So, you think just because we're Wiccan, we can't have trees and wreaths around the start of winter, or colored eggs in the Springtime? Well think again!
The fact is that many Christian traditions were directly borrowed from ancient Pagan pratices. The converters used them as more incentive to join their faith: "If you still do all that stuff AND not go to hell, whats to lose?" (I'll address 'hell' in another article...) Centuries later, these traditions have still survived.
Actually, most of the major Christian holidays were created to coincide with our Sabbats. Wiccans celebrate eight sabbats equally spreasd throughout the solar year, to attune and stay-in-touch with the changing of the seasons. Four of the Sabbats happen at the solstices and equinoxes, and the others happen at the changing of certain months.
(This wonderful image is borrowed from somewhere, I just can't remember where... however, I really would like to give them credit. If anyone knows where this image comes from, please let me know!)
I have also not fully finished this page, but I wanted to get it up. It will be completed in a couple of days. REALLY.)
This is the holiday now known as Holloween, falling on October 31. It was the Celtic New Year and first day of Winter, and it starts the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. The God has passed over to the Summerland, waiting to be reborn at Yule. The Crone Goddess now guides us, stirring the Great Cauldron from which all souls come and to where they return. On this night, Jack-o'-Lanterns burn bright, children wear masks to disguise themselves, and we see images of black-clad witches with their feline familiars, travelling as fast as thought on their besoms.
This is a wonderful night to honor those who have passed on, for the veil between our world and that of the ancestors is at its thinnest. This can be done by actually speaking to them, rememberng them, or leaving a "spirit plate" for them, with parts of your supper for them to feast upon. (This food can later be left outside for the greatful animals of nature.) This is also a good time to release the old and divine what the coming year will bring. Samhain's colors are black and orange.
Yes, Christmas came directly from OUR holiday to celebrate the birth of the God. We celebrate is a few days earlier, on the Winter Solstice, when the sun (the embodiment of our God) is at its lowest point and will soon start to rise again, or grow. The Great Mother Goddess gives birth to her son, and then goes into a period of rest. Around this time, we see colorfully decorated evergreen trees, wreaths, and mistletoe, all which have special pagan significance. The act of giving presents at this time is also originally Pagan.
Now is the perfect time for personal renewal, as people make New Years Resolutions. We can be reborn with the sun (of course, we must make sure to continue to work at it!) Many rituals for world peace are performed now, and we can honor our own family, friends, and loved ones. Singing, dansing, feasting, drinking, and being merry are all perfect Yule fare. Be sure to burn a Yule Log to help the sun along on his journey, and keep a piece of the log with which to start next year's fire. Yule's colors are red, green, white, and gold.
This holiday falls around the change from January to February, and has been converted to the Christian feast day Candlemas, national holiday Groudhog's Day, and to an extent, Valentine's Day. (Sorry, Hearts' Day wasn't invented by Hallmark!) Imbolc is the time of year when the young Maiden goddess first meets her son, and they are both innocent children. Their meeting is embodied by the very first signs of Spring beginning to happen. The Groundhog emmerging from hibernation is one of these signs.
The deities are pure and innocent now, and many Wiccans seek to purify themselves as well. Purification need not come from pain and torture; burning incense or bathing are perfectly alright ways to start, or some good old fashioned "Spring cleaning." As the Earth starts to blossom, so can our creative ideas, as we .
(COMING VERY SOON)
(COMING VERY SOON)
(COMING VERY SOON)
(COMING VERY SOON)
(COMING VERY SOON)