Many pagans seem to be under the incorrect idea that all pagan festivals are fixed to one specific date of the year. This is not the case. The solar festivals (both equinoxes and solstices) move every year. Some days they are on the 20th, the 21st or the 22nd of the corresponding month. This is because there are very slight changes in the Earth's orbit around the Sun. The majority of pagans simply celebrate on the 21st of the month but this is not always the actual date of the solstice or equinox.
For instance, this year, the dates are as follows:
Spring Equinox - 20th March
Summer Solstice - 20th June
Autumn Equinox - 22nd September
Winter Solstice - 21st December
The agricultural festivals are not as fixed as many imagine either - these are dates for actual agricultural events as well. The only exception is Hallowe'en, or Samhain. This is a fixed date as it is the date the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. But the others can alter slightly. For instance, Imbolc, usually celebrated on the 1st or 2nd February can be earlier or later, depending when the first snowdrops appear and the first signs of life begin to show. Equally, this is the same of Lammas, the wheat harvest, can be earlier or, more commonly, later.
Personally, I tend to feel that Beltain is more like Hallowe'en. It feels more stationary, less mutable. This would make sense, given that these dates are the reverse in the Southern Hemisphere.
So when Imbolc comes around and you haven't spotted any snowdrops pushing up through the ground, hold off celebrating a few days until they appear. Likewise, if the first harvest hasn't happened in the countryside near you, wait a few days. If you can't tell re Lammas, then go ahead and celebrate around the 1s August but it is always better to feel more attuned to the seasons, and to the energies of the sun.
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