Films for the 8 Pagan Holidays
Films for the 8 Pagan Holidays
Some people may or may not be aware that many holidays are deeply rooted in the seasons, which are produced by the relative position and tilt of our Earth’s axis in its yearly orbit around the Sun. The most recent, the Summer Solstice occurs when the Earth is tilted in such a way that the Sun appears to rise and set at the extreme northern latitudes creating the most hours of daylight or the longest day of the year. The opposite extreme is what we call the Winter Solstice and has the shortest day or longest night of the year, while the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes happen at the midpoints creating equal length days and nights. Many cultures around the globe observed the motions of the Sun and noticed these 4 special days and also marked 4 midpoints between them creating 8 Pagan Holidays, modernly known by European groups beginning with Spring / Vernal Equinox as Ostara, Beltane, Summer Solstice, Lammas, Autumnal Equinox / Mabon, Samhain, Winter Solstice (Yule), and finally Imbolc / Candlemas.
There are several films that I like to watch during these holidays because they seem to appropriately represent or at least be connected to some of the esoteric, symbolic, and significant meanings derived at these times. The following is a list of these films:
Vernal Equinox / Ostara:
· The Dark Crystal (1982)
· Princess Mononoke (1997)
· Mirrormask (2005)
Beltane:
· The Wicker Man (1973)
Summer Solstice:
· Excalibur (1981)
· Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
Lammas:
· Labyrinth (1986)
· Midsommar (2019)
Autumnal Equinox / Mabon:
· Legend (1985)
· Spirited Away (2001)
Samhain / Halloween:
· Trick’r Treat (2007/2009)
Winter Solstice / Yule:
· Krampus (2015)
· Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
Imbolc: Candlemas:
· The Neverending Story (1984)
I’m sure that there are many other films that could be added to this list, and it would be fun to discuss their symbolic depths in further detail, but maybe that will happen later as time allows.
