Pagan and ancient traditions

Pagan and ancient traditions cover the old religions of Europe, the Mediterranean and the Near East, and their modern revivals: Norse Yule and Midsummer, Celtic Samhain and Beltane, Greek and Roman festivals such as Saturnalia, Egyptian rites, Slavic Kupala and the Baltic Joninės. Many survive in folk custom, in the Christian calendar and in carnival, and some are now followed by modern Pagans, Heathens and Druids. These pages describe both the historical festivals and the living customs, taking care to separate evidence from legend.

Old festivals, new forms

The Wheel of the Year, with solstices, equinoxes and the cross-quarter days of Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain, gives the shape of many Pagan calendars, though it is a modern synthesis. Older customs, such as bonfires at midsummer, wreaths of herbs, the maypole and the wassail, are recorded in village life across Europe and are still kept, often without any link to religion.

Evidence and revival

Historians draw on texts, archaeology and folklore, and are cautious about claims of continuity from ancient times. Modern Pagan groups have revived rites in new forms, adapted to the present, and the resulting traditions are sincere and living. Public festivals at Stonehenge, Glastonbury and Uppsala bring crowds, and EveryParampara records what is known about each, and where scholars disagree. Visitors are asked to be respectful of those for whom the occasion is sacred.

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Pagan and ancient (faith). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

🇪🇪 EstoniaJaanipäev Estonia's midsummer night of bonfires, song and fortune-telling, on 23 and 24 JuneFestival

🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreImbolcLá Fhéile Bríde A Gaelic festival heralding spring and honoring Saint Brigid with woven rush crossesSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland and 4 moreMay Day A traditional European festival welcoming summer with greenery, dances and bonfiresSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreYule log A log kept burning on the hearth through the twelve days of Christmas, for luckSeasonal

🇬🇷 GreeceAnthesteriaἈνθεστήρια An ancient Greek three-day spring festival of Dionysus, new wine, and the deadFestival

🇺🇦 Ukraine and 12 moreKoliadaКоляда A traditional winter caroling and solstice festival kept across Slavic EuropeFestival

🇨🇿 Vlčnov, CzechiaRide of the KingsJízda králů A Moravian spring procession where horsemen escort a silent boy king holding a roseFestival

🇱🇻 Riga, Latvia and 4 moreJāņi An annual Latvian summer solstice celebration of bonfires, singing and woven wreathsFestival

🇦🇱 Elbasan, Albania and 3 moreDita e Verës An Albanian spring festival of bonfires, sweets and nature renewal on March 14Seasonal

🇸🇪 SwedenJul A midwinter holiday of feast tables, doorstep gift givers, and candlelit morningsSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇸 Iceland and 2 moreYuleġēol (Old English); jól (Old Norse) The Germanic midwinter festival that Christmas grew out of, kept today by HeathensSpiritual

🇩🇰 Denmark and 3 moreNissenisse (Danish, Norwegian); tomte (Swedish); tonttu (Finnish) A small farm spirit of Nordic folklore, given porridge at midwinterFolklore

🇮🇹 Venice, Italy and 5 moreCarnival A season of parades, masks and feasting in the days before LentFestival · Feasts and festival meals 🇱🇻 Riga, LatviaZiemassvētki Latvia's midwinter festival of solstice customs, mumming and tree decorationSeasonal

🇱🇺 Luxembourg and 3 moreBuergbrennen A bonfire festival marking the end of winter on the first Sunday of Lent in LuxembourgSeasonal

🇺🇦 Chernivtsi, Ukraine and 3 moreMalankaМаланка A Ukrainian folk celebration of masked mummers, feasting and New Year blessingsFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇱🇹 LithuaniaSaint Jonas's FestivalJoninės A Lithuanian midsummer night of bonfires, wreaths, song and morning dewSeasonal 🇮🇸 IcelandÞorrablót An Icelandic midwinter feast of dinner, speeches and poetryFestival · Dinner

🇵🇹 Porto, PortugalFesta de São João do Porto Porto's midsummer festival of street feasts, fireworks and playful hammer tapsFestival

🇪🇸 SpainOlentzero A Basque Christmas tradition of a charcoal burner bringing presents in midwinterFestival

🇦🇹 Salzburg, Austria and 5 morePerchta A midwinter Alpine figure who checks spinning and tests good behaviourFolklore

🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreMartenitsaмартеница Red and white yarn dolls worn from 1 March until spring shows itselfFestival 🇳🇴 NorwayJul An eight-week Norwegian midwinter season of feasts, family gatherings, and gift-givingSeasonal · Lunch

🇩🇰 DenmarkJul Winter feasts, carols around the tree, and family gatherings across DenmarkFestival · Lunch

🇫🇮 FinlandChristmas in Finlandjoulu A quiet midwinter festival of saunas, grave candles and table casseroles across FinlandSeasonal · Dinner

🇪🇸 Alicante, SpainBonfires of Saint John in AlicanteFogueres de Sant Joan A midsummer festival of towering satirical monuments, music and fire in AlicanteFestival

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreBonfire Night Yearly nights of bonfires and fireworks, kept in Britain, Ireland and beyondFestival

🇮🇪 Uisneach, Ireland and 1 moreBeltaneBealtaine A Gaelic first-of-summer festival of bonfires, May flowers and feasting on 1 MaySeasonal

🇬🇧 United KingdomLammashlāfmæsse A harvest festival marking the blessing of the first baked bread from the new wheat cropSeasonal

🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreSamhain A Gaelic festival marking the start of winter with bonfires and ancestor feastsSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇪 Killorglin, Ireland and 1 moreLughnasadhLúnasa A Gaelic festival marking the start of harvest with feasts, fairs and mountain walksSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreHarvest festival A thanks for the gathered crop, kept with church meals, songs and shared foodSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇹 Rome, ItalySaturnalia A December festival of ancient Rome, with feasting, gifts, gambling and role reversalSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇵🇱 Kraków, Poland and 5 moreDozhinkiDożynki A Slavic harvest festival of the last sheaf, a woven wreath and a shared mealSeasonal

🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyAmbarvalia An ancient Roman agricultural rite to purify farmland and ensure fertile cropsSpiritual 🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyFeraliaFerālia An ancient Roman day of offerings to the dead, marking the close of ParentaliaSpiritual

🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreNavigium Isidis An ancient Roman ship procession honouring Isis and the opening of sea travelSpiritual 🇮🇹 Rome, ItalyVolturnalia An ancient Roman festival honouring the water deity Volturnus and his daughter JuturnaSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇵🇱 Kraków, Poland and 5 moreTurońTuroń (Polish), Turoň (Slovak) A shaggy horned beast led from house to house by carol singers at carnival timeFolklore

🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreBiikebrennenBiikebrånen Fires lit at sunset on 21 February to send winter away in North FrisiaFestival

🇧🇪 Geraardsbergen, BelgiumKrakelingen and Tonnekensbrand A bread throw and a hilltop bonfire that close the winter in GeraardsbergenFestival

🇦🇹 Austria and 2 morePerchten Masked midwinter walks in the Alps, with carved wooden masks and sheepskinFolklore

🇮🇹 Lake Nemi, ItalyNemoralia A three-day Roman festival of torches and garlands for the goddess DianaSpiritual

🇷🇸 Serbia and 5 moreĐurđevdanЂурђевдан A spring festival and feast of Saint George kept across the Balkans and Eastern EuropeFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇷🇸 Serbia and 2 moreZapisзапис A consecrated village tree marked with a cross, venerated in Serbian folk traditionSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Harvest festival: High Contrast, CC BY 3.0 de, source
Imbolc: Culnacreann, CC BY 3.0, source
May Day: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
Jul: Holger.Ellgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Dita e Verës: Bibiomn, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Buergbrennen: luxpim, CC BY 2.0, source
Malanka: Viktoriyasechkar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Saint Jonas's Festival: Unknown author, CC0, source
Jaanipäev: Jaan Künnap, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Festa de São João do Porto: Hugo Cadavez, CC BY 2.0, source
Olentzero: Josu Goñi Etxabe, Public domain, source
Perchta: Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Yule log: Pehr Arvid Säve (1811—1887), Public domain, source
Martenitsa: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Yule: Robert Chambers, Public domain, source
Nisse: AlphaZeta, CC0, source
Nemoralia: Frederic Leighton, Public domain, source
Dozhinki: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Turoń: Museum: The Seweryn Udziela Ethnographic Museum in Kraków, CC0, source
Ride of the Kings: Filipzverina, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Perchten: Anita Martinz, CC BY 2.0, source
Biikebrennen: Borstenpinsel, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Krakelingen and Tonnekensbrand: Jan Coppens at nl.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 1.0, source
Ambarvalia: Alberto Pisa, Public domain, source
Jāņi: Heinrihsons, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Koliada: Konstantin Trutovsky, Public domain, source
Saturnalia: Themadchopper, Antoine-François Callet, CC0, source
Anthesteria: Unknown artist, Public domain, source
Navigium Isidis: ArchaiOptix, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Jul: Erik Christensen, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Christmas in Finland: Uploaded by Sigketill, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Bonfires of Saint John in Alicante: Fernando Pastor, CC BY 2.0, source
Zapis: Zblagojevic, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Bonfire Night: Jpdfive, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Beltane: Stefan Schäfer, Lich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Lammas: Paddy, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Samhain: Daniel Maclise, Public domain, source
Lughnasadh: Mountainash333, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Đurđevdan: Anonymous Russian icon painter (before 1917) Public domain image (acco, Public domain, source
Carnival: Etienne Le Cocq, CC BY-SA 3.0, source