Let’s Celebrate: A Holiday Origins Podcast

Root down and branch out this Summer Solstice season. Be like the trees and flowers. Live it up. Connect to the season and connect to yourself. Let's become our best selves. Let's Celebrate Being Human!

I'm back with a new season of Let's Celebrate! But I have completely stripped down the holidays to the core, gathering in community, loving each other and ourselves, and really intentionally and ritually living with the seasons. Join me in my inaugural Spring Equinox episode of Season 3 of Let's Celebrate! Being Human. And let's learn what it truly means to celebrate this crazy, co...

This episode we are celebrating Jul or Yule. The ancient pagan winter festival that currently corresponds to our modern day Christmas and the winter solstice. The CeLibation for this episode is a Traditional Swedish GloggFor this CeLibation you need: 1 bottle of red wine1 cinnamon sticks1 tsp cardamom1 tsp ginger ½ orange zest6 whole cloves½ orange peel, hollowed out½ cup rum½ cup sugaroptional:​​...

In this episode we are celebrating Samhain, the last of the 3 harvest festivals in the wheel of the year, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. This holiday is more modernly refered to as Halloween. Listen to learn more about the history, it's evolution, and how you can incorporate old traditions into your new celebrations. The CeLibation for this episode is a Pomegran...

In this episode we're diving into the Autumnal Equinox Festival modernly known as Mabon. It may or may not be as ancient as some people believe. Listen to the entire episode to learn more about the 2nd harvest festival of the year. The CeLibation for this episode is a Pumpkin Spice Latte Martini 3 oz. strong coffee or espresso 2 oz. milk of choice 1 oz. pumpkin spice simple syrup shot of vodka or...

Welcome to this episode where we're diving into the vibrant celebration of Lughnasadh, also known as Lammas. This is the 1st of the 3 harvest festivals of the Wheel of the Year holidays. Lughnasadh marks the first of the three harvest festivals in the Wheel of the Year holidays, a time-honored tradition that connects us to the cycles of nature and the bounty of the Earth. Listen now to learn more...

In this episode, we’re celebrating the Summer Solstice AKA Midsummer or Litha! Listen to learn more. The CeLibation for this episode is a Plum Rum CeLibation 2 oz Rum ½ oz Agave syrup Juice from half a lime  Juice from half an orange 2 ripe plum, pitted with skin 1 oz water Add all ingredients to blender, strain over ice in a champagne coupe.  For a mocktail, omit the rum and add 2 more oz of wate...

For this episode, instead of celebrating a particular holiday, we're doing a deeper dive into what is the Celtic Wheel of the Year!  The CeLibation for this episode is an Irish Wheel of the Year Cocktail! When deciding on this cocktail, I chose the irish whiskey for the celtic or irish component and orange because oranges seem to go with every season, for the spring and summer they are in tropical...

This episode, we’re celebrating Beltane also known as Walpurgisnacht or May Day, and for me, it’s always been the day I was born. The CeLibation for this episode is a Frozen Mango Rum CeLibation For this CeLibation you need *3 cubes of frozen mango puree about 2-3 oz.  *Juice from ½ a lime *1 oz of rum *Sparkling water *Tajin Add the frozen mango puree, lime juice, rum, and sparkling water in a bl...

The Spring Equinox has been celebrated since prehistoric times as a sacred time of the year. This is a time when day and night come back into balance. In this episode I discuss the history behind Spring Equinox festivals all over the world, how the people before us celebrated it, how it evolved into the holiday it is now, and I discuss how people have been reconnecting and celebrating the Spring E...

For the second season of Let's Celebrate: A Holiday Origins Podcast I will be researching and celebrating  the Celtic Wheel of the Year holidays. The first of which is Imbolc, the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. In this episode I discuss the history behind it, how the people before us celebrated it, how it evolved into the holiday it is now, and I discuss how people ha...

In this episode I am celebrating the biggest, most popular holiday in America, It’s the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas! We’re going to look at the history of how it became a holiday and how people celebrate today as well as the history behind some of the most popular Christmas traditions. I also discuss the spirit of Christmas and why people believe there is magic during this time of y...

In this episode we're celebrating the Thanksgiving The CeLibation for this episode is A Cranberry Sangria For this celibation you need: 2 cups frozen or fresh cranberries 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup water 1 (750-ml.) bottle white wine, chilled 1 large navel orange, thinly sliced 1 large Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced 1 (750-ml.) bottle brut Champagne, chilled (Listen to episode for full recipe...

In this episode we're celebrating the Death Holidays; Samhain, Halloween, and Die de Los Muertos! We’ll be taking a look at how different cultures have celebrated death at the time of year when everything in the world seems to also be dying and discussing how we can look at death in a more positive light. And also how a holiday celebrating death has become a day when people dress up in costumes an...

In this episode we're celebrating La Dia de la Independencia or Central America's Independence Day! The CeLibation for this episode is A Classic Margarita! For this CeLibation you need : 2 oz. Tequila 2 oz. Fresh-squeezed lime juice 1 oz. Fresh-squeezed orange juice 1 tbs. agave Ice Lime wedges Coarse salt Wet and salt the rim of the glass. Mix all ingredients together, shake and pour over ice. Se...

In this episode we're celebrating two August Full Moon Festivals, Lughnasadh and Lammas! The CeLibation for this episode is A Citrus Aperol Soda For this CeLibation you need  Juice of half a lime Juice of half an orange 2 oz. Aperol 3-4 oz. Soda water or  Pour all ingredients over ice and enjoy.  For a mocktail, replace the aperol with 1 oz. Grapefruit juice and 1 oz. Cherry juice.  Thanks for lis...

In this episode your host Rusty Brown will be celebrating the Fourth of July or the United States of America's Independence Day and contemplating the meaning of freedom and equality of all men (and women). The CeLibation for this Episode is a Tropical Summer Sangria  For this CeLibation you need:  Bottle of white wine  ½ c. Rum of choice 1 cup chopped pineapple  2 limes 1 orange ½ cup Other fruit...

In this episode we're discussing the Scandinavian holiday, Midsummer. The traditional way of celebrating that's mostly still celebrated today and dispelling some myths that some people might associate with Midsummer. The CeLibation for this episode is a take on a Bee Norwegian from heritagedistilling.com To make this CeLibation you need: 2oz Aquavit or Aquadiente Antioqueño (or an herbed spirit th...

In this episode, your host Rusty Brown will be discussing Mother's Day, it's history of peacemaking and women's suffragists and how it has evolved from a day meant to celebrate and honor one's own mother into one of the most commercialized holidays celebrated in the US. The CeLibation for this episode is an…Lychee Sparkler To make this CeLibation you need: 2 ounces lychee liqueur, 4 ounces sparkli...

In this episode Rusty discusses a very special day that's dear to her heart, her birthday AKA April 30th! We’re going to take a look at how it was customary to celebrate her birthday before it was her birthday! Because there’s actually some pretty important holidays to the old world celebrated on this day; Walpurgisnacht, Beltane, and May Day. The CeLibation for this episode is an original CeL...

In this episode, your host Rusty Brown will be discussing Easter and what bunnies and eggs have to do with the resurrection of Jesus. The CeLibation for this episode is an…Orange Daiquiri To make this Celibation you need: 2 oz White Rum 1 oz Fresh Orange Juice 1/2 oz Lime Juice 1/2 oz Simple Syrup or honey syrup For a mocktail you can omit the rum and replace it with 4-6 oz. of sparkling mineral w...

In this episode, your host Rusty Brown will be discussing St. Patrick's day and how a Saint's day that was originally a Roman Catholic feast day has turned into a global celebration of Irish culture. The CeLibation for this St. Patrick's Episode is an Irish Mojito 1 quarter fresh lime 2-3 fresh mint leaves 2 oz. simple syrup 1 ½ oz Irish Whiskey Sparkling Mineral Water shake or stir with ice and s...

In this episode, your host Rusty will be discussing St. Valentine's day and how a pagan fertility festival combined with the death of possibly several Christian martyrs named St. Valentine has turned into the love filled, chocolate eating, red and pink heart holiday we now celebrate on Feb. 14th. The CeLibation for this St. Valentine's Episode is a Chocolate Covered Coconut Cocktail 3-4 oz. of rum...

In this episode, your host Rusty will take you on an information exploration with facts about how New Year's Eve has been celebrated throughout history and today.  The CeLibation for this New Year’s Episode is a French 75 1 ounce Gin ½ ounce Meyer Lemon Simple Syrup 2 ounces Champagne For those who don’t want alcohol, a mocktail CeLibation:  sparkling grape juice or sparkling water ...

Intro to Let’s Celebrate: A Holiday Origins Podcast