But what of those in our group, who do not share our point of view on these things - either not including Jesus in their pantheons, or not shying away from the mention of other gods, as gods, during this season? What changes in the observance? Actually, astoundingly little, outwardly. Christmas is called "solstice". The modern equivalent of the Saturnalia remains the Epiphany, whether one is Christian or not, and at a large gathering, there may be many places for those who wish to partake of one observance to gather, without disturbing those who do not. The King of the Festival will be expected to call those of his "subjects" who have special needs together, and appoint a place for them to gather, and a leader for them. But one should note, that the transition from Paganism to Christianity has left the broad outlines of this festival little altered, and as one can't very well adopt the role of a god, the difference in viewpoint will have little impact on the form of the celebration.
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There is the question of whether or not it is fitting to toast the gods, and speak of one's actions in their service at this time. If we are meeting in Christian company, probably not, as doing so would upset them, and wear out our welcome quickly. But if we are the hosts, then why not? We toast each other, without imagining ourselves to be objects of worship, so why not pay them the same respect ? In common company, though, it would be expected, at a Christo-Pagan gathering in our shrine, as a matter of courtesy, at this time, to simply refer to them as individuals, not as gods, though, perhaps, to refer to them as "blessed servants of God", or as if they were angels or spirits, would not be inappropriate.
One striking difference in the observance, between those who have adopted the point of view here, and those who have not, would be seen on Dec.17, the day of the Old Saturnalia, which would begin this season. The gods would be seen as remaining on the other side of the altar from us. Rather than give figurines to eat, the older gift of ceramic figures would be offered, including figures of the gods, to be placed by them in prominent locations throughout the place of celebration. To those who have taken the gods within them, these are thought of as being figures of the saints, to those who have not, those represented are the gods.
Both are considered to be true, but this duality is not to be dwelt on, on this day, as a matter of courtesy to those to whom our thoughts can be heard loudly, on high. Past quarrels should be lightly touched on, if at all, and we can not forget that Paganism and Judeo-Christianity have come to blows in the past. This suggests tension between the gods, and so our thoughts on this evening on religious matters are the happy, but guarded ones, of those at a family gathering, the year after a bad fight. Those adopting one point of view do not seek to "convert" those adopting the other, any more than those gathered around one brooding former combatant, should seek to lure those around the other away. Both need our sympathy and support.
On the Day of Atonement, under this scheme, the season would end, man and god alike being imagined as having made their peace with God, though, of course, we have no way of knowing when and how the gods actually do so, or if they do so at all. But it is a useful fiction, for keeping our own thoughts and priorities straight during the season, and may contain an element of truth. As we break our fast with a feast of soothing foods, in a comforting atmosphere, we welcome our gods back to their former stations in our thoughts, in a spirit of tired revelry. As much as we'll miss the season, we're just as glad that it's over, now.
But this is all an individual perspective, and others may differ. It is the process of discussion, that will put this in final form. Now that we're done with our discussion of the season of the Saturnalia festivals, let us begin to move toward those festivals and observances in which the "Pagan" character is more pronounced.
Note : this is as far as we've gotten, at this point, and we're taking a break, now. We don't plan on completing the wheel of the year, on this site, until after taking leave of this page, to take care of our reponsibilities, and await feedback, for a period of over four years, taking us well into 2004, at the very earliest. If you want to see the cycle before then - well, you know what to do. Write, drop by, and take part.
If you'd like to bookmark or link to this article for later reference, please feel free to bookmark the first link, below. The second will allow you to bypass the material you've already read, should you wish to check back later.
Given the importance of cooking as an art in our traditions, a half-hearted ritual food section would be out of the question. Look for that much later, assuming that this site generates enough interest to justify such a major expenditure of effort.
Now, let's return to the main page.