Seasonal Altar Adornments & Foods

Yule
Decorate Altar with evergreens (pin, rosemary, bay, juniper, and cedar) and Dried leaves. Appropriate Foods include nuts, apples, pears, cakes of caraway's soaks in cider, pork. Serve Wassail,hibiscus, or ginger tea to drink.

Imbolc
Decorate Altar with White flower (representing snowflake), or snow in a crystal container. Orange candle anointed with musk, cinnamon,frankincense, or rosemary oil. Appropriate Foods include all dairy foods. Sour cream dishes. spicy, full-bodied foods in honour of the Sun. Curries and all dishes made with peppers, onions, leeks,
shallots, garlic, or chives. Spiced wines and dishes containing raisins - all foods symbolic of the Sun - are traditional.

Ostara
Decorate Altar with Flowers, buds, and blossoms; cauldron filled with spring water. Appropriate Foods include seeds (sunflower, pumpkin,sesame seeds) pine nuts. Sprouts; leafy, green vegetables. Flower dishes such as stuffed nasturtiums or carnation cupcakes. Fake carnation cupcakes: make spice cupcakes. Frost with pink frosting and place a fresh carnation petal on top of each cupcake. Stuffed
Nasturtium blossoms: stuff the blossoms with a mixture of cream cheese, chopped nuts, chives, and watercress.

Beltane
Decorate Altar area with a small, potted tree inside the Circle. Make flower garland, string of beads, or small bags filled with flowers to hang from the tree in honour of the marriage of god and goddess. Appropriate Foods include dairy and dishes such as marigold custard and vanilla ice cream. Oatmeal cakes.

Litha
Decorate Altar with an herbal petition packet made up of herbs such as lavender, camomile, St. John's wort, vervain, or any other Midsummer herbs. All troubles, problems, and woe should be pored into this herb pouch, and then tied with a red string; to be thrown into the fire during the rite. Appropriate Foods include fresh fruits.

Lughnasadh
Decorate Altar with sheaves of wheat, barley or oats, fruit and breads, perhaps a loaf fashioned in the figure of the Sun or a man to represent the God. Corn dollies, symbolic of the Goddess, can be present as well. Appropriate Foods include bread, blackberries and all berries, acorns (leached of their poisons first), crab apples,
all grains and locally ripe produce. A cake is sometimes baked, and cider is used in place of wine.

Mabon
Decorate Altar with acorns, oak sprigs, pine and cypress cones, ears of corn, wheat stalks and other fruits and nuts. Basket with dried leaves of various colours and kinds. Appropriate Foods include the second harvest's gleanings: grains, fruit, and vegetables (especially corn). Cornbread is traditional, as are beans and baked squash.

Samhain
Decorate Altar with apples, pomegranates, pumpkins, squashes and other late autumn fruits. Autumn flowers like marigolds and mums. Appropriate Foods include beets, turnips, apples, corn, nuts,gingerbread, cider, mulled wines and pumpkin dishes are appropriate,as are meat dishes.