people who practise "Stregheria" as it is so popularly called come
from Italian families, but that is not necessary. And also, not all
of the deities in the Stregan Tradition are the same, due to local
influences upon the families or cultural backgrounds. My family comes
from Etruscan stock, in NW Italy/Etruria. The Etruscans predate the
Grecco-Roman Empire, and their gods and traditions were taken up by
the following peoples that lived in their regions. Not much is still
known about the Etruscans except what is left of funerary statues and
older history texts left by the Roman invaders who conquered them,
and the histories passed down by families. The latter is what
affects me and my family.
In my Stregan FamTrad, the Lord is Tanus and the Lady is Tana. They
are the loving duality of Star God and Star Goddess.Lupercus,the Wolf
God, is their son, making it a triad of power during the calendar
year. During some point in the year,each one is born or returns,they
die, and then are reborn or return in some fashion. This is the same
in all traditions of witchcraft, as we all know.
The Tregundas or Holidays that reflect the pagan sabbats, are : (now
each tregunda will have several names depending on your own
traditions, but I will list all that I know)
Shadow Fest/ Calenda/ Ognassanti/ La Festa Dell' Ombra:
This marks the beginning and ending of our year. On November Eve, we
note the time when our Lady descends into the Underworld seeking to
understand the Mystery of Death. She meets Dis, the Lord of the
Underworld, husband of Umbrea.But it is actually Tanus in disguise,
and Dis lets his friend do this.She is angry with him , as he has
taken away those things that she loved. He tells her it is not he who
did this, but age and fate which robs her of these things. he tries
to make the time until they are reborn more pleasant. Eventually, he
wins her heart, and they come together in Holy Union, and share their
mysteries with each other. Tanus then reveals himself to her, not as
Dis, but as her consort and soulmate. For me this is the time, like
all do, to remember my ancestors. It is a time to use crystalballs
and scrying mirrors. In my house we always set an extra place
for "spirits" to visit and always leave some milk and honey or creme
for th faeries. The colours are black( to ward off negativity) and
orange ( the glow or candle flames).
Saturnalia/ La Festa dell' Inverno/ Solstizio d'Inverno:
We celebrate the rebirth of the Sun God Lupercus, the child of the
Holy Union of Shadow Fest. This is the longes night of the year and
the first holiday of the year.My family incorporates the traditional
yule log, that is decorated with bayberry leaves, to ensure happiness
and wealth for the year to come. Red and green are the traditional
colours, or pagan descent.
The Festival of Lupercus/ Candelora:
The Grigori have set "twelve labours" before the young Wolf God tha
the must master to proves his worth as the new Sun God. Lupercus
proves his worth by completing the tasks. This is the time when we
can see that Spring is coming, if even slowly. We see some signs of
greenery, we feel the Sun more strongly, Nature's growth is waking
from the Winter. All the plants and trees and creatures are preparing
to come "alive" once again within the cycle of Nature. Lavendar and
white are the colours of this holiday. Hanging corn in three colours,
tied with spring coloured ribbons outside your house for wealth and
protection until the day after the fall equinox, and then bury them.
The Spring Equinox/ Equinozio della Primavera/ Primeira:
This celebrates the beginning of the Goddess' ascent from the hidden
Realm of Shadows. Longing for her children and the light of the Sun.
She emerges. As She returns, the Earth awakens, and her children
rejoice. This is the time of great fertility. It is also the time
that the God Lupercus is slain. The colours are light green , pale
yellow and pale pink. Customary gifts are a new broom for women, and
new staff for men.
Tana's Day/ La Giornata di Diana/ Calendmaggio:
We celebrate the full return of the Goddess, in the spring equinox,
she was out of the Realm of Shadows but not yet home. She has
returned to her children to share with them the Mysteries she has
learned. We also celebrate the God and GOddess, and their delight in
each other. The Goddess becomes the dominant force, and the Goddess
months begin. The colours are bright blue, warm pink,, lemon yellow,
and white. The traditional colours are red for the womans blood, and
white for purity.
Summer Solstice/ La Festa dell' Estate / Festa delle Erbe/ Solstizie
d' Estate:
This marks the marriage of the Lord and Lady. From this union comes
the bounty of the Harvest Tide. This is a time of growth and life. At
this time we do works to heal the Earth. This is a time when the
Elemental forces are abound in great number. We honour the fata, the
elementals, and other spirits of Nature. This is also a time to
reflect on Nature and maintaining a god relationship with all that is
around me. The colours are golden yellow and red.
Cornucopia:
This is the celebration of anticipation of plenty. This is the time
of the First Harvest. God is preparing to sacrifice himself so that
the world can continue. Even as we begin our harvest, we plant seeds
of rebirth. For those seeds which are planted now, and nurtured over
the cold winter will become the strong plants of the spring. The
colours are red, yellow, brown and gold, all harvest colours.
Autumn Equinox/ Equinozio di Autunno/ Mabon:
This is the time to rejoice for the abundances which have come into
the world. The bounty of the harvest is due to the Lord's sacrifice
back on Cornucopia, as the Lord of Light, becomes the Lord of
Shadows. The Lady is sad at the loss of her Lord and child, and
counts her blessings and prepares for the upcoming winter. The
colours are brown, orange,gold or red.