The community uses Krampus and Santa as focal points to unify the culture. Saint Nicholas brings presents to children who obey, and Krampus brings punishment. His job is to seek out children who misbehave and are disobedient. He’s a horned, anthropomorphic figure, half-goat, half-demon. Krampus is the counterpart of the Santa Claus tradition. Krampus is still a part of the Christmas tradition in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, and Slovenia. Bringing an evergreen tree into the home is a time-honored tradition of immortality. It is also believed to originate with Druids and is part of Celtic mythology. (1) The Evergreen is a Germanic symbol for immortality and prosperity. It also includes many of the traditions about the evergreen tree. Nicholas and Krampus are at the heart of the modern evolution of this holiday, although Krampus is not well known in the Americas. ![]() Christmas RitualsĬhristmas is one of the 8 pagan holidays with global reach. So, Dec 25 was when many of the dying Gods were born likewise, it is the Roman festival of Saturn, Saturnalia. Yule is the Winter Solstice, marking the day with the least sunshine. It’s the 4th Quarter day which becomes the Christian holiday Christmas. Christmas Day - Yule the Winter Solsticeĭec 25 is Yule is Norse, for the wheel is close to the Winter Solstice. We’ll start with the most popular celebration and work around the calendar. You’ll find this symbol on ancient timekeeping systems and even early maps. The symbol for this event is the cross and circle. ![]() These celestial events occur each year on Sept 22 and Mar 20. These unique alignments occur when the Sun crosses the celestial equator, and the day and night are approximately equal. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun’s highest arc occurs around June 20-21, and the Sun is at its lowest around December 21-22. ![]() Solstices are where the Sun rises to its highest and lowest points. Walpurgis Night - Beltane (Apr 30, May 1)ĥ) John the Baptist Day - Litha (June 20-22)Ĩ) All Hallows Eve (Halloween) - Samhain (Oct 31) These 8 points move year-to-year depending on the actual celestial alignment of the Sun:Ĥ) St. It contains the two Solstices and Equinox and the midpoints between them. It is based on the annual movement of the Sun as it crosses the sky. The Wheel of the year is a practical way of measuring the days of the year. Ancient cultures divided the year into eight festivals. Many traditional holidays are benchmarks that correlate with the seasons and celestial alignments. Find out what you are celebrating when you take part in these festivals. There are eight Christian holidays with pagan origins.
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