Clio/A Year of the Seasons
From Eccentric Flower
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«Clio
A Year of the Seasons
Clio admits that she is not without biases. She knows it is a tradition for religions, nations and other factions to attempt to rewrite history to their liking. And she will readily agree that the pagans have not been abused for their beliefs any more or less than some other groups have been. (She notes, for example, that far fewer people were killed in a millennium of pagan persecution than in the handful of years of Jewish Holocaust.) Nonetheless - due to her biases - she grows upset when she reflects upon the level to which pagan beliefs and pagan holy days have been cast into disrespect in modern times. They have been co-opted, concealed, renamed, appropriated, and slandered. To cast doubt on pagan holy days is generally bad practice, since some of the most commonly celebrated holy days and holidays in the modern world are descended from them. Pagan holy days predate organized religions. In fact, they predate calendars.
Watching the Changes Before there were calendars, humans watched the seasons. Even without a tally of days, it was still obvious that certain changes were cyclical; that warm had followed cold and dark had followed light, over and over. And when humans began counting the sunrises, it became clear that these changes followed a regular pattern. At first, humans celebrated the seasonal changes because they had no way to know that time would not just stop one day, or that winter would not become endless; every spring they celebrated that spring had managed to come once again. Later, they celebrated not that spring had come again, but that they had managed to live to see it. Still later, they celebrated because they had always celebrated, or because other events had become associated with those celebrations. From these early celebrations we have retained the idea that there are three kinds of holy days:
Latter-day pagans celebrate eight holy days. As you read through Clio's other musings on the calendar, you will see that these eight ideas return again and again. Four of them are natural phenomena and occur on slightly different dates every year. The other four - the quarter-days - are normally standardized at a particular spot on the calendar, depending on whose tradition you're following.
Of Names and Weather Modern pagans are often heard to refer to the quarter-days as Greater Sabbats, and the other four as Lesser Sabbats. Clio believes that "greater" and "lesser" are meaningless here, and "Sabbat" as a term for an annual holiday may cause confusion with the use of "Sabbath" in other faiths as a weekly holy observance (even though both stem from the same root). "Sabbat" has also been slandered over the years (Clio cannot believe the way the Merriam-Webster Tenth Collegiate Dictionary defines it - it makes her want to seek divine venegance). [This was improved notably in the Eleventh. See final item on letters page. -ed.] Clio also avoids characterizing these holy days in terms of "spring," "winter," et cetera because those terms may depend on where you are. In some traditions Imbolc (beginning of February) was the start of spring; in some places (i.e. most American calendars) the spring equinox (mid-March) is the start of spring; certainly Beltane (beginning of May), a fertility festival, seems like a logical place for the start of spring. Thus we have a date for "spring" which can range from February to May! Similarly, many Americans are confused by the idea of a "Midsummer Day" in mid-June. The idea makes much more sense when one lives in Europe, where the name originated. Most of the pagan religions active today seem to use the Celtic (and more specifically Irish) names for the quarter-days. This is possibly because the Celtic areas of the world retained a strong pagan tradition even after the Romans came and attempted to "civilize" them. Or it is possibly because the older names for these days have been forgotten.
Samhain The idea that all beginnings are also endings and vice versa is a very common and strong theme. The Romans were fairly unimaginative about gods, calling them "Numina" or Powers, and very few of these were ever personified to any degree (all the personalities - such as the Muses - came when they incorporated the Greek pantheon). But one Power that did eventually acquire an appearance, if not a personality, was Janus, the two-faced Power, who personified this beginning-and-end idea. The pagan year begins and ends with Samhain (say the 'mh' as a 'w'). Samhain was considered the arrival of the dark half of the year. Many pagan faiths incorporate a god/goddess duality, in which case Samhain is when the god aspect becomes ascendant, and the goddess aspect more or less becomes dormant. Samhain is when the earth prepares to die for a time, and when humans must prepare for that death. In the days when humans were mostly pastoral, those preparations included slaughtering any livestock which would not survive the dark months. This is the origin of "new year's resolutions," when humans should "slaughter" their weaknesses. A frequent modern-day Wiccan ritual, for example, involves writing down the faults one wishes to be rid of, then burning the paper. It is a matter of some debate with these quarter-days whether they occur on the day after or the night before. In the same way that one may celebrate either New Year's Eve or New Year's Day or both, it is possible to place Samhain on October 31 or November 1. In some Celtic traditions, Samhain was a brief period that was neither a part of the new year nor the old, and it had no date. Part of the confusion about dating Samhain-the-new-year-festival is that it itself is entangled with Samhain-the-supernatural-event, which is entangled in two Christian holidays ....
The Hallowe'en Connection Samhain, like the other pagan holy days, is a time when magic is held to be at a peak. Specifically, Samhain is a time when gods and ghosts walk among mortals. In many pagan traditions this is when the gods visited the humans (and often wreaked mischief); in many, many more traditions this is the Day of the Dead, when souls of the departed return to their mortal haunts for a brief time. Samhain is also the pagan holy day with the worst reputation, for it is the optimal day for calling on supernatural beings, good or evil - hence its association with deviltry in both literal and figurative senses. Just the thought of spirits walking the earth, diabolical or otherwise, is enough to cause some humans to fear the event. The "jack o'lantern" is a light meant to scare off ghosts and demons. The Christians had a holiday called All Saints' Day or All Hallows' Day, meant to be a feast for all the saints. This festival was already an attempt to co-opt a pagan institution - the Roman Pantheon. At first it was in May. Its move to November 1 (by Pope Gregory III) was an attempt to defuse Samhain - which failed; humans these days are apt not to celebrate the feast of All Hallows, because they were too busy celebrating the night before: All Hallows' Eve, or Hallowe'en. All Souls' Day, November 2, is also an outgrowth of the same idea - a feast for the souls of the dead. In some places, the custom is to observe either November 1 or November 2 by cleaning the graves of the family ancestors, or by placing flowers or food on the graves.
Yule Yule is the name often given to the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. This occurs around the twentieth of December. The name "Yule" has come to mean the same as "Christmas" to most humans, because Christmas claims everything else in December eventually. (The Christmas juggernaut - which entangles Yule, Advent, the Roman Saturnalia, the Lord of Misrule, and the feast of St. Nicholas - is much too complex to untangle here, and is discussed elsewhere in Clio's calendar musings.) Yule celebrates the idea that the worst of the nights have been survived, that the dark hours will now begin to diminish. In some parts of the world, it could be said that "the worst of the winter" had been survived (hence the idea of Imbolc/Candlemas as a harbinger of spring - see below); in other parts of the world, on December 21 the winter is just getting started! (And in the Southern Hemisphere - well, Clio supposes you can see for yourself where these customs originated.)
Imbolc Imbolc is either February 1 or the eve before. To the Celts this was a time to settle debts, among other things. They also associated it with the year's lambing (this was roughly the time when the ewes began to give milk). Imbolc, in seasonal terms, is a time to prepare for spring (settling debts is part of that). The pagan traditions often involved carrying torches through the fields to cleanse them; modern pagan rituals usually involve fire in some way; and the Christians may have incorporated this aspect of it into Candlemas (which is February 2.) The holiday as a whole is sometimes called the Feast of Lights. It has other associations pertaining to the life of Christ as well, which Clio discusses elsewhere. Imbolc is unusual in that, at least in Celtic tradition, it is very much a "goddess" holiday, yet takes place during the dark half of the year. The specific name connected with Imbolc is Brigit, or St. Brigid in the Christian tradition (or Bride, or Brigantia). It's unclear whether St. Brigid's cult assimilated Brigit's, or the other way 'round, but it is certain that Brigit was a very important figure in the Celtic areas, goddess of poetry and prophecy ... and it is also certain that St. Brigid, "the Mary of the Gaels," is one of the two patron saints of Ireland, and much beloved by the people of that land. Some claim that the Roman Lupercalia, a fertility festival, is entangled in the Imbolc tradition. Clio finds some basis for this, but prefers to discuss the Lupercalia elsewhere, in conjunction with the feast of St. Valentine. One final note about Imbolc which will interest Americans. Imbolc, the harbinger of spring, became a time to predict the weather for the coming year. This idea transferred cleanly into Candlemas. In the UK they still say the old rhymes: If Candlemas Day be fair and clear, or If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, or one of several other variations. In the US, this combined with the German tradition of watching an animal (usually a badger) coming out of its lair in order to predict the weather. Hence Groundhog Day.
Spring equinox Unlike Yule and Midsummer, the spring equinox usually isn't called anything but that. Day and night are of equal length. This occurs around the twentieth of March. This is considered by many (in the Northern Hemisphere) to be the start of spring. Even those who follow no religious tradition at all are prone to look at the calendar on this day and breathe a sigh of relief. The fact that there may still be snow on the ground is irrelevant. The beginning of spring is one of two times when nearly all human cultures have a big celebration (the other being the start of the new year). The celebration generally calls for a certain amount of debauchery and reversal of social conventions. Both the Roman Saturnalia and Lupercalia were festivals of this sort; the various Carnival seasons associated with the Christians are as well. Purim, in the Jewish tradition, can be viewed as one of these "upside-down" festivals. Whatever you call it, the point is that whatever your culture, sometime between mid-February and mid-March you are likely to encounter a period where crazy, uninhibited behavior - "spring fever," if you will - is the order of the day. Modern-day pagans, however, are more likely to place the season of debauchery a month and a half later ....
Beltane Beltane or May Day, on May 1, heralds the ascension of the goddess aspect and the arrival of the light half of the year. Beltane is a notorious fertility festival. Over time, this aspect of the day has been played down, but trust Clio on this: a May pole is a priapic symbol, and the King and Queen of the May are expected to have carnal relations, even if they're only implied. They represent the god and goddess aspects, meeting to produce the summer from their union. The border between summer and winter is also sometimes represented as a battle - hence the feature of many Carnival festivities (see above) whereby lots of noise and shouting takes place. At one time some cultures actually staged mock battles during these festivities. Beltane is a day to honor the vegetation. Past rituals involved the gathering of budding branches, or decorating someone in a costume of leaves and branches and declaring that person to be the Green Man (Jack-of-the-Green), the spirit of the occasion personified. A Celtic Beltane ritual involved passing through a bonfire for purification. Clio has more often seen this custom associated with the next holiday ....
Midsummer Midsummer is also known as Midsummer Day and Midsummer Eve. It is the time of the summer solstice - the shortest night of the year. When Midsummer is based on the summer solstice, it moves around, generally hovering near the twentieth of June. In countries that fix it to a set date for whatever reason, it is the 24th of June. No matter where it's placed, by pagan lore this turning of the seasons is the time of year when magic runs at its highest, when the creatures of faerie are able to wander out of their realm for a while (in the same way that the denizens of the land of the dead are able to walk the mortal world during Samhain). The great Western cultural reference to Midsummer is, of course, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare, which captures the attitude of Midsummer quite clearly, since Midsummer is not just about magic, but also romance. Midsummer is a time to cast spells to divine who your true love might be - and, for the less moral, to cast spells to ensnare that person's heart. And for those who are already lovers, Midsummer is the time to plight one's troth. More seriously, many of the Midsummery rituals involve a bonfire. This descends from the ancient ritual of walking through a fire to purify one's self and provide protection. These days the bonfire is likely to be the one that marshmallows are being toasted over, but that, Clio believes, is utterly beside the point.
Lughnasadh Lughnasadh (loo-na-sahd) is, strictly speaking, an Irish holiday which happens to correspond with a number of other first-fruit festivals. In the latter-day pagan traditions, it's August 1. The Christian equivalent is Assumption Day, on August 15, where the crops are blessed to keep them from harm. In some parts of the Northern Hemisphere, harvests do take place in mid-August, but in northern Europe, the harvest festivals tend to occur around mid-September to mid-October. In the same way that the "fertility festival" season could be said to run from February to May, the "harvest festival" season could easily be anytime from Lughnasadh to the American Thanksgiving, which is in late November, but is undeniably a harvest festival. The Irish Lughnasadh is a celebration of the god Lugh. At least one tradition holds that this is the date of the symbolic pairing between Lugh and Eriu, the personification of Ireland. Nine months after Lughnasadh is Beltane - thus the summer is "born" of their union.
Autumn equinox Like its cousin six months separated, the autumn equinox doesn't normally have another name. It takes place around the twentieth of September, when the day and night are of equal length. This is a time when latter-day pagans are apt to have harvest celebrations (as well as those of the Jewish faith, who have Sukkot around this time). But, as noted above, the "harvest" is a slippery concept. It could be argued that Samhain, at the end of October, is also a harvest celebration in many ways. But pagans reserve that for their new-year's festivities. Which brings Clio full circle.
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