Holidays for Pagan and Wiccan Practitioners - By: Jamie Hanson

Wicca is a nature and magic based religion that is taken from the Pagan practices of ancient times . Wicca copies other society beliefs with its personal traditions, periodic "holidays" and belief system. In Pagans and Wicca, there are several days observed as "holidays" or seasonal rites. Full moons (and occasionally new moons) bring about the ritual Esbat. There are as well 8 Sabbats- 4 of which, the cross-quarter days, are larger than the others and link back to historical fire festivals. These are named Samhain, Beltane, Lammas and Imbolc. The other, lesser known celebrations are the summer and winter solstices along with spring and autumn equinoxes.

Pagans carry out "rituals" at important sabbats, esbats, or occasionally for some other reasons for instance handfastings (pagan weddings), wiccanings (pagan baptising! ), or other exclusive occasions. Ritual often just involves casting a circle, calling upon the deity, calling upon the 4 elements, and performing the ritual itself (like saying thanks to the diety for the harvesting, etc). The rituals and the way to perform these rituals differ which greatly depend on the denomination and each pagan.

May is the time of a Pagan holiday called "Beltane" that is still celebrated widely today. Beltane is the Pagan festival that officially makes the beginning of the warmer months. As per mythological stories, on this day, the Wiccan God and Goddess got married or maybe conceived a child. The festivities that occur are called the Beltane Fire Festival, and this takes place every year on April thirty. Everyone can celebrate Beltane, and one who has long since lost its religious connotations for many people

Samhain is celebrated during Hallowe'en. Halloween is an annual holiday observed on October 31. Its roots is considered to be at Samhain as well as the All Saint's Day being observed by Christians. On this day, people tell scary stories, visiting haunted and isolated sights, watch horror pictures, go for ghost tours and tricks, wearing Halloween costumes, carving scary lanterns and many other horror activities.

The Samhain festival is a party being carried out by the end of harvesting season in the Gaelic culture. This was also referred to as the Celtic New Year. The historical Celtic pagans used such time to slaughter animals and get stock of supplies to be allotted for winter stores.During those days, people thought that on October 31st, the dead people were major threat to people living since they developed illness and damaged the crops . The festival parties involve a contemporary retelling of the classic light against dark tale, this time relating to summer time battling it with winter season.

This fire festival is attended by thousands and fantastic, highly unusual ways in which to enjoy Hallowe'en - perfect for those, who prefer not to attend parties or dress up themselves and wish to take in something new .

The spring time is a time for new beginning and growth. And so, probably the most beneficial Love Spells cast are those that provide focus to growing a seed that may grow, rather than rekindling a love or trying to firm up an old love that currently prevails.They conduct the festival that included bonfires where the bones from the slaughtered livestock were thrown into. People who celebrated this festival wore horror masks and evil costumes to pacify evil spirits.

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