Day of All Helati

I'll never quite beat how perfect last year's picture was, I think! There is a great explanation for the holiday there as well, but in summary: Helati is a plural form of the word "Hera" meaning here a soul that has passed, who has great spiritual achievement and may choose to aid those of us who live on Earth still. (In essence, similar to a saint or boddhisattva; a hera is not used to describe the dead in general, rather those who have something approaching intercessory power.) The Day of All Helati, or Day of All Heras, honours those who have gone before us.

I also touched on how some elements of pre-patriarchal belief were preserved in our summer holidays on the post for Rosea. For some, as the moveable feasts in the calendar began to turn into fixed dates, today is Rosa Mundi (or Rosa Caeli), and it is entirely appropriate to hold such a festival today, the Summer Solstice, as it bears all the hallmarks of a summer solstice festival. Both Helati and Rosa Mundi/Caeli may be observed today if you so wish; for those who celebrate Rosa Mundi/Caeli as a moveable feast, we look to the first new or full moon to come after Helati which means this year it falls a mere three days later on June 24 (a full moon).

For the ECE entry for Helati, see pages 248-249.