So Thursday Tirade is going to be about stuff that just
annoys me. I’m going to try my best to
keep it clean and not use this day to do any damage. These posts are completely my opinion and not
representative of Pagans, Witches, Wiccans or Hecateans in general. It’s what I think.
That being said today I’m going to focus something that
REALLLY REALLY annoys the heck out of me.
If we look at the calendar that is used in many countries today we see
that it is a Gregorian calendar. Our
calendar has changed many times over the years but still based on the old Roman
Calendars. Even the names, January –
named for the god Janus, March for the god Mars and so on. Our days of the week: Monday for Moons Day,
Thursday for Thor’s Day. The calendar we
use today is Pagan.
So what’s a calendar -
So we see that the calendar has started to sculpted and
molded into something different. In
general Pagans follow the cycles of the year and celebrate the calendar; some
by following what is called the Wheel of the Year. In my path, I’m not big on following each of
the days but there are a few that are especially significant for me. More of what I feel drawn to, and less of “You
better honor this day” sorta thing.
As a small child I was raised in a small town with small minds. We were taught that KISS the rock band were
really “Knights In Satan’s Service” and that Christmas as an evil pagan
holiday.
NOTE there is swearing in this video! Here's a clip of a couple people talking about the KISS issue.
Forty years later I’m back in
that small town and now the minds have changed, but they’re still just as narrow. Slowly over my limited years I've watched as
Ostara is now celebrated in the local churches with “Spring Flings” and “Egg
Hunts” for the kids. Now I’m as much for
a party as the next chick but exactly at what point did the little bunny roll
the stone away and help Jesus rise from the grave? When exactly did eggs come into your
faith? Yeah that’s what I thought.
I won’t outline each of the holidays that have been taken
and changed to suit the needs of others; instead I’ll go to the MAIN one that
is really PISSING ME OFF.
Like witches around the world when October 1st
rolls around, my whole mind set changes.
Life starts to take on a different meaning for me. I get to smell pumpkin and see the leaves
change. The air gets a bit crisper and
that familiar feeling of seeing your breath is starting to happen. Samhain is an amazing time of the year. I love it.
I also love that we have several holidays that fall side by side and I
can be extremely respectful of the different cultures.
Here in my little town, so is something else. Churches across my town are having something
called “Harvest Festival” or “Jesusween” …
guess when it is? No come on guess.. RIGHT!
October 31st. I get to
see their little church signs say things like “Family Harvest Festival, A safe
place for your family”. I understand you
need to drum up business, but please, leave this one, this last holiday that
you’ve not bastardized alone. Do they do
that? No, the next thing I see is giant
billboards for “Judgment House”. For
those not familiar with it, it’s basically taking the ole Halloween Haunted
House and changing the “scary” scenes for scenes of “Sinners” in hell or going
to hell, or being tortured. And our
typical sins are represented, abortions.
Our Holidays have even become the subject of Songs –
If you want to scare your followers into acting a certain
way, that’s your business. Please try to
stop dragging other religions down in the process. And please PLEASE let me have what’s left of
my October.
Namaste & Blessed Be
Sosanna
)O(
Posts
6 comments
Well said, Renee :)
Historically speaking, Christians have always co-opted pagan "holidays". It made it easier for them to "convert" people by keeping their special days and celebrations but replacing the religion behind them with their own.
Easter and Christmas are perfect examples of pagan festivals given new meaning by Christians (I remember reading somewhere that Jesus's birthday is actually believed to be in September, not December).
It's too bad that they're still up to this sort of thing in this day and age though. They should just do their own thing and leave everyone else alone.
Awesome post Renne. :) Love it.
Love it! I've heard of the "Judgement Houses" too and thought c'mon...only on the Simpsons...fraid not...Yikes.
I'm old enough to remember the KISS controversy too.
Exactly Lady Jayne.
Oy. Sadly, there is no reasoning with them, either. Great post!
I wish they would just do their own thing and leave the rest of us alone. There's definitely no reasoning with them, and they feel that any faith different from theirs is a deadly abomination.
Even I, who calls herself a Christian, has been attacked by conservative Christians because I have an altar, I don't involve myself with the organized Christian religion as a whole, and I love and respect all other faiths. I have friends who are Muslim and Pagan, and my husband is a Reform Jew.
I find it really funny when Christians try to downplay the most Pagan aspects of the holidays. Me? I celebrate them along with what they mean to my faith as well.
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