Myths and Legends of the World

Many Wiccans and Pagans celebrate Beltane.  It is one of eight solar Sabbats.  This holiday incorporates traditions from the Gaelic Bealtaine, such as the bonfire, but it bears more relation to the Germanic May Day festival, both in its significance (focusing on fertility) and its rituals (such as May pole dancing).  Some traditions celebrate this holiday on May 1 or May Day, whiles others begin their celebration the eve before or April 30th. Beltane has long been celebrated with feasts and rituals. The name means fire of Bel; Belenus being one name for the Sun God, whose coronation feast we now celebrate. As summer begins, weather becomes warmer, and the green earth blossoms, an exuberant mood prevails. In old Celtic traditions it was a time of unabashed sexuality and promiscuity where marriages of a year and a day could be undertaken but it is rarely observed in that manner in modern times (mostly). In the old Celtic times, young people would spend the entire nig...

Easter, the principal festival of the Christian church year, celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion. The origins of Easter date to the beginnings of Christianity, and it is probably the oldest Christian observance after the Sabbath (observed on Saturday). Later, the Sabbath subsequently came to be regarded as the weekly celebration of the Resurrection. Meanwhile, many of the cultural historians find, in the celebration of Easter, a convergence of the three traditions - Pagan, Hebrew and Christian. The origins of the word "Easter" are not certain. The name "Easter" originated with the names of an ancient Goddess and God. The Venerable Bede, (672-735 CE), a Christian scholar, first asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Similarly, the "Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility [was] known vario...

The dark skinned Egyptian god called "Min" is one of the most handsomest Egyptian Gods. He could wear anything and he would get away with it. Despite his cocky mood ( I know bad joke) he is actually a really nice guy in general. He helps men and Gods with their fertility problems. Isis, the Goddess of fertility, tried to solve fertility problems for women. These two gods aren't together as a couple but they are good friends. Min has helped a few of the gods with their problems, including Seth. He is quite confident when it comes to appearance and isn't afraid to walk out in, well, pants frankly. His story:

Although the ancient Roman holiday of Floralia began in April, the Roman month of the love goddess Venus, it was really an ancient May Day celebration. The holiday for Flora (as officially determined by Julius Caesar when he fixed the Roman calendar) ran from April 28 to May 3. Flora is the Roman goddess of flowers, gardens and spring. Flora embodies the beauty and riotous abundance of nature. She is associated not only with the flowering plants but also with the bloom of youth and its pleasures. Symbolically, this flowering pertains to the human spirit too, one that can appreciate beauty in the body without necessarily making it into a sex object. Romans celebrated Floralia with the set of games and theatrical presentations known as the Ludi Florales.  Roman public games (ludi) were financed by minor public magistrates known as aediles. The curule aediles produced the Ludi Florales. The ludi could be very expensive for the aediles, which used the games as a socially ac...

Spring is coming and to remind you of the spring are:

Thank the gods that the Imbolc has arrived, Spring is on the way and the Goddess Brigid can comfort us and heat us in the monster storm.  Imbolc is an ancient festival, Celtic in origin, and considered one of the greater Wiccan sabbats.  It is celebrated on the night of February 1st in the northern hemisphere.  The primary purpose of Imbolc is to celebrate Spring's impending replacement of Winter.  In this sense, Imbolc may be seen as a spiritual alternative to the secular celebration of New Year's Eve.  At New Year's Eve, we often see the image of old, bearded Father Time replaced with a young baby.  Father Time represents the old, outgoing year, and the baby celebrates the year just born.  At Imbolc, we have similar imagery; an old crone represents the outgoing year, and turns things over to a young maiden.  Fertility, of course, plays a part here.  The frozen earth is incapable of growing things, just as the old crone has grown incapa...