Paganism and Witchcraft
Current mood: 
productive
Category: Religion and Philosophy
Becoming a witch is not easy....I have been studying but it is rough. It makes it harder knowing that if you tell anyone what you are studying you almost know they are going to call you devil worshiper or worse.
I never really realized how many Christian traditions and holidays are based on Pagan holidays and rituals. Did you know how many of them are?
Of course Halloween is not a Christian Holiday and is actually frowned upon by many Christian faiths, but it is a national celebration, and it is the Witch's New Year. The year begins on Samhain, honored on October 31, or alternatively November 6. 
The yule is celebrated in winter, on the winter solstice, which falls between December 20 to 23. The season is traditionally 13 nights long. Traditions like decorating a wintergreen tree with fruit and flowers, burning the Yule log, and hanging wreaths are Pagan traditions. Gift giving comes from the Roman celebration of Saturnalia, a weeklong event at the end of the year honoring the god of death.
Ostara, the spring equinox, is celebrated between March 20 and 23. The name Ostara comes from Eostre, an Eastern European moon goddess. The tradition of decorating eggs comes from the ancient Egyptians and Persians who dyed them in pastel colors and gave them as gifts. The Romans gave them as prizes during spring races. 
This particular information came from a book called "The Everything Paganism Book" by Selene Silverwind, but I have others that I have studied.
There are indeed more, but this is just a bit of info that I found interesting today.