The 2014 Astro Calendar

The Celtic Quarter Days -

Beltaine, Lammas (or Lughnasa), Samain and Imbolc are Solar festivals occurring half way between the solstices and the equinoxes. The early Christian Church attempting to deny its origins, changed the Winter solstice into Christmas day, the Spring equinox into Easter and other festivals into various saints days on sundays near to their true dates. This was only partially successful and Halloween (Samain), May Day(Beltaine), Lughnasa and Midsummers day( Summer solstice) re-emerged outside the Christian calendar. The confusion however remained and only Midsummer is now celebrated on the right day. Even the so called Modern or New age 'Pagans' continue to use dates for their celebrations that are often as much as a week away from the actual solar midpoint. Even if you take the alternative viewpoint that the Quarter days were Lunar festivals then the dates still make no sense, the fact that certain standing stones and stone circles are aligned to the solar midpoints refutes this theory anyway.

Imbolc-15 ° Aquarius is around the 4th-5th Febuary

Beltaine -15 ° Taurus is around the 6th to 7th May

Lammas- 15 ° Leo around the 6th -7th August

Samain- 15 ° Scorpio is around the 7th -8th November

Check out this years calendar for exact dates this year

These quarter points have always been important astrologically as the energy gates of the zodiac. 15 ° Taurus and 15 ° Leo allowed fertility and creativity to flow 'up' from the earth and 15 ° Aquarius and 15 ° Scorpio allowed cosmic and spiritual energy to flow 'down' from above. The early Christian Church recognised they were such powerful symbols that they assigned Saints to the various gates and included in their decorated manuscripts the symbols of the Bull the Lion, the Eagle and the Angel alongside these saints.