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 1^st 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 31^st.  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

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