I just have a question about the whole year and a day thing. What exactly do you do for the whole year and a day. Then my friend told me that you had to pick a god or goddess so i was hoping you could tell me about how t get started – thanks. -jenn

A year and a day is a period of time used in many Pagan religions. The most common usage is in reference to handfastings. Pagan handfastings are not necessarily for life, as are Christian marriages. It’s acceptable for a man and woman to ‘marry’ for a year and a day, before making a lifelong commitment. After the time has passed, they are free to go their separate ways should the relationship not work out. Having such time pass also gave the couple a chance to see if children would be produced. Not such an important issue these days, but in the past, it was important.

Another area where a year and a day is a popular timeframe is for initiation into a coven. Keep in mind that different covens will have a variety of initiation requirements, but a year and a day of study or apprenticeship is common.
There may be a year and a day between degrees or levels within a coven. It’s usually considered a minimum period of time, rather than a definite length.

So what’s with that extra day? Using a lunar calendar of 13 months with 28 days in each gives a year of 364 days. But since the solar calendar has 365 days, an extra day is ‘added’ to make it balance out.

Also, if you want your time period to end on the same date that it started, you need to add the extra day. For example, starting on January 1st, if you counted out a year, you would end up on December 31st. If you wanted the time frame to end on the 1st again, you need to allow for a year and a day. It’s this reasoning that keeps the year and a day custom in use today.

Most Wiccans believe in a year and a day of study before you dedicate yourself in any direction. This is the minimum that should be required, but if the Goddess has touched you that strongly, there probably wouldn t be any complaints. When a year and a day has passed or when you feel ready then you can choose another religion or begin to design your dedication ceremony.