Wicca is a modern pagan, witchcraft religion

Wicca is a diverse religion with no central authority or figure defining it.

Wicca often involves the ritual practice of magic, though it is not always necessary

Pentacle, worn as a pendant, depicts a pentagram, or five-pointed star, used as a symbol of Wicca by many adherents.

Beliefs in Wicca range from hard polytheism to even monotheism.

Wicca is typically duotheistic, worshipping a god and goddess traditionally viewed as a mother goddess and horned god.

The term Wicca first achieved widespread acceptance when referring to the religion in the 1960s and 70s

Application of the word Wicca has given rise to "a great deal of disagreement and infighting".

The Goddess and the God may be regarded as the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine

The God and Goddess are generally seen as lovers and equals, the Divine Couple who together co-create the cosmos.

Traditionally the God is viewed as a Horned God, associated with nature, wilderness, sexuality, hunting and the life cycle

The Horned God is given various names according to the tradition, and these include Cernunnos, Pan, Atho and Karnayna.

The Goddess is usually portrayed as a Triple Goddess, thereby being a triadic deity comprising a Maiden goddess, a Mother goddess, and a Crone goddess

Some Wiccans, particularly from the 1970s onwards, have viewed the Goddess as the more important of the two deities, who is pre-eminent in that she contains and conceives all. In this respect, the God is viewed as the spark of life and inspiration within her, simultaneously her lover and her child.

Showing posts with label carnivals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label carnivals. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Pancake Day

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Pancake Day
Today is Shrove Tuesday, what we call Pancake Day in England. In other countries it is Carnival or Mardi Gras. Whether you are eating up the last of the sugar and butter or getting dressed up for a masked ball, it is a day for having a party before the austerities of Lent.Lent, of course, is a Christian tradition, a time of abstinence before Easter, and you might wonder why a pagan is mentioning it. Well, I am happy to honour pretty much anyone's god if it means a party. I am also partial to pancakes.If you look hard, you can find some links to paganism within traditional Shrove Tuesday events. Someone pointed out to me that the round, golden pancake is a solar symbol and may once have been made in honour of Apollo, the sun god. Mardi Gras and Carnival may hark back to Roman Saturnalia, which was also a time for dressing up and putting on disguises.In England, the Alnwick Shrovetide football match, at Alnwick in Northumberland, possibly dates back to pre-Christian times. It is played between the residents of the two parishes of Alnwick in the pastures below Alnwick Castle. Hundreds of people take part in this free-for-all scrum with few rules except to get the ball away from the opposing side. Gory legend has it that in ancient times this was played using a human head for a ball.Here are links for more information on Shrove Tuesday traditions:www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/curious/calendar.htmwww.cardfountain.com/holiday info/carnival.phpHere is a basic pancake recipe: www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/basilpancakswithsuga 66226.shtmlThe pancake picture was supplied by: www.freefoto.com/
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