Category: Pagans

Midsummer

19/6/2017

The summer solstice or Litha, meaning a stopping or standing still of the sun, by tradition has been attracting people to monuments such as Stonehenge and Avebury for thousands of years.

Once gathered people are able to witness the sun rising and setting on the longest day of the year.

The origins of the Cornish Obby Oss dates back to the Beltane festival which celebrates the coming of summer or the Celtic worship of horse deities. It has been suggested that it may be related to the tradition of the Grey Mare in South Wales.

The Obby Oss is one of many ritual beasts and monsters found in English folk traditions, in addition to Padstow’s Obby Oss there was a tradition in West Penwith of a similar creature called Pengwyn and another named Penglas, meaning grey/blue head, which was probably a horse’s skull that is usually associated with other festive occasions such as the midsummer fire festival Golowan, celebrated in Penzance, which has quite recently been revived.

There is mention of a Oss in the Cornish language play Beunans Meriasek, about the life of a saint from the Cornish town of Camborne and the Oss is a companion or follower.

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Changing the New Year

19/7/2015

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Here in England, the date of the beginning of the new year has changed many times during our history.

When William the Conqueror first placed his Norman boots on English soil, he decided to do away with the old Anglo Saxon New Year celebration of the Winter Solstice on the 25th December, he forced us to celebrate it on the 1st of January, so it would fit in nicely with the organisation of his coronation.

No doubt the king went around shouting that it was his idea, but it wasn't, in fact it was Julius Caesar's. Caesar decided that the God Janus, represented the New Year very well seeing as he could look into the past and the future at the same time. So everyone dressed up fancy clothes, (togas were a big favourite,) went around being nice to one another, doing as little work as possible, and consuming large amount of wine, dates, figs and honey.
Sounds familiar.

Janus didn't spot poor Caesar downfall though did he? You know what happened to him.

No more spiced wine and figs after that!

In the year 567, the Council of Tours decided that the New Years should not be celebrated, prayers were to be said instead and there was to be no dancing whatsoever .

This new law wouldn't have concerned the clergy that much, they were worried about other changes the council was making. The bishop, for instance, had to treat his wife as a sister, monks worried that if there was more than one of them in a cell they each had to take turns in staying awake and reading to the rest, and no women were allowed in religious houses at all.

What a load of party poopers!

On the whole people of the secular community were less worried, the medieval Europeans considered the New Year to be a Pagan festival, and therefore couldn't care less. The only ones to care were the party organisers, now they would have been up in arms about the date change, think about all that printed stationary and party balloons gone to waste!

However, they need not have worried, it took another 550 years for the date to be changed again. As time passed England went along with the rest of Europe and we moved our New Year to the 25th of March, it remained at this date until 1752 when we decided that Caesar's idea was a good idea after all and we reverted back to using the 1st of January as the beginning of the year.

And on that note I would like to wish you all a very

Happy New Year

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The Winter Solstice

21/12/2014

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Today, the 21st December is known as the Winter Solstice, a festival that has been celebrated long before Christianity. It falls on the shortest day of the year when the sun appears at noon at its lowest altitude above the horizon.

To most of us, the day passes unnoticed but to those of the Pagan religions, it is an important festival which they call Yule, a traditional Celtic fire festival. Paganism covers many old religions whose beliefs follow those of the Norse and old North European tribes. The Pagan sect we know best are the Druids. These ancient Celts thought that the sun stood still for twelve days in the middle of winter and during this time a log was lit to conquer the darkness, banish evil spirits, and bring luck for the coming year. A priest would cut the mistletoe that grew on the oak tree and give it as a blessing. Oaks were seen as sacred and the winter fruit of the mistletoe was a symbol of life in the dark winter months. These people spent most of their time outside surrounded by nature, the seasons and the weather were very important to them, the sun and the moon being of particular importance.

The people of the north saw the sun as a wheel that changed the seasons and it is from their word houl that the term Yule comes from.

Many people arrive at Stonehenge for the Winter Solstice, most just to watch others to mark the occasion.

Stonehenge, often thought of for its Summer Solstice celebrations, is linked to the winter solstice too, many gather as the sun sets right in the middle of three great stones, known as the Trilithon. The Trilithon consists of two large vertical stones supporting a third, horizontal stone across the top. This great Trilithon faces outwards from the center of the monument, with its smooth flat face turned toward the midwinter sun.

What many people will not know, I didn't, is that the primary axes of Stonehenge seem to have been carefully aligned on a sight line pointing to the winter solstice sunset.

In mid-winter, the Norsemen lit bonfires, told stories and drank sweet ale.

The Romans also celebrated the end of the year and the birth of the new with their Suturnalia, a seven-day festival beginning on the 17th December where they brought greenery into their homes, they lit candles, and gave each other presents. Many of these customs are still followed today. They have been incorporated into the Christian and secular celebrations of Christmas.

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Midsummer

Changing the New Year

The Winter Solstice

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