Wiccan annual cycle
The Wicca cycle of the year , also known as the wheel of the year, describes the system of eight seasonal feast days used in the Wicca religion, which symbolizes the cycle of growth and decay in nature. It has great similarities with the Celtic annual cycle , with which there has been a long mutual influence. It is a modern combination of the four Celtic celebrations with the worship of the solstices and equinoxes, which neo-pagans suspect to be of prehistoric or Germanic origin, which, with the exception of the winter solstice (Jul), can hardly be historically proven. The names for two of the festival days (Litha and Mabon), as well as almost all rituals, are modern creations.
The Wicca annual cycle and the eight witch festivals
The Wicca annual circle is an allegory that describes the change of the seasons or the course of the year within the year and is symbolized by an eight-spoke wagon wheel (eng. "Wheel of the year"). This system of eight festivals (four Celtic high or fire festivals and four solar festivals) is unknown in this form to the older pagan calendars and is a new combination of different older traditions through the Wicca religion.
The symbol of the wheel of the year (with four high feasts: Samhain, Lugnasad, Imbolc and Beltane) is probably actually of island Celtic origin. Even older roots with the Stone Age and Bronze Age builders of the circular moats and stone circles are, however, very controversial among historians, as is the archaeoastronomical and calendar interpretation of these buildings. It is not clear whether the sun symbol of the wheel cross from the Nordic Bronze Age has something to do with the four solar festivals.
According to the Edda, the northern Germans only knew three major annual festivals, one in spring, one in autumn (winter night or winter finding) and midwinter (Jul, with a questionable relationship to the winter solstice), while the summer solstice celebrations so popular in Scandinavia today are probably of Roman-Christian origin ( St. John's Fire). Neither the Celts nor the Teutons have historical evidence of a ritual significance or celebration of the equinoxes, at most celebrations that refer to them (such as St. Michael’s Day and Gertraud’s Day ). Christianity has incorporated elements of pagan origin into its festivals. For example the Christmas tree, which was not only used in pagan religions for the winter solstice, but also functioned as a maypole, which was wrapped with colored threads in the colors of life and fertility red, green and gold / yellow. Furthermore, folk customs that have been added to the customs of Christian holidays are also of pagan origin. The eggs and rabbits that are hidden at Easter are symbols of fertility and have no Christian origin.
In Wicca or in the neo-pagan religions influenced by it, natural processes are viewed as cyclical. The passage of time within a year, but also the development of humans from birth to death, are therefore also viewed as cyclical. These cycles are also associated with the death and rebirth of the god and the fertility of the goddess.
The eight main holidays , called Sabbaths , are based on the course of the year (which are partly calculated according to fixed dates, partly according to natural or astrological events). The festivals are usually celebrated on a grand scale like a "party", if necessary by several covens together, if there is enough space for it. Following the Celtic tradition, the annual cycle begins with Samhain, which is interpreted as the beginning of the Celtic New Year.
In addition to the eight Sabbath festivals, there are the 13 Esbats , which are held in honor of the goddess during a full moon (sometimes also a black moon ). They are magical working days.
Light / fire festivals, moon festivals or high sabbaths
The four feasts of fire are considered the "higher" feast days and are therefore also referred to as the High Sabbaths. They lie in the middle between two solar festivals and are therefore also referred to as cross-quarter days. There are different procedures for determining the exact dates of the three-quarter days, depending on the tradition. Traditionally, the dates that correspond to the calendars are used, in other traditions these are also celebrated according to the calendar exactly between the solar festivals:
Sun festivals or Little Sabbaths
The four solar festivals, which are determined according to the astronomical constellations of the position of the sun, are also known as Little Sabbaths and are:
- Litha , summer solstice
- Jul , winter solstice
- Ostara, the spring equinox
- Mabon , autumn equinox
Hemispheres
The Wicca typical annual wheel has its origin in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, therefore, the individual festivals are usually celebrated in reverse order, corresponding to the reversed seasons, ie Jul in June for the winter solstice there and Litha in December for the summer solstice there. Some Wiccans in the southern hemisphere keep the holiday dates of the northern hemisphere.
Development of the Wicca annual cycle
In Gerald Gardner's Bricket Wood Coven , only the four Celtic solemn festivals with the original names Halloween (Samhain), Candlemas (Imbolc), Beltane and Lammas (Lugnasad) were originally celebrated, with Beltane being the most important festival. Around 1958 the coven also began to celebrate the four solar festivals, which were more of a Germanic context. This was expressly welcomed by Gerald Gardner, who was friends with Ross Nichols (the founder of the Ancient Druid Order to found the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids ( OBOD )), since the solstices were also celebrated in Celtic neo-paganism (in contrast to the historical Celts who celebrated neither the solstices nor the equinoxes). In many neo-druid-oriented neo-pagan religions, the four Wicca solemn festivals were included in return, and the same eight festivals were celebrated in both religions.
etymology
While most of the names of these festivals come from historical Celtic and Germanic names, the names Mabon and Litha are new creations of the Wicca author Aidan Kelly , who coined these names in the 1970s. The alternative names of the Albane (e.g. Alban Eiler for Ostara and Alban Arthan for Jul) go back to the Welsh author Iolo Morganwg (= Edward Williams), whose alleged rediscovery of old Druidic traditions is now mostly regarded as an invention. The word Sabbath comes from the Judeo-Christian context, where it means rest. Murray suggested different derivations , for example from the French word "s'battre" (= to celebrate wildly), or after Gerald Gardner (probably based on Jules Michelet's work La Sorcière from 1862) from the Phrygian deity Sabazius , who in antiquity with the Greek god Dionysus was equated.
Festivals
Overview
| Firmly | date | Sun in the sign |
|---|---|---|
| Samhain | Night on November 1st | ≈ 15 ° ♏ |
| Jul | December 21-23 ( winter solstice ) | 0 ° ♑ |
| Imbolc | 1st (less often 2nd) February | ≈ 15 ° ♒ |
| Ostara | March 20-23 ( spring equinox ) | 0 ° ♈ |
| Beltane | Night on May 1st | ≈ 15 ° ♉ |
| Litha | June 21 ( summer solstice ) | 0 ° ♋ |
| Lughnasadh | 1st (rarely 2nd) August | ≈ 15 ° ♌ |
| Mabon | September 21 - 24 ( autumn equinox ) | 0 ° ♎ |
Samhain
Samhain (pronounced: "Sa-un" or "Sow-in") ( Irish Halloween , Christian All Saints' Day ) is celebrated on October 31 and November 1. It was originally the Celtic New Year and is still the first day of the Witch Year today. On this day ritual objects are often consecrated and new witches are initiated. Since the gates to the Otherworld were to be open that night , protective fires were kindled to banish the spirits. During this night it should also be possible to communicate with the souls of the deceased. Therefore, Samhain is also considered the day of the witches' death and is the festival of shadows in Stregheria. Irish immigrants brought these traditions to America, where it is still celebrated today on October 31st as Halloween. In the witch's belief, the horned god dies on this day, but the goddess already bears his semen.
Jul
July ( midwinter , the winter solstice ., Feill Fionnain in Pecti-Wita, Alban Arthan in Caledonii-Wicca, christl Christmas ) will be celebrated from 20 to 25 December - mostly on 21 December, in the longest night of the year. With the winter solstice the rebirth of the sacrificed god of the year or the death of the holly king (god of the declining year) and his replacement by the oak king (god of the increasing year) is celebrated. Traditionally, numerous fires and candles are lit that night to conjure the return of light. The celebrations are often scheduled just before sunrise, so the rising of the sun seems like a response to the ritual efforts. The process is also intended as a reminder that every death is followed by rebirth. Many Christian traditions originate from this festival (mistletoe, decoration of a tree with candles as a symbol of the return of the god of light).
Imbolc
Imbolc (pronounced "Imbolk") ( Brigid , Brigantia ., Day of Birgit, Lupercalia, Panfest, Oimelc, feast of torches, Candelaria in Mexico, Kathol Candlemas ) is celebrated on 1 and 2 February. It is a festival of purification and light and is dedicated to the goddess Brigid (also Bride, Brigitte, Bridget). The goddess is a virgin at this time in the annual cycle. In ancient Rome the day in honor of the goddess Februarya was celebrated with torch parades and candles as a sign of purification and atonement. Some Wiccans put a crown on themselves with lit candles. Since the day symbolizes the forces of the sun and fire, and thus light and inspiration, it is often used for initiation rituals. In the Catholic faith, the day was adopted as Candlemas - the day on which the candles are consecrated.
Ostara
Ostara ( spring equinox , Alban Eiler in Caledonii-Wicca, Christian-Germ. Easter ) is celebrated from March 20th to 23rd. The spring festival symbolizes the time of a new beginning. The spring cleaning and the spring diet (to cleanse and purify the body), as well as the tradition of painting Easter eggs, which is still known today, are related to it. In the Wicca religion, the same length of night and day means that light now overtakes darkness and the goddess awakens and brings fertility over the earth.
With the Germanic peoples , this day was possibly dedicated to a goddess (Ostara, Eostre or Austro) - Easter moon is an old German term for the Gregorian April. The festival of the corresponding goddess was therefore probably connected to the Germanic high festival in the Easter month (April), which is why the Germanic Ostara festival can be regarded as a recent adoption from the Wicca calendar into Germanic customs. It is also controversial whether the name Ostara developed by Jacob Grimm is authentic for a historical Germanic goddess.
Beltane
Beltane (pronounced: "Bell-tain") (Bealtinne in Caledonii-Wicca, Walpurgis Night / Walburga in Wiccatru, Tana in Stregheria, Rudemas in Mexico), one of the most important festivals, is celebrated on the night of April 30th to May 1st . Beltane fires (May Fire) are lit to celebrate the fertility of the goddess and her union with the horned. The connection between the beginning of May and fertility is not only known from the Wicca cult: the traditional German maypole is also interpreted as a phallic symbol. Sexuality was seen as something natural at this festival. In the course of proselytizing in the Middle Ages, this was turned into the Walpurgis Night, in which the witches supposedly gathered on the Blocksberg, held their witches' Sabbath and courted the devil.
Litha
Litha (pronounced: "Litta") ( Midsummer Festival or Midsummer Night in Wiccatru, summer solstice , Feill Sheathain in Pecti-Wita, Alban Hefin in Caledonii-Wicca, Christian St. John's Day) is celebrated between June 20 and 26, because on June 21 June the sun is at its highest point and this night is the shortest of the year. It is danced around bonfires or jumped over fire to promote fertility, purification, health and love. Christianity knows June 24th as St. John's Day or St. John's Festival.
Lughnasadh
Lughnasadh (pronounced: "Luu-na-ssah") (Lammas, Lúnasa, Conucopia in Stregheria, Thingtide in Wiccatru, festival of the god of light, festival of bread, reapers festival, herb consecration, festival of water) is celebrated on August 1st and 2nd . Originally it was not celebrated on exactly this date, but when it was first ripe, i.e. the first harvest. It is the festival of abundance and abundance, when the gods are thanked with offerings for nature in bloom and the ripe grain and they are asked for a rich harvest. In addition to Beltane, this festival was also used to consecrate human bonds. The name Lughnasadh refers to the Celtic god of light Lugh , who belongs to the mythological family of Túatha Dé Danann . The alternative name Lammas is of Anglo-Saxon-Christian origin and is therefore less common in Wiccatum today.
Mabon
Mabon (pronounced: "Mäi-bon") ( autumn equinox , harvest festival , Alban Elued or Alban Elfed in Caledonii-Wicca, Winterfinding in Wiccatru) is celebrated from September 20th to 23rd. They celebrate the completion of the harvest that Lughnasadh initiated. The name Mabon for this festival is of modern origin, but is based on the Welsh legendary figure Mabon fab Modron or on the Celtic deity Maponos .
Mabon is the second main harvest festival. It starts at sunset on the day the sun enters the Libra zodiac sign . The focal point of the festival is a lavish meal with which one thanks for the rich harvest. As a token of gratitude, three fruits are thrown over the shoulder in honor of the Corn Mother. During the grain harvest, the last sheaf remains tied together or is not cut at all. The festival also stands for the solemn farewell to summer and serves as an internal preparation for winter. On this day we pause and reflect on what has happened in the past year in order to prepare for the coming year. A Mabon meal primarily includes game, red wines, melons, cakes and everything that can be made from apples.
swell
- ↑ Reena Perschke: Oak King and Holly King: The Origin of a "Celtic" Myth in the 20th Century. In: Harm-Peer Zimmermann (Ed.): Lust am Mythos. Cultural studies new additions to a popular phenomenon . Zurich writings on narrative research and narratology (ZSEN), No. 1 . Jonas-Verlag, Marburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-89445-505-7 , pp. 288-297 .
- ^ Ostara - a Germanic goddess?
See also
literature
- Vivianne Crowley: Wicca - The old religion in the new age , Edition Ananael 2004 (2nd edition), ISBN 3-901134-04-2
- Janet Farrar & Gavin Bone: Progressive Witchcraft: New Ideas for the Witch Cult , Arun 2005, ISBN 3-935581-86-6
- Janet Farrar & Stewart Farrar: Eight Sabbaths for Witches, and Rites for Birth, Marriage, and Death , ISBN 3-890-94274-1
- Joyce Higginbotham & River Higginbotham: Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions , ISBN 0-738-70222-6
- Rensing, Britta: The Wicca Religion: Theology, Rituals, Ethics , Tectum 2007, ISBN 978-3-8288-9486-0 ( PDF of the underlying dissertation)
- Doreen Valiente: Witchcraft For Tomorrow , ISBN 0-919-34583-2
Web links
- Annual cycle in Wicca
- The Wheel of the Year ( Memento from March 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive )