davis speaks in his book Paganism: A very short introduction, of the derogatory sense that this adjective connoted, which was also used to qualify people from the countryside. The pagans did not believe in one true God. They used to be polytheists or atheists and used the rites to pay homage to the Gods of nature, usually in times of harvest, to scare away evil spirits and superstitions or for simple entertainment.

Dice players. Roman fresco "Osteria della Via di Mercurio" (VI 10.1.19, room b) in Pompeii. Saturnalia, ancient Roman festival in honor of the deity Saturn.

Pagan ceremonies gave a fundamental role to music, according to the book A Book of Pagan Rituals by Herman Steler. Many of these rituals have survived to this day in the form of festivals and traditions.

However, in most cases, these celebrations have lost the character of offering or superstition that they had and have become part of popular folklore.

The ten most important pagan festivals in the world

1- Carnival

TheOm3ga, from Wikimedia Commons

Carnival is one of the most widespread festivities in Western culture. It has its origin in the Greek and Roman civilizations. In Greece, what is now Carnival was a tribute to the god of wine, Dionysus.

In Rome, this celebration was known as Saturnalia. On this festival, Saturn, God of Agriculture, was honored with a sacrifice and then a banquet was held in which men spent a whole day drunk as a tribute to the God Bacchus.

At first the dates coincided with the time when we celebrate Christmas today, but the Catholic Church moved this celebration to Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, where you cannot eat meat for 40 days.

The term Carnival is related to this tradition, since etymologically it comes from the Italian «carnevale» which means «to remove meat».

The way of celebrating Carnival has its own peculiarities depending on the part of the world in which it is celebrated. Among the best known carnivals are the Rio Carnival, the Venice Carnival and in Spain, the Cádiz Carnival and the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival.

Each of these carnivals stands out for different aspects.

-Rio de Janeiro. This carnival is one of the biggest shows in the world, there are different spaces to celebrate it in all the streets of the city. It is famous for its color, for its musicality and for the typical Brazilian dance, the samba.

-Santa Cruz of Tenerife. This festival is declared a Heritage of International Tourist Interest. It also stands out for its color in the streets, its musical groups; the murgas and comparsas and by the Queens of the Carnival.

- Cadiz. This city began to celebrate carnival due to its cultural importance when it became one of the main ports from Spain to America. Sailors from all possible origins passed through there, leaving much of their traditions. One of the most characteristic features of the Cádiz Carnival are its musical groups: Comparsas, Chirigotas, Cuartetos y Coros, which every year participate in a contest held at the Gran Teatro Falla and also perform in the street singing a song to freedom. expression.

- Venice. It is unique for its great differences with the previous named festivities. This carnival dates back to the 11th century and is characterized by the typical masks and period costumes, which take the city to the 17th century.

Other notable carnivals are Mardi Gras, celebrated in New Orleans, in the state of Louisiana or the Binche Carnival, in Belgium.

2- Halloween

It is one of the most popular festivals in North America and in some Anglo-Saxon countries such as Ireland and the United Kingdom. Little by little, this celebration has spread to other parts of the world, as a result of globalization.

This festival, although it is influenced by the Christian calendar and the celebration of All Saints Day (All Hallow Eve), has pagan origins.

Halloween has been linked to harvests and the Roman tradition of Pomona, goddess of fruit.

Your interest in the supernatural may come from the Celtic tradition and the festival of Samhain or Samuin, in which the line that separates the two Worlds becomes narrower allowing the entry of good and evil spirits. One of the reasons for the festival according to Celtic tradition is to drive away these evil spirits.

Nowadays it has become a celebration in which people dress up, usually as scary characters, organize parties, parades, carve pumpkins (jack o'lantern) and children ask for sweets at the houses with the famous « Trick or Treating".

On the same dates, the Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico, where they have a curious way of seeing death. In this country, altars with offerings are set up to honor those who have left.

3- Winter Solstice

The festivities that celebrate the arrival of Winter take place all over the world. In fact, what is known today as Christmas, although it is a religious holiday, has many pagan elements.

Among the most striking festivals that are celebrated in the Winter solstice, the Inty Raymi or Festival of the Sun stands out, celebrated in the city of Cuzco, Peru.

This ritual, of Inca origin, is a tribute to the Sun God who is offered a sacrifice to obtain good crops and to the Inca emperor.

With this ceremony, the ancient Incas feared that the Sun would not return and prayed for its return. Today it is considered the second largest holiday in South America.

4- Summer Solstice

There are also parties whose motive is to celebrate the entry of summer.

The best known of these celebrations is the Fiesta de San Juan. Although it is now considered a Christian festival, its origins and rites are pagan, as it comes from the Litha or summer solstice.

It used to be celebrated on June 21, the day of the arrival of summer, but with the adoption of the holiday by Christianity it was changed to the day of San Juan.

Currently, the festival consists of lighting bonfires that, according to their pagan origins, serve to scare away evil spirits and purify themselves from the inside.

The feast of Saint John is celebrated in many European countries such as Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, etc.

In Poland and Ukraine this rite is known as the feast of Ivan Kupala.

Outside the European continent, there are similar celebrations such as the June festivals in Latin America.

5- Holi or Festival of colors

Holi is a Hindu festival that welcomes Spring. It is celebrated the day after the first full moon in February or March.

Although it has a religious character because it is typical of Hinduism, it is still considered within the term that we have defined as pagan, since it does not belong to Christianity, Judaism or Islam.

Holi is inaugurated by lighting a bonfire, on the night of the full moon, where everyone gathers. This festival celebrated in India, Nepal and other countries outside the Asian continent, is also known as the festival of colors, since one of the rituals that are carried out is to sprinkle with colored powders to transmit joy to everyone.

Elephants also play an important role in this festival. The animals are also decorated and participate in races and other games.

6- New Year's Party

The celebration of the New Year, although by religious tradition, in many countries it is framed within the Christmas Holidays, has a pagan origin, since the objective is none other than to celebrate the entry into a new annual calendar.

New Years Eve celebrates the last day of the year according to the Gregorian calendar.

Customs vary greatly with respect to the country in which they are celebrated, although one of the elements of this festival that coincides in almost all countries are fireworks, toasting with champagne or other sparkling drinks and the festive atmosphere.

In Spain and Venezuela, it is tradition to drink the twelve grapes on New Year's Eve. In Chile, rituals and cabals are common to attract good luck in the new year.

In other countries like Germany, you play to guess the future by means of a ritual with molten lead, which is left to dry and from which you have to try to find out what shape it has. Depending on the shape you form, that will be what the new year will bring you. This game is known as Bleigiessen.

7- Festival of the Lanterns or Chinese Lanterns

One of the most striking New Year's parties in the world is the Chinese Lantern Festival. This tradition is over 2000 years old and ends the New Year celebrations according to the lunar calendar.

The lights that are thrown into the sky, symbolize the way home for the party guests. They are also a source of harmony and unity for the whole year.

Lanterns are usually made of thin rice paper and a support made of bamboo that gives the structure rigidity, which will then be allowed to fly.

8- La Tomatina

Buñol is a municipality belonging to the Valencian Community, Spain, with less than 10,000 inhabitants.

However, on the last Wednesday in August, tourists from all over the world arrive, completely changing the landscape of the city. The reason? The curious party that takes place that day.

Although its cultural interest is not particularly relevant, it has become worldwide popular for its originality and fun.

La Tomatina de Buñol is relatively recent. Its origin is as curious as the party, since it began with the fight of two young people during the town's festivities in 1945. This confrontation led to a pitched battle with tomatoes that were in a nearby vegetable stand.

Although this confrontation was broken up by the police, the following year the youths organized another fight. This time with tomatoes brought from their homes, until year after year it has been consolidated as the festival that it is today and in 2002 it was declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest.

Finally, it should be noted that the tomatoes used for the festival are those surpluses from the harvest that do not meet the quality requirements demanded at the national level.

9- Burning Man

Although it is quite recent, it dates back to 1986, each year in September, thousands of people congregate in the Black Rock desert in Nevada, to attend the Burning Man party (Man on fire).

This party consists of building a huge wooden man, and then burning it in a spectacular way. Something similar to what happens in the Fallas of Valencia, which are a World Heritage Site and are not included in this list due to their Christian character.

This celebration was founded by Larry Harvey and Jerry James. At first it began to be celebrated on June 24, to celebrate the summer solstice, although the date was later changed.

Some of its peculiarities are that it is a party organized by its own citizens, ecological, since no traces of the burns are left, as well as cultural and artistic.

10- Oktoberfest

The Bavarian city of Munich receives more than 6 million visitors every year to attend the largest beer fair in the world.

Although it is called Oktoberfest, the festival is usually held in September. The date was changed to enjoy better weather conditions.

The first Oktoberfest took place in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.

References

1. Buñol City Council. Taken from buñol.es.
2. Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council. Taken from carnavaldetenerife.com.
3. Carr, John. (2013). Discovering Asia: China. Sunshine.
4. Davis, O.. (2011). Paganism: A very Short Introduction. Oxford: OUP Oxford.
5. Marcos, A.. (2015). Is it wasting food to throw tomatoes in La Tomatina ?. February 16,2017, from Verne, El País. Website: verne.elpais.com.
6. Galván, J.. (2014). They Do What? A Cultural Encyclopedia of Extraordinary and Exotic Customs from around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia of Extraordinary and Exotic Customs from around the World. California: ABC CLIO.
7. Hamre, B.. (2016). Inti Raymi, Festival of the Sun. February 16, 2017, from About Travel. Website: gosouthamerica.about.com.
8. Kadodwala, D.. (2004). Holi. London: Evans Brothers.
9. Rogers, N.. (2003). Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
10. Oktoberfest.de. Die Website zur Wiesn. Taken from oktoberfest.de.