Litha 2026

The Sunday before last (21st June) it was Litha aka Midsummer/the Summer Solstice. I usually celebrate this sabbat by making salad and lemonade. However, this year I couldn’t get hold of lemons easily (left it a bit last minute) so I made limeade instead, lol. 

I normally make tomato and onion salad for Litha. My favourite recipe is from The Kitchen Witch book by Soraya. Last year I'd lost the book, so I partly based my salad on a recipe from This Italian Kitchen. I've found the book since then though, so this year it was back to the usual recipe!

I had the salad for lunch along with some food from the supermarket- chicken drumsticks, garlic ciabatta slices, Doritos and guacamole. It was quite nice. Here's a pic:

 

 

Hallowe'en/Samhain 2024

On Thursday the week before last (31st October) it was Hallowe'en and Samhain. I celebrated by carving a pumpkin, putting up decorations and making some food and drink. Unfortunately I wasn't well on the day itself, so I had a slightly delayed celebration! 

I put the decorations up on Hallowe'en (I like to decorate then and keep them up until the beginning of December!). And I made my favourite Demon's Blood drink  (ginger beer mixed with apple juice and orange juice), which is a recipe from The Real Witches' Kitchen book by Kate West.

Then the next day when I was feeling a bit better, I made the food and drink. I baked gingerbread skeletons and made some potato salad (one of my favourite types to make, which is based on a recipe from the book The Kitchen Witch by Soraya).

I normally use spring onion and chives for the potato salad rather than rosemary which is in the recipe, since it's quite strong. But this year I decided to use rosemary for a change. It was quite nice, I didn't use too much. I didn't take a picture but if I make it with rosemary again next year, I'll take one then. :)

I had the potato salad with some buffet type food from the supermarket (cheese and pineapple, paella arancini balls, halloumi fries etc.).

Here's a picture of the pumpkin:

 

Litha 2024

On the Thursday before last (20th June) it was Litha aka Midsummer/the Summer Solstice. As I said in my Salads for Litha + Extra Ideas! post, I normally make salad and lemonade for this sabbat. 

This year I made my favourite tomato and onion salad (the recipe is from Soraya's book The Kitchen Witch). While in past years I've varied it by using red onion or a mix of brown/yellow and red onion, this time I just used brown. The lemonade is "Hello Kitty lemonade" (the recipe is from a Hello Kitty book).

I had the salad for lunch with some Dorito dippers and smashed avocado, chicken, seeded rolls, cheese and pickle, and stuffed peppers (with cheese). It was quite nice. Here's a picture: 

Salads for Litha/Summer + Extra Ideas!

It's nearly time for Litha/the Summer Solstice! This year it's on Thursday 20th June. The actual moment/time of the solstice will be 9.51 BST/3.51pm CDT. You can find your local time here: https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/summer-solstice.html

In the past I've written several posts with ideas for celebrating the sabbats. I decided to stop writing more in-depth posts last year (because I'd already covered them) but continue to share about my celebrations and write more sabbat themed posts if I felt inspired to.

This Beltane I wrote a post called Salads for Beltane and Extra + Ideas!. I enjoyed writing that, so I thought I'd do a similar one for Litha, since summer is starting and we're in "salad season"! I've called the post Salads for Litha/Summer because they would be good for any time during the summer. I'm also sharing some extra ideas for celebrating. :)

 

Here are my most recent Litha posts:

Happy Litha!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/06/happy-litha.html

Shifting into Summer (includes some links about Litha): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2023/06/shifting-into-summer.html 

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere,  it's almost time for Yule/the Winter Solstice! You might like this post:

Happy Yule!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/12/happy-yule.html

 

My main celebration for the sabbats is making/having food and drink. As with Beltane, I usually have salad for Litha. It fits the theme because it's the beginning of summer and the days are (hopefully!) getting warmer and brighter. I like to drink lemonade as well. (If you're not keen on salad, you can find some alternative celebration suggestions in my previous Litha posts and under the Extra Ideas section below.)

 

Salads

All the salads mentioned in the Beltane post would also be good for Litha: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2024/04/salads-for-beltane-extra-ideas.html

 

Tomato and Onion Salad

One of my favourite salads to make for Litha is a tomato and onion one from The Kitchen Witch book by Soraya. You can see a pic here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2016/07/litha-2016.html

It's quite simple to make, the recipe is made up of tomato and onion, garlic, salt and black pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. I most often use brown/yellow onion but it's also good with red onion, which I've used for Litha some years. I was inspired to use red onion after making kachumbari for Beltane (see below). Last Litha I made it with both brown and red onion.

Salads for Beltane + Extra Ideas!

It's almost Beltane! This year it's Wednesday 1st May, or Tuesday 30th April (tomorrow), depending on when you celebrate. (Many people consider it to be from sundown on 30th April to sundown on 1st May.) In the past I've written posts with ideas for celebrating the sabbats. While I stopped doing that last year (since I felt I'd covered them all and didn't want to repeat myself), I thought it would be nice to write something when I felt inspired to, so today I'm sharing some salads for Beltane (plus some extra ideas). :)  

 

Here are my most recent Beltane posts:

Winter-Spring Update + Beltane Round-up (2021, scroll down for the round-up): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/04/winter-spring-update-beltane-round-up.html

Happy Beltane! (2022): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/04/happy-beltane.html

I also included a Beltane section at the end of last year's winter-spring update (at the bottom after P.S.):

Winter-Spring Update (2023) + Happy Beltane!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2023/04/winter-spring-update-2023-happy-beltane.html

 

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, Samhain is coming! Check out my last few Samhain Celebration posts here:

Samhain/Hallowe'en Round-up (my round-up post from 2021): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/10/samhainhalloween-round-up.html

Happy Samhain/Hallowe'en! (2022)): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/10/happy-samhainhalloween.html

Summer-Autumn Update (2023) + Happy Samhain/Hallowe'en! (section at the bottom): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2023/10/summer-autumn-update-2023-happy-samhain.html  

My main celebration for the sabbats is having/making food and drink. For Beltane I usually have some kind of salad, since it's a spring festival, moving towards summer. Salads are a lighter food that lots of us feel more like eating in the warmer months. (If you're not into salad though, you can find alternative ideas for food and celebrating in general in my past posts, and also in the Extra Ideas section at the bottom of the post!). 

I normally have my salad with some other foods like chicken, crisps (chips), dips etc., I also like to have some kind of sparkling drink, like elderflower or lemonade.

 

Salads

Chicken Salad

In 2014 I made a chicken salad sandwich. You can see a pic here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2014/05/beltane.html

Here is an Asian chicken salad from Julia of Lemon Stripes. I haven't made it but it looks nice: https://lemonstripes.com/recipes/asian-chicken-salad/

 

And here are a few more chicken salads that look good:

BLT chicken salad: https://natalie-mason.com/blt-chicken-salad/

Healthy chicken salad (can be eaten as a salad, wrap, or sandwich: https://www.eatyourselfskinny.com/healthy-chicken-salad

Honey mustard chicken salad with bacon and avocado: https://cafedelites.com/honey-mustard-chicken-salad/

Hallowe'en/Samhain 2023

Last Tuesday (31st October) it was Hallowe'en and Samhain. I celebrated by carving a pumpkin and having some food and drink. I baked gingerbread skeletons and made some potato salad based on a recipe from the book The Kitchen Witch by Soraya. It requires rosemary and garlic, but I used chives and spring onion instead of rosemary because I prefer them.

I also made my favourite Demon's Blood drink (ginger beer mixed with apple juice and orange juice), which is a recipe from Kate West's book The Real Witches' Kitchen. I had the potato salad and drink with some buffet type food from the supermarket.

Here's a picture of the pumpkin: 

 

Litha 2023

The Wednesday before last was Litha aka Midsummer/the Summer Solstice. I celebrated by making a tomato and onion salad and lemonade (my main celebrations for sabbats are making food and drink). 

The salad recipe is from Soraya's book The Kitchen Witch, although I used both red and white onion for a change. I was going to have some avocado as well to make it similar to the kachumbari (Kenyan tomato and onion salad) that I sometimes make for Beltane), but there wasn't any at the supermarket.

I had the salad for my lunch with ciabatta bread, chicken, cheese and pickle, gherkins, Doritos and dip. The lemonade is "Hello Kitty lemonade (the recipe is from a Hello Kitty book).

The food was quite nice. Here's a picture:  

Happy Imbolg!

I normally post on Sundays or Mondays but didn't manage to get this finished yesterday. :) 

 

It's nearly time for Imbolg (more commonly known as Imbolc). This year it's on Thursday 2nd February (or Wednesday 1st Feb if you celebrate on that day, or sundown to sundown). 

 

For the past few years, I've written celebration idea posts for Imbolg and last year I did a post rounding them up. During 2022 I also wrote a series of posts sharing ideas and links for the sabbats rather than in-depth posts. As I said in the Yule 2022 post, I think I've pretty much covered all of the sabbats now (since each one has several posts with ideas for celebrating). So, once I've completed my current round of sabbat idea posts (which I started last Beltane), I will probably just write about my celebrations and maybe do a short post in advance of the festivals.

 

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere it's nearly Lammas! Check out these posts for inspiration:

Lammas Round-up: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/07/lammas-round-up.html

Happy Lammas!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/07/happy-lammas.html

 

Imbolg is the first sabbat of the calendar year and the 2nd or 3rd on the Wheel of the Year, depending on your viewpoint. Some people (like me) consider the yearly cycle to end and then start again at Samhain (also known as the Witches' New Year), while others think of Yule/the Winter Solstice as the beginning of the new cycle. And some think of Imbolg/Imbolc as the New Year instead. So do what feels right for you. :)

 

Hallowe'en/Samhain 2022

Last Monday it was Hallowe'en and Samhain (31st October). I celebrated with a pumpkin and by having some food and drink. I baked gingerbread skeletons and made my favourite Demon's Blood drink (ginger beer mixed with orange juice and apple juice, and dyed green). The drink recipe is from The Real Witches' Kitchen book by Kate West.

I also made some potato salad, based on a recipe from The Kitchen Witch by Soraya. I normally use chives/and or spring onion instead of rosemary because I like it better. This year I used spring onion because I couldn't get any chives.

 Here is a picture of my pumpkin:

 

Happy Samhain/Hallowe'en!

I normally post on Sundays or Mondays, but I wasn't able to get this finished yesterday, so I'm posting today instead. :) 

 

Samhain (my favourite sabbat apart from Lammas) is coming up! This year it's on a Monday (31st October). I also celebrate Hallowe'en, which is thought to have originated from Samhain customs. In the past I've written several posts with ideas for celebrating and last year I did a round-up post linking to them all. During 2022 I've been writing posts sharing some links and ideas for the sabbats, rather than an in-depth post, so here is Samhain's. :)

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere Beltane is almost here! You might like my Happy Beltane! post: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/04/happy-beltane.html

 

Samhain is the 3rd and final harvest festival on the Wheel of the Year, coming after Lammas in late July/early August and Madron/Mabon aka the Autumn Equinox in September. It marks the end of summer and the start of the winter season. Madron is the official start of autumn, but I think in the past summer and winter were seen as the bigger seasonal shifts. It is also thought to be one of the times of year (along with Beltane) when the veil between the worlds is thin. It is a cross-quarter sabbat and a fire festival, and takes places on 31st October, although some people may celebrate from 31st Oct to 1st November (sundown to sundown).

Litha 2022

The week before last I celebrated Litha aka Midsummer/the Summer Solstice (Tuesday 21st June). I had planned to do a post about it last weekend but wasn't able to, so I'm posting this weekend instead! :)

As I mentioned in my Happy Litha! post, I usually celebrate by making/having salad. This year I made a tomato and onion salad, the same as I've done for several years. The recipe is from The Kitchen Witch book by Soraya. I don't think it's online, but here's a similar recipe that I linked to in the Happy Litha! post (for Italian salad): https://thisitaliankitchen.com/italian-tomato-onion-salad/

Last year I used red onions, like when I make Kachumbari (Kenyan tomato and onion salad) for Beltane. But this Litha I decided to use brown onions again. I had the salad for my lunch with some chicken, ciabatta bread, guacamole and tortilla chips (bought from the supermarket). I also made some "Hello Kitty" lemonade (the recipe is from a Hello Kitty book!).

The salad and the rest of the food was nice. Here's a pic:

 

 

Happy Litha!

 

 

It's almost time for Litha aka Midsummer/the Summer Solstice! This year it's on Tuesday 21st June (tomorrow!). I usually write posts with ideas for celebrating the sabbats and I've written several for Litha in the past few years. In 2021 I did a round-up of my previous posts, so for Litha 2022 (as with this past Beltane) I'm just going to share some links and ideas, rather than an in-depth post. :) 

 

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere,  you'll be celebrating Yule/the Winter Solstice! You might like this post:

Yule Round-up + Yule/Christmas Baking; https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/12/yule-round-up-yulechristmas-baking.html

Litha is the 2nd summer festival (or 2nd sabbat associated with summer) on the Wheel of the Year, coming after Beltane at the end of April/beginning of May (a spring festival which also marks the shift from spring to summer) and before Lammas in late July/early August (which is about the end of summer and moving into autumn; also the first harvest festival).

Litha is also the Summer Solstice, the time of the longest day and shortest night (in the Northern Hemisphere). Days have been growing longer since Yule/the Winter Solstice in December, the direct opposite of Litha, when we have the shortest day and longest night. To read a bit more about the Summer Solstice, visit my Litha Inspiration post from 2019: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2019/06/litha-inspiration_17.html

Happy Beltane!

I normally post on Sundays or Mondays, but got a bit behind this weekend, so I'm posting today instead. :)

 

Beltane is coming up next weekend (Sunday 1st May or Sat 30th April if you celebrate from sundown to sundown). I've written a few posts with celebration ideas and inspiration over the past few years and last year I rounded them up, so for Beltane 2022 I'm just going to share some links and ideas, rather than a more in-depth post. :)

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere Samhain is coming! Check out my Samhain/Hallowe'en Round-up post here (2021): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/10/samhainhalloween-round-up.html

 

Beltane (also spelt Beltaine) is the 3rd and final spring festival on the Wheel of the Year, coming after Imbolg/Imbolc on 2nd February and Oestara/Ostara aka the Spring Equinox around 21st March. It is a fire festival linked to the Fire God Bel. It is also a cross quarter festival and its other themes include mid-spring, the union of the God and Goddess and fertility, and the start of the shift from spring to summer (although summer is considered to "officially" start on Litha/the Summer Solstice in June). 

Imbolg Round-up

It's almost time for Imbolg (more commonly called Imbolc), the first sabbat of 2022! This year it's on Wednesday 2nd February, or Tuesday 1st Feb if you celebrate on the 1st. (Some people celebrate from sundown on the 1st to sundown on the 2nd.)

 

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere it's nearly Lammas! Check out these posts for inspiration:

Lammas Celebration Ideas: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2017/07/lammas-celebration-ideas.html

Celebrating Lammas: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/07/celebrating-lammas.html

July Update + Lammas Inspiration: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2019/07/july-update-lammas-inpiration.html

Baking for Lammas + Extra Ideas!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2020/07/baking-for-lammas-extra-ideas.html

Lammas Round-up: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/07/lammas-round-up.html

 

The past few years I've written celebration idea posts for Imbolg. During 2021 I wrote a series of round-up posts for each sabbat, featuring a mix of past posts on the blog and links for articles on other sites. So, I'll continue that into 2022 with one for Imbolg. :)  

Imbolg is the first sabbat of the calendar year and the second or third on the Wheel of the Year, depending on whether you consider the cycle to start at Samhain (ending and beginning again) or Yule. Although some people think of Imbolg as the New Year.

Yule Round-up + Yule/Christmas Baking

 

Yule/the Winter Solstice, is almost here. This year it's on Tuesday 21st December. The actual (scientific) time of the Winter Solstice (see below for more on that) will be 10.59am EST/15.58pm GMT. Find the time in your country here: https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/winter-solstice.html

 

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere it's almost time for Litha aka Midsummer/the Summer Solstice. Here are my Litha celebration ideas posts:

Litha/Midsummer Celebration Ideas (also a post about no-yeast dinner rolls): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2017/06/baking-no-yeast-dinner-rolls-and.html

Celebrating Litha/Summer: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/06/celebrating-litha-summer.html

Litha Inspiration: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2019/06/litha-inspiration_17.html

Litha + Summer Inspiration: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2020/06/litha-summer-inspiration.html

Litha Round-up: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/06/litha-round-up.html

 

The past few years I've written celebration and inspiration posts for Yule. During 2021 I've written round-up posts for the sabbats, featuring my past posts and articles from other sites. So here is Yule's. I've also included a Yule/Christmas baking section at the end. :)

 Update 14/12/25: Updated/replaced links.  

 

Yule, also known as Midwinter and the Winter Solstice, is the final sabbat of the calendar year. It's either the 1st or 2nd sabbat on the Wheel of the Year, depending on whether you consider Samhain as the end of one year and the start of the new year, or Yule as the beginning of the new cycle. I've written about this before in my Celebrating Yule/Christmas post. Opinion varies on this and some people also celebrate the Pagan New Year at Imbolg/Imbolc in early February (which is the first sabbat of the new calendar year). I consider Samhain the end of one year and the start of the new one, but it's up to you. :) 

Hallowe'en/Samhain 2021

It was Hallowe'en and Samhain last weekend (Sunday 31st October). I celebrated by carving a pumpkin and making some food and drink. I made my usual Demon's Blood drink (ginger beer mixed with apple juice and orange juice, dyed green) and potato salad and baked some gingerbread skeletons.

The Demon's Blood is a recipe from Kate West's book The Real Witches' Kitchen and the potato salad is based on a recipe from The Kitchen Witch by Soraya. I use chives and or/spring onion instead of rosemary. This year I used chives. I had the potato salad with some other snacky/buffet bits.

Here's a picture of my pumpkin:

Litha 2021

Last Monday (21st June) it was Litha aka Midsummer/the Summer Solstice. (Or if you're in North America it was Sunday the 20th for you.) :) As I mentioned in the Litha Round-up post, I usually celebrate by having salad and lemonade. This year I made my usual tomato and onion salad and "Hello Kitty" lemonade.

The tomato and onion salad is a recipe from The Kitchen Witch book by Soraya. This year I used red onion, like I did for Litha 2019. I decided to use red onion after I made Kachumbari (Kenyan tomato and onion salad) for Beltane that year. 

I had my salad with some food from the shops- chicken drumsticks, ciabatta bread (I wanted that for Beltane but couldn't find any), potato salad and coleslaw. I had the lemonade with my lunch too. The lemonade is a recipe from a Hello Kitty book! You can see it here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2013/08/summer-drinks.html

Here are a couple of pictures:

Sorry the picture isn't the best light!

Litha Round-up

                             

Litha aka Midsummer/the Summer Solstice is coming up! In 2021 it's on Monday 21st June (or Sunday 20th North American time). For the past few years, I've written posts with celebration and inspiration ideas. This year I'm doing a round-up post, like the one I did for Beltane 2021. I'm sharing my previous Litha posts and linking to some from other people. :) 

 

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere it's nearly Yule  so you may like these posts:

Yule Celebration Ideas: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2017/12/yule-celebration-ideas.html

Celebrating Yule + Christmas: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/12/celebrating-yulechristmas.html
 

Yule Inspiration: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2019/06/litha-inspiration_17.html

 

More Yule Inspiration: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2020/12/more-yule-inspiration.html 

Litha is the 2nd festival associated with summer on the Wheel of the Year. It comes after Beltane in late April/early May, (although Beltane is a spring festival that also marks the shift towards summer) and precedes Lammas in late July/early August, (which is an end of summer sabbat and the first harvest festival) and is always around 21st June. Its themes include the celebration of light, summer, fire and abundance. Litha is also a water festival in some traditions.

This sabbat represents possibility to me as well. It's also called the Summer Solstice since it takes place on the longest day of the year. The June solstice is an astrological event though, when in the Northern Hemisphere we get the most amount of light. Litha is a pagan festival celebrated on the same day.

Winter-Spring Update + Beltane Round-up

The past couple of years I wrote monthly and "two monthly" updates on the blog. I enjoyed it, but as I said in the November/December 2020 update post, I prefer doing them less often because I found it harder fitting them in with the other seasonal posts. So, I've decided to do quarterly "season to season" posts instead this year. 

Here is the winter to spring update. :) Also, Beltane is coming up on 1st May, so I've made this a "double post". Scroll down for the Beltane section. :)

 

Winter-Spring Update

In January we went into another lockdown in England (our 3rd since March last year, when the coronavirus spread worldwide). I was disappointed but this one wasn't as bad as the first one, since it was quite similar to the 2nd lockdown in November. 

So, I wasn't up to much during the first part of year. I went for my weekly park walks and also went to the beach, although it was cold! I wrote a post sharing some winter photos, and also with ideas for preparing for spring. Check it out to see some pics from January and February: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/03/winter-photos-preparing-for-spring.html

At the beginning of February, I celebrated Imbolg. You can read about my celebration here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/02/imbolg-2021.html

It seemed colder than last winter but we only got a bit of snow in early Feb. 

At the beginning of March, it was my birthday. It was my first "lockdown birthday" (since last year's lockdown didn't happen till late March), but I was able to get some Nando's because it was open for takeaway and delivery. 

I had my usual chicken butterfly (plain-ish) and chips. There's no picture but you can see one from last year here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2020/05/marchapril-update-baking-inspiration.html

I got a Coke from Burger King because I like having drinks with syrup and ice, and Nando's was only doing cans, lol. I also had Nando's carrot cake for pudding (dessert) and had some chocolate gelado as well. 

21st March was the Spring Equinox aka Oestara/Ostara and the official start of spring. You can read my post about Oestara here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/03/oestara-2021.html 

In late March I went to Lancing Beach at sunset and went for a walk. Here are a couple of pics: 

Hallowe'en/Samhain 2020

Last Saturday (31st October) it was Samhain/Hallowe'en. I celebrated with a pumpkin and by making some food and drink. I made my usual Demon's Blood drink and some potato salad, and also baked some gingerbread skeletons. 

Demon's Blood is ginger beer mixed with apple juice and orange juice, and dyed green. The recipe is from Kate West's book The Real Witches' Kitchen. And the potato salad is based on a recipe from The Kitchen Witch book by Soraya. I planned to use spring onion and chives, but couldn't get any chives.

Here's a picture of the pumpkin: