February 15th, Lupercalia:

Celebration of bodily autonomy, sexual liberation, and reproduction

Based on the Roman festival of the same name, Lupercalia falls on February 15. In keeping with the ancient tradition, February 13th and 14th are observed as feast days leading up to the actual holiday. What we are translating this to in TST is a “hail yourself” day. This idea offers a parallel to the “others-centered” traditions of Sol Invictus.

April 30th, Hexennacht:

Occasion honoring those who fell victim to superstition and pseudoscience, whether by witch hunt, Satanic panic, or other injustices

In Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust: a Tragedy (1808), Mephisto and Faust attend the Walpurgisnacht revelry atop Mount Brocken. Hexennacht a solemn holiday to honor those who were victimized by superstition.

July 25th, Unveiling Day:

A centerpiece of the religious movement and icon of modern Satanism, the Baphomet with Children statue was commissioned by The Satanic Temple in 2014 and created by Mark Porter with “respect for diversity and religious minorities” in mind. On July 25, 2015, The Satanic Temple unveiled Baphomet to a large crowd of devotees in Detroit, signaling the beginning of the new Satanic era. We observe this milestone in Satanic history by celebrating Unveiling Day. (And yes, I am aware that Satanists celebrate other things about this if they are not members of The Satanic Temple so am choosing to leave this one up here on the list.)

October 31st, Halloween:

Halloween is consistently described as evil, demonic, and satanic by those steeped in religious dogma. Costumes, candy, and facing fears are to be embraced.

December 25th, Sol Invictus:

The cult of Sol existed within Rome since its early days as a republic, and Invictus was an epithet used for Jupiter, Mars, and Apollo (among others). The festival celebrated these gods and may have also been used to celebrate the winter solstice.

I am taking steps to apply for Active Registration within the Church of Satan.

I know I’ve mentioned Satanism in here, but after giving some serious thought to the direction I wanted to take that in I decided that the best thing to do would be to attain good standing within the official organization and religion from that, then go from there. The Satanic Temple doesn’t fit or suit me for numerous reasons, and my family wants nothing to do with Christianity. I anticipate that it will take me some time longer to answer all the questions for Active Registration and intend on having that done, and sent off to them, as soon as I can manage. Right now I am approximately halfway through the list of questions and hope to have the rest of them filled out and finished within a reasonable time period. As the months and years have drug on, I’ve found myself liking the people in The Satanic Temple less even though the rest of it jives with me… and my household celebrates Satanic holidays with James having celebrated these with us his entire life. I don’t seek to attempt to convert people as much as I’d like to be left alone to believe as I wish.

This might be more tolerable if it were Pagan or Wiccan, because as adorable, neat, and organized this looks on the surface… as the Gen Z kids seem to be saying, “this ain’t it” (or is it “that ain’t it”?). I’m sure there are still people out there that continue to hold out hope that I will “see the light” and convert to their religion or denomination of choice, or that they might see something like that as a gateway by which my kids can be indoctrinated into this, and… yeah, that’s not happening either. Sorry not sorry. Not only am I not a tremendous fan of any sort of organized religion to start with, but I don’t condone coercing kids into it.