Special days bring us together with our kindred and communities, reminding us of the principles of Areté and bringing us greater fulfillment in life. All of our celebrations are times for connection, good food, contemplation, and fun!
Pyrmera
4th Sunday of December
On Pyrmera (pronounced: peer-mehr-uh) we celebrate all of the things symbolically linked to the ancient classical element of fire. Fire represents light in the darkness, guiding our path both individually and as a people. Aretéans also associate fire with the First Level of Human Consciousness (“The Fog”), and while it might seem strange to celebrate the lowest stage of human consciousness, even that stage is still an impressive amount of consciousness.
The ancient Greeks, from whom many of the Aretéan ideas originate, believed that the titan Prometheus gave fire as a gift to humans, which ignited the spark of innovation in our species until this day—we also give gifts on this day, hoping that what we give might do the same! Specifically, we try to give gifts which will educate, inspire, or be of some practical use; rather than contributing to mindless consumerism.
NEW YEARS DAY
1st Day of January
On New Years Day, we celebrate the beginning of another year in the project of human civilization. Aretéans are among a growing number of people who use the Human Era Calendar, which adds 10,000 years to the more common Gregorian Calendar in order to acknowledge that the very first permanent human settlements and the development of agriculture began approximately 12,000 years ago. On New Year's Day we will venerate the progress made by our ancient and pre-historical human forbearers by committing to carry on their project with Areté. On this day each Aretéan chooses one of the Six Qualities of Areté to serve as a theme for our upcoming year. We will also salute the youth of our era on this day, for the promise they show in changing the world for the better.
ARETÉ DAY
1st Sunday of February
On Areté Day we celebrate the formation of The Assemblage of Areté, which was established as a non-profit religious organization on February 23rd in 12,016 HE. We also venerate the First Tenet of Aretéanism: “Be People of Areté”. We traditionally make goals for self-improvement, and make time to congregate together as an entire assemblage, globally. In this global convocation, we hear messages from the Quorum of Mugwumps to inspire us and address important announcements for our entire global movement to hear simultaneously. Meanwhile, in our local villages, we celebrate the day as a special birthday gala for Aretéanism.
Hydromera
4th Sunday of March
On Hydromera we celebrate all of the things we symbolically link to the classical element of water. Water represents the Second Level of Consciousness (“Contextual Awareness”) as well as change, commitment, and cleanliness. We traditionally engage in “spring cleaning” on this day as well as spending time outdoors near bodies of water, while refreshing or updating the commitments we’ve made on Pyrmera and Areté Day.
UNDERSTANDING DAY
1st Sunday of May
On Understanding Day we celebrate learning in all of its forms, especially science! We traditionally engage in learning activities like going to museums, doing science experiments with children, or learning more about the people in our lives. This day venerates the Second Tenet of Aretéanism: “Seek Greater Understanding”. To cement our commitment to this, on Understanding Day members of our community swear to uphold the Scientific Oath, which duty-binds us to respect the best approaches to learning available.
Aermera
4th Sunday of June
On Aermera (pronounced: air-mehr-uh) we celebrate all of the things we symbolically link to the classical element of air. For Aretéans, air represents the Third Level of Consciousness (“Global Comprehension”) and also reminds us of the pilgrimages air members undertake. To celebrate this day we often go on short day trips as a community and make more active efforts to share Aretéanism with the wider world.
REASON DAY
1st Sunday of August
On Reason Day we celebrate the human capacity for reason, and the nuances of life. This day venerates the Third Tenet of Aretéanism: “The Intent of the Law, Is the Law”. We consider important issues in the world or in our nations, and often host non-partisan debates about important issues facing our communities. Ultimately we celebrate the fact that we each have the power and authority to make interpretations of the facts for ourselves, and that we may come to somewhat different conclusions about those facts; and that even when we disagree about an issue, we’re all still coming at that disagreement from a desire to pursue our unified values.
gemera
4th Sunday of September
The holiday of Gemera (pronounced with a “hard g”: geh-mehr-uh) is the day we celebrate all of the things we symbolically link to the classical element of earth. In Aretéanism earth represents the Fourth Level of Consciousness (“Innovative Ideation”) and reminds us to be good stewards of the literal Earth we are all riding on, as our shared spaceship through the cosmos. We spend time on this day laboring in the geographical stewardships of our community’s earth members, and celebrate the bounty of innovations we’ve benefited from in our lives.
BETEOAPO Day
1st Sunday of November
This holiday venerates our mantra, the central premise of Aretéanism, that we should “Be Excellent to Each Other, and Party On!” This mantra is often abbreviated as BETEOAPO, which is pronounced: beh-tee-oh-ah-poh. On this holiday we traditionally make coordinated efforts to be as excellent to those around us as we can, including through organized community service and charity efforts to those in need, such as the elderly or the unhoused. We then follow our good deeds up with exceptional partying, having a truly bodacious time! It is also often traditional to watch some or all of the “Bill & Ted” movies which inspired our religion during the week of celebration following this holiday.