 |
|
| Since May 27, 2008 You are Visitor Number |
| Print a flyer Pagan Pride Day Autumn Equinox (Mabon) The public is invited to the Broward County, Florida, Eleventh Annual Pagan Pride Day Celebration Family Picnic/FOOD DRIVE, on September 19, 2009, noon to dark, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ft. Lauderdale, 3970 NW 21st Avenue (between Commercial and Oakland Park), Ft. Lauderdale, Fl 33309, 954-484-6734. The event is open to the public, and the admission is non-perishable food items and clothing, to be donated to the Cooperative Feeding Program of Broward County. There will be Workshops on pagan subjects, vendors, and Drumming. Families are welcome. Participants are encouraged to bring drums and percussion instruments for the drumming circle. 12noon opening 12:30pm Labyrinth - Sophia 1pm 'Story Telling' - Pee Wee Pagans 2pm 'Drum Circle' - Drummers 3pm 'Witch's Mark' - Pagan Band outside on patio 5pm 'Raffle Drawing' 5:30pm 'Autumn Equinox Ritual' Rockin With The Old Gods Witch's Mark - a Wiccan/Pagan religious band - will perform their special brand of music Note: The celebration's primary focus is the 5:30 PM Autumnal (Autumn) Equinox Sun Celebration Circle. Anyone wishing to stay and participate is welcome. Walking the Labyrinth is an outside activity. Activities in Air Conditioned Facilities: Fun and Games for kids of all ages - Face Painting - Story Tellers Vendors (Ceramics, Drums, Henna Artist, Food, Jewlry, Massage Therapist, Psychic, Reiki Healing, Rune Reading, Sarongs, Soaps, Tarot Reading, T-Shirts, and various merchandise.) Pagan Education - Networking with other Pagans Drumming (bring your drums/musical instruments) Picnic (bring your own food and drinks) Food Drive (non perishable food/clothing donated to the Cooperative Feeding Program ) The Autumn Equinox is the official first day of Fall and occurs when the sun crosses the equator on it's apparent journey southward. As day and night are of equal length on the Equinox, it is a time of equilibrium, moving toward the dark half of the year. We experience a day and a night that are of equal duration; a time of thanksgiving in many Pagan traditions. This year the Fall Equinox is September 22, 2009, 21:18 UT, when the Sun is directly over the Earth's equator and enters zero degrees Libra. The full moon in the month of September is called the Harvest Moon, and farmers would harvest their crops by this moonlight as part of the Second Harvest celebration. This year the Harvest Moon is 16 03 UT September 04, 2009. This is the second of three pagan harvest festivals. The other two being August 1st (MidSummer) and November 1st (MidAutumn). The food drive held in conjunction with this festival is a way to give thanks for the food abundance of the year, and share that abundance with others. Food and clothing donations for the Cooperative Feeding Program will be taken during the event. The Autumn Equinox Sun Celebration ceremony will be a simple expression of thanks combined with wishes for continued abundance, and blessing the results of the food drive before it is given away. Modern Paganism, or Neo-Paganism, is a growing religious movement based on combinations of ancient polytheism, modern eco-spirituality, and reverence for the Divine as both masculine and feminine. Some of the more common traditions include Wicca or Neo-Pagan Witchcraft, Heathen, Asatru, Strega, Druidic spiritual paths, Goddess-Worshippers, and other earth-centered religions. Practitioners are found in all walks of life from professionals to homemakers, and simply enjoy celebrating a religion that emphasizes respect for nature, humanity, and oneself. The International Pagan Pride Project was started in 1998 and is an organization focused on educating the public about Earth-based spiritualities in order to allay misconceptions and promote religious freedom. The Ft Lauderdale celebration started in 1999 and is sponsored by The Moon Path Chapter of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS), on behalf of all Pagan-pathed individuals in the South Florida area. The Pagan Pride Project started with 17 events in the United States and one in Canada. It has grown to over 100 events in the United States, Canada, Europe, and South America. For more information about the event or about Pagan religions: Moon Path Chapter of CUUPS http://MoonPathCUUPS.org Questions? Contact [email protected] Ft Lauderdale Pagan Pride Day http://www.geocities.com/moonpathcuups/PaganPrideDay.html International Pagan Pride Project http://www.paganpride.org Questions? Contact [email protected] 317-536-3145 The ancient Egyptians had both a lunar calendar and a seasonal 'solar' 365 day calendar, which was divided into three seasons of four months each. Each solar month consisted of 30 days (3 weeks of 10 days per week). At the end of the solar year, five additional 'spiritual' days were added to the solar calendar for the birth of the Goddesses/Gods. An extra day would be added as needed. The heliacal rise of Sirius just before dawn was an extremely important event for the Ancient Egyptians. The first visibility of the star Sirius on the morning sky, called heliacal rising, fell close to the Inundation of the Nile and was the beginning of the Ancient Egyptian solar year. 3,000 years ago the heliacal rising was in early July, currently it is around August 1st. The first new moon after the heliacal rising was the begining of the lunar year. Each lunar month was named after an Ancient Egyptian Goddess, God, or major festival. In a year with 13 new moons, the 13th lunar month was added to the end of the year. The Ancient Egyptian first lunar month from August 20, 2009 to September 17, 2009 is Tekhy/Djehuty/Thoth(Thuthy). Sacred to Thoth/Tekhi/Tehuti, the ibis-headed moon God of truth, writing, and figuring things. Day one is the Feast of Thoth, Opet: The marriage of Ammon-Re to his wife Ammonet. The Birth of Aten is day three. Holy to Sekhmet (The destructive form of Hathor.) The Mysteries of Osiris Festival and the Feast of Lights of Hathor are held this month. There is evidence that indicates that this Festival is the true "Festival of Intoxication." The possible mistaken belief that it honors Thoth not Hathor/Sekhmet stems from the fact that the feast falls in the month of Thoth. Strong evidence points to the myth recounting the destruction of mankind as the basis for this festival. According to this story, in order to end Hathor�s bloody rampage, Re tricked her into drinking beer laced with mandrake and red ocher. He flooded Egypt with this drugged beer. Hathor/Sekhmet, thinking it was blood, consumed so much of it that she became drunk and passed out, and she lost interest in destroying humanity. The yearly Innundation by the Nile, with its rich, red silt, is the earthly re-enactment of this flood of beer. This feast of intoxication is the ancient Egyptian's "October fest." The Ancient Egyptian second lunar month from September 18, 2009 to October 17, 2009 is Menhet/pA-n-IpAt/Phaophi(Paopy). Sacred to Ptah/Menkhet, the sun God and universal architect God who commanded all the Gods into existence, patron of masons; consort of Sekhmet and father of Nefertem. Day one is the Holy day of Re. Great feast of all gods and goddesses is on day six. Procession of Bast and the birth of Nut is day ten. The name of the ancient Egyptian first solar month from August 1 to August 30 is Akhet I when there would be Inundation. The name of the ancient Egyptian second solar month from August 30 to September 29 is Akhet II when there would be Inundation. The ancient Hellenic lunar months would start on the new moon and a new day would start at sunset. The new year would start on the new moon before the Autumn Equinox. Except for Athens which used the new moon following the summer solstice. I use the Autumn Equinox and the lunar month of Boedromion for my calculations for the new year. In a year with 13 new moons, the 13th lunar month (Poseideon II) was inserted between the 4th (Poseideon) and 5th (Gamelion) lunar months around December/January. A different Goddess/God was honored for the full moon of the month. The ancient Hellenic twelfth lunar month from August 20, 2009 to September 17, 2009 is Metageitnion and the full moon is dedicated to Dimitra (Demeter) Goddess of fertility, earth and grain. The Metageitnia festival is celebrated on the 7th day, and it is a small festival in honour of Apollo in His capacity as bringer of harmony. It is a celebration of good relations with neighbours. From the 15th day to the 18th day is Eleusinia, a festival of games celebrated at Eleusis (not the celebration of the Eleusinian Mysteries). This was held on the 4th year of every Olympiad, and on a lesser scale on the 2nd year. The festival included a religious procession and sacrifices, as well as the games. The winner's prize was a quantity of grain. There is a 'Sacrifice to Kourotrophos, Hecate & Artemis' at Erchia on the 16th day. On the 19thday is the 'Sacrifice to The Heroines at Attic deme of Erchia'. The 'Sacrifice to Hera Thelchina (Thelkhinia) at Erchia' is on the 20th day. On the 25th day is the 'Sacrifice to Zeus Epoptes at Erchia' The festival of in honor of Herakleia at Kynosarges was also held sometime during this month. The Ancient Hellenic first lunar month, and start of the new year, from September 18, 2009 to October 17, 2009 is Boedromion and the full moon is dedicated to Hestia (Vesta), the Goddess of the hearth. The Boedromia Festival was held on the 7th in honor of Apollo. Other Festivals were: Day 2 was the Niketeria festival in honor of Nike; Day 4 there was a 'sacrifice by the Attikos deme Erkhia to Basile' in honor of Basile in Erchia. The sacrifice was without wine and may have been connected with the festival of Genesia on day 5 in honor of the dead; Day 6 in honor of the birthday of Artemis Agrotera was the Kharisteria; Demokratia, a festival in honour of democracy, established after the restoration of democracy in Athenai in 403 BCE following the rule of the Thirty Tyrants probably took place on the 12th day; preparatory for the Great Mysteries of Eleusis were the 13th and 14th and the Great Mysteries of Eleusis were from the 15th to the 21st; On the 17th or 18th was the Epidauria, a festival in honour of Asklepios(Asclepius); On the 27th day was the 'Sacrifice to Athene at Atic deme of Teithras' and also a 'Sacrifice to the Nymphs, Achelous, Alochus, Hermes & Gaia at Erchia'. The Roman calendar was originally lunar. The first days was the kalends (from which the modern word calendar is derived), the first quarter was the nones, and the full moon was the ides. A crown of flowers was hung over the hearth, and sacrifices were made to the Lares, or household gods on the kalends, nones, ides, and all feast days. The waning moon was the unlucky part of the month and had no name. The days were numbered backward from the first of the next month. The ancient Roman solar calendar consisted of 10 months in a year of 304 days. The Romans seem to have ignored the remaining 61 days, which fell in the middle of winter, the unmarked "Terror Time". The 10 months were named Martius, Aprilis, Maius, Junius, Quintilis, Sextilis, September, October, November, and December. September is the seventh month of the ancient Roman solar calendar. The name of the month of September is derived from the Latin word for seven, septem. It was temporarily renamed Germanicus in honor of the Emperor Domitian's victories over marauding German tribes. The original name of September was reinstated after Domitian fell from favor. Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome circa 700 BC, added the two months Januarius "January" and Februarius "February". This made the Roman year 355 days long. He also moved the beginning of the year from Marius to Januarius. Autumn (or Autumnal) Equinox observences, fesitvals, and/or celebrations in September are: Alban Elfed (Caledonii, or Druidic - celebrating the Lord of the Mysteries), Mabon, the Fall Equinox, the Second Harvest Festival, Festival of Dionysus, Wine Harvest, Cornucopia, Feast of Avalon, and Equinozio di Autunno (Strega). The Teutonic name for this period is Winter Finding, which spans from the Equinox itself until Winter Night, on October 15. Winter Night is the Norse New Year. Ancient Native Americans built stone structures which marked the sun rise/set of the Autumn Equinox. Goddesses and Gods associated with this Celebration include all Wine Deities - particularly Dionysus and Bacchus, and Aging Deities. Emphasis might also be placed on the Goddess in Her aspect of the Mother (Demeter is a good example), Persephone (Queen of the Underworld and daughter of Demeter), and Thor (Lord of Thunder in Norse mythology). Some other Autumn Equinox Goddesses include Modron, Morgan, Snake Woman, Epona, Pamona, and the Muses. Some other appropriate Gods are Mabon, Thoth, Hermes, and Hotei. Some traditions of Wicca named this Autum Equinox Sun Celebration for the Welsh God Mabon (MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon or MAH-bawn), son of Modron (�Son, son of Mother�), also known as Maponus in Britain and Gaul. Mabon symbolized the male fertilizing principle in the Welsh myths. Some mythologists equate him as the male counterpart for the Greek Goddess Persephone. The story of his imprisonment and release is told in the tale Kulwch and Olwen (found in The Mabinogion). With the coming of the Romans, Mabon became associated with Apollo (as Maponus/Apollo) and acquired his attributes of God of the Sun, Music, and Hunting. At this point in the Wheel of the Year, two appropriate mythological legends are that of Mabon and Modron, and the story of Demeter, Persephone and Hades. According to one Greek myth, Autumn begins when Persephone returns to the Underworld to live with her husband, Hades. Modron, Mabon's mother, is like Demeter, the Great Goddess, Guardian of the Otherworld, Protector, and Healer. She is Earth itself. The Year is divided into Quarters by the Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, and the Fall Equinox. Halfway beteen the Solstice and and Equinox is the Cross Quarter. These Quarters and Cross Quarters are called the Wheel of the Year of the Sun. The Fall Equinox is one of the 4 Quarter Sun Celebrations in the Wheel of the Year. It is halfway between 2 Cross Quarter Sun Celebrations, August 1st (MidSummer) and November 1st (MidAutumn). Exactly opposite the Spring Equinox on the wheel of the year. The eight Sun Celebrations in the Wheel of the Year are: Wiccan name: Druid Name Samhain November 1 (Cross Quarter) Yule December 20-22 (Winter Solstice) Alban Arthan Imbolc Feburary 2 (Cross Quarter) Ostara March 20-22 (Spring Equinox) Alban Eiler Beltaine May 2 (Cross Quarter) Litha June 20-22 (Summer Solstice) Alban Hefin Lammas August 1 (Cross Quarter) Mabon September 20-22 (Autumn Equinox) Alban Elfed Sophialinus The Drum Lioness http://MoonPathCUUPS.org [email protected] [email protected] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MoonPathCUUPS/ |
| Last updated 09/26/2008 |