Your Essential Guide to Giving Gifts to Your Pagan Friends and Family

Maybe you just met someone who told you they are pagan and mentioned an upcoming holiday. Maybe you had a conversation with a family member who said they were excited to celebrate this or that special day…but you can’t remember. Maybe you’re freaking out a little. Do these holiday require gifts like Christmas? Would a gift be a good way to show your support of this pagan person in your life? And what on earth should you give them?

It can be intimidating to find a gift for a holiday you know nothing about. And since neo-paganism encompasses distinct groups, it can be even trickier.

How to Navigate Neo-Pagan Holidays

Your first step is to get to know the pagan calendar, called the Wheel of the Year. More likely than not, the pagan in your life follows this calendar, or at least something similar. If you do know what kind of pagan this person is (i.e. Druid, Roman Reconstructionist, Wiccan), then you can also go to Wikipedia and search for “The Wheel of the Year” or “Modern Paganism.” You can also search for something like “Roman Festivals,” but the Romans had a LOT of celebrations.

The Solstices and the Equinoxes are generally considered more important holidays, as they mark the changing of the seasons. Out of any of the High Days, I think that the Solstices are the easiest to gift for. If you’re looking for a quick and dirty gift idea list, here it is:

The Summer Solstice
Any symbol of summer and the sun will do for a gift. Flowers or plants are good, since everything is “in full bloom” on the longest day of the year. Anything with suns on it is good too: garden decorations, jewelry, a coffee mug with a sun plastered on it. The summer is also, of course, about fertility. Anything creative can make a good gift, be it a sketch pad and paints or a handmade item. Goddess figures might be a good gift for Wiccan or eclectic pagans. Likewise, fairie-related items are generally a good gift for those who practice a Celtic of Wiccan strain of neopaganism. Red is a predominant color and bonfires are a common way to celebrate.

The Winter Solstice
Basically any secular winter symbol will be a great gift. (The Winter Solstice and the November Feast/Samhain are similar this way: almost any secular iconography will work for a gift.) These winter symbols would include: Evergreens and pinecones. Holly berries. Mistletoe. Yule logs are also pretty popular, but they are a more Norse appropriate gift. Stags (covered in snow)are generally seen as the neopagan symbol of the Winter Solstice. My guess is that stags are popular because they are a common picture on secular holiday cards. And, of course, red and green are great colors for the holiday.

If you are looking to gift for another holiday, or you want to make sure that your gift is appropriate for the type of paganism your friendly neighborhood pagan practies, then continue reading. I have lists based on the holidays, based on the gods and goddesses, and what to do when all else fails.

Gifts for Every Holiday

Let’s start with the first holiday in the calendar year. As I am a member of ADF (Our Own Druidry), I will put the common/Wiccan term for the holiday as well as the ADF term, which strives to be generic.

Imbolc or the February Feast (Feb 2) — the first Spring holiday
General/Wiccan symbols: white candles, the Maiden, the Growing Youth with the Young Mother, Brigid’s cross, budding flowers or trees, green and white
Celtic symbols: Brigid’s cross, sheep/cows, milk
Norse symbols: the Norns (the fates) or Valkyries, female ancestors

Ostara or the Spring Equinox (~March 20) — the second Spring holiday
General/Wiccan symbols: rabbits, eggs, flowering trees, again the Maiden, the Growing Youth, pastels
Celtic symbols: the blessing of seeds and fields
Norse symbols: poetry, markets

Beltaine or the May Feast (May 1) — the third Spring holiday
General/Wiccan symbols: flowers, may pole, Green Man, Horned God, the Maiden, red and green
Celtic symbols: the fire, fairies
Norse symbols: victory, start of the sailing/raiding season

Midsummer or the Summer Solstice (~June 20) — Summer and the longest day
General/Wiccan symbols: flowers, fairies, the Father, the Pregnant Mother, Green Man, Horned God, Mother Goddess, red
Celtic symbols: fire, flowers, fairies
Norse symbols: fire, weddings

Lughnasadh or the August Feast (Aug 1) — the first Autumn holiday
General/Wiccan symbols: stalks of grain, corn dollies, Harvest Mother, Old Man, yellow and red
Celtic symbols: warriors/warrior games
Norse symbols: horse-related games, the first sheaf of the harvest

Mabon or the Fall Equinox (~Sept 20) — the second Autumn holiday
General/Wiccan symbols: leaves, apples, pumpkins, cornucopia, Harvest Mother, Old Man, orange and red
Celtic symbols: the grain, the harvest
Norse symbols: horses, the harvest

Samhain or the November Feast (Nov 1) — the third Autumn holiday
General/Wiccan symbols: jack-o-lanterns, skeletons/skulls, a witch :), Sacrifical God, Crone, orange and black
Celtic symbols: the fire, cauldron, ravens, the ancestors
Norse symbols: winter nights, male ancestors, elves

Midwinter/Yule or the Winter Solstice (~Dec 20) — Winter and the longest night
General/Wiccan symbols: pinecones, holly, stags, Crone, green and red
Celtic symbols: the fire, the ancestors
Norse symbols: yule log, yule goat, Mother’s Night and the goddesses

Gods and Goddesses for Every Season

Maybe you’re still not sure what gift to give. What would your friend do with a wall hanging of an Easter Egg anyway? You can also look to popular pagan gods and goddesses for gift ideas. And certain deities are more associated with certain holidays than others. Here is a short list of deities who have ties to certain times of the year.

Celtic
Spring =Brigid, Belenus
Summer = Aine, Cernnunos
Fall = Lugh, Tailtiu, Morrigan
Winter = Cailleach

Norse
Spring = Thor, Freyr and Gerd, Eostre, Idunna
Summer = Odin, Sunna, Nerthus, Freya and Freyr, Njord
Fall =Freyr, Tyr, Thor and Sif
Winter =Freyr, Njord, Odin, Skadhi

Greek
Spring = Dionysus and Ariadne, Apollo and Artemis
Summer = Demeter, Athena, Posidon
Fall = Athena, Demeter
Winter =Dionysus

Roman
Spring = Venus, Floria
Summer = Vesta, Fortuna, Neptune
Fall = Ceres, Mars, Jupiter
Winter = Saturn (Saturnalia)

Baltic
Spring = Auseklis, Mara
Summer = Dievas, Saule, Percunatele
Fall = Jumis, Lada
Winter = Perkunas

Slavic
Spring = Veles, Vesna, Kostroma
Summer = Kupala, Perun
Fall = Rodzanica, Mokosh
Winter =Rod, Marzanna

When All Else Fails

If nothing else, a nice card will do for any holiday. It can be themed according to the season, themed according to a symbol in the previous list, or a plain card that is either red or green, as these are the colors of the sun and the earth.

And if you don’t know diddly squat about what kind of pagan your pagan is, then just write “Happy Holiday” on your card. Simple well wishes often mean the most.