Category: Regular Holidays

Simple Explanation of How Coven Life Tries to Incorporate Northern and Southern Hemispheres Esbats, Sabbats, and the Open Chats

 

Coven Life’s Coven invites anyone who would like to attend any of our gatherings and/or open chats to join us. The dates and times along with the link for Coven Life’s Chatroom can be found under Coven Life’s Events found on the right hand side of covenlife.co Homepage. Lady Beltane has to approve your entrance into the Chatroom. She does this weekly and up to 5 minutes before a father in or open chat.

Being the Coven’s High Priestess I want our members and guests to know our coven covers the difference in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres Sabbats and Esbats. Alternating the celebration date between the Southern’s regular calendar and the Northern one, as there is a small window when both hemispheres have the same date. I use Melbourne, Victoria, Australia for time and date in the Southern Hemisphere because that is the closest time to where our wonderful Priestess Hypatia lives. I use Central Time for the Northern Hemisphere because I live in that time zone.

I believe for a coven to truly be spiritual family we need to celebrate the things we have in common as well as our differences. This will include starting in the new year, based on the Celtic, on the day after Samhain (pronounced sow-en)  November 1, 2019 in the North. This is going to seem like my math is way off but for next new year day but our year is going to be 18 months long so we can celebrate the new year using the Southern Hemisphere’s Wheel of the Year and it’s Samhain is celebrated on May 1st. So our our next new years day will be May,1,2021. We will start including regular holidays around the world not just in the United States. I have found a list of international holidays that I will post soon. Please read it over and if a major holiday from your country is missing please put it in the comment section. Thank you!

 

 

 

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is an annual holiday which occurs on June 19th and is observed in the United States. It is one of the oldest celebrations of the abolition of slavery in the world. While this holiday isn’t an official government holiday in any U.S state, it is recognized as a ceremonial observance in roughly half of the U.S states and is observed as a “partial staffing holiday” in Texas – which means that government offices do not close on this day but some employees are allowed to take the day off by using a floating holiday.

When is Juneteenth?
This year (2019) June 19 (Wednesday)
Next year (2020) June 19 (Friday)
Last year (2018) June 19 (Tuesday)

History of Juneteenth

The history of Juneteenth can be traced all the way back to June 19th of 1865. This is when the Union Army, led by Major General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and that all former slaves were now free. Although President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, slavery hadn’t ended in Texas because there weren’t enough Union soldiers in the state to enforce the new order. However, the sound defeat of General Lee in April of that year and the arrival of the Union soldiers under Granger strengthened the forces sufficiently enough to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation.

While the original reason for why Texas was over two years behind in freeing slaves is lost to the fog of time. However, there are a few stories that have been passed down through the generations to explain the delay. The first story tells of a messenger who was on his way to Texas to deliver the order of freedom when he was captured and murdered. Another possibility is that the plantations ignored the order so they could maintain their free working force.

On June 19th, 1865, Major General Granger read General Order Number 3 to the people of Texas. This order stated: “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer.” Reaction to this order by the former slaves was as varied as you could imagine. Some of the slaves stayed on under their former masters in a working capacity, while others left immediately after the order was read. Some of the headed North and others head to other parts of the South looking for family members they may have been separated. As more and more families united, they remembered fondly the day they acquired their freedom and began to celebrate it as Juneteenth. The day gained further prominence during the Civil Rights Movement.

Where is Juneteenth celebrated?

United states – All except am. samoa , az , hi , md , mp , mt , nd , nh , sd , ut , virg. is.

 

In Honor of the Women, Men, and Aminals that Served Our Country

This will be the only post for today. Please light a candle in memory of the people and animals who have died over the centuries to keep the restof of us safe.

I ask you to not only remember the brave men, women, and animals that served in the USA armed forces but also their family and friends. Remember to the men, women, animals, family, and friends of those who gave their life in the line of duty as a First Responder.

May those who remember rest peacefully in the Summerlands.

May their family and friends find comfort and support to help ease their grief.

So mote it be.

The Witches library

 

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Witch medicine is wild medicine. It does more than make one healthy, it creates lust and knowledge, ecstasy and mythological insight. In Witchcraft Medicine the authors take the reader on a journey that examines the women who mix the potions and become the healers; the legacy of Hecate; the demonization of nature’s healing powers and sensuousness; the sorceress as shaman; and the plants associated with witches and devils. They explore important seasonal festivals and the plants associated with them, such as wolf’s claw and calendula as herbs of the solstice and alder as an herb of the time of the dead–Samhain or Halloween. They also look at the history of forbidden medicine from the Inquisition to current drug laws, with an eye toward how the sacred plants of our forebears can be used once again.

Really loved this book and would recommend it anyone, from novice to long time established practitioners. Happy reading and blessings.

Tracing back the ancient origins of April Fools’ Day

On 1 st April every year, people around the world celebrate April Fools’ Day, sometimes called All Fools’ Day, a day when merriment and joviality is supposed to reign and pranks, practical jokes, and hoaxes are socially sanctioned.  The tradition of April Fools’ Day has been observed for at least five centuries, but evidence suggests it traces back nearly two millennia or more.  Despite the day being marked by many countries around the world, there is still little agreement as to its true origins.

A popular theory suggests that April Fools’ day is a remnant of early ‘renewal festivals’ which took place in many different cultures to mark the beginning of spring. The Romans, for example, had a festival named Hilaria on 25 th March, which they marked with masquerades and “general good cheer.” According to the Museum of Hoaxes , these festivities typically involved “ritualized forms of mayhem and misrule.”  Participants donned disguises, played tricks on friends as well as strangers, and inverted the social order.

To read the rest of this article please click on this link: History of April Fools Day

The Ancient Pagan Origins of Easter

Easter  Sunday is a festival and holiday celebrated by millions of people around the world who honour the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred three days after his crucifixion at Calvary. It is also the day that children excitedly wait for the Easter bunny to arrive and deliver their treats of chocolate eggs. Easter is a ‘movable feast’ which is chosen to correspond with the first Sunday following the full moon after the March equinox, and occurs on different dates around the world since western churches use the Gregorian calendar, while eastern churches use the Julian calendar. So where did this ‘movable feast’ begin, and what are the origins of the traditions and customs celebrated on this important day around the world?

To read the rest of this informative article please click on this link{ Pagan Origins of Easter