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2010 (1) Mid Winter Sun Celebration - Imbolc
Sat Jan 30th
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| Listing Details for Event #: 1215336
Posted: Mar 7, 2009
Last Updated: Jul 31, 2009
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Event Details
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Description
The Moon Path Chapter of Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS) will host an open
Mid Winter Sun Celebration, 7:00 pm, Saturday, January 30, 2010, at the
Unitarian Universalist Church of Ft. Lauderdale, 3970 NW 21st Ave.
(between Commercial and Oakland Park) ,
Ft. Lauderdale, Fl 33309, Free.
Bring canned or non-perishable food items and clothing, to be donated to
the Cooperative Feeding Program of Broward County.
Bring your drums and percussion instruments,
as well as food and drink to share for the feast to follow the Celebration.
The public is invited to attend the Mid Winter Sun Celebration which will
conform to, and celebrate, the Ancient Tradition.
There will be drumming, dancing, chanting, and feasting.
Feel free to come dressed in Garb or Costume.
Anyone interested in participating is welcome.
Visit the CUUPS Moon Path Chapter website for details on pagan activities. http://MoonPathCUUPS.org .
Mid Winter (Imbolc) is one of the 4 Cross Quarter Sun Celebrations in the Wheel of the Year.
It is halfway between the two Quarter Sun Celebrations,
Winter Solstice (Yule) and Spring Equinox (Ostara) .
Exactly opposite Mid Summer (Lammas, August 1) on the wheel of the year.
This year the Mid Winter Cross Quarter is on February 5, 2010,
when the Sun reaches 15 degrees Aquarius but it is always celebrated on February 2.
Mid Winter is a festival of spiritual purification and dedication; very home-centered,
with cleansing and purification rites conducted for each room in preparation for the birth of spring.
This is the origin of 'Spring Cleaning'. It's the appropriate time for new beginning and re-dedications.
Mid Winter is the time considered by some to be the start of spring.
The quickening of the seeds of spring within the earth.
Though in early February the days are growing noticeably longer, this is still a dark time.
The full moon in the month of February is called the Quickening Moon.
This year the Quickening Moon is Sunday, February 28, 16 38 UT
Imbolc is a Gaelic word meaning 'in the belly' (of the Mother) and thought to be derived
from the word Oimelc meaning ‘ewe’s milk’. Imbolc has also been described as referring
to the quickening of the unborn in the womb (allegorically the seeds of spring within the earth) .
Inbolc is normally celebrated on February 2nd and honors the Celtic sun/fire Goddess Brigid.
This is the time considered by some to be the start of spring.
In the highlands of Scotland and England all the Cross Quarters are considered times of being able
to cross over to the "other world".
The month of February is named for the Roman goddess Februa, virgin mother of Mars,
(Also known as Juno Februa and St. Febronia)
or the Etruscan god of the Underworld Februus
or for februa, means of purification.
Though in early February the days are growing noticeably longer, this is still a dark time,
and for the ancient Celts candles were the only means of lighting the long nights.
If there were enough candles, a celebration of light was held, with each window of a house being lit on this night.
The Christans adopted this tradition and called it Candlemas meaning 'Candle Mass' and the priests of
the church took stock of their candle supply and cleansed their altars.
In Ireland at this time people celebrated a feast in honor of the Goddess Brigit (later St. Brigit) ,
a hearth deity whose realm included the fires of purification. The colors of the celebration are White, and sometimes Red.
It is a festival of spiritual purification and dedication.
Ancient Egypt (Kemet) used both a lunar and seasonal (solar) calendar.
The solar calendar consisted of 365 days. The year was divided into three seasons of four months each.
Each month consisted of 30 days (3 weeks of 10 days per week) .
Five days called 'Heriu-renpet' were added to the solar calendar at the end of the three seasons
for the birth of the Goddesses/Gods - Wesir/'Osiris', Heru-Wer/'Horus', Set/'Seth', Aset/'Isis' and Nebthet/'Nephthys'.
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 Kemet solar year. The first new moon after
the heliacal rising was the begining of the Kemet lunar year. 3, 000 years ago the heliacal rising
was in early July, currently it is around August 1st. 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 name of the ancient Egyptian sixth lunar month January 15, 2010 to February 13, 2010 is
Rekh Wer and is sacred to Rekeh-Ur.
Day one is the Festival of Little Heat (left eye of Re.) and the Feast of Ptah lifting up Re with his hands.
On day eight is the Feast of the Great Heat (Right eye of Re) , the "Great Burning" or Djaret ("Ancient") festival,
held in honor of Rekeh/Heru-Wer. There is also the Feast of Hathor.
There is a Feast to Sekhmet on the last day.
The name of the ancient Egyptian seventh lunar month from February 14, 2010 to March 14, 2010 is
Rekh Neds and is sacred to Rekeh-Netches.
Day one is The Feast of Ra and the Eye of Ra. Amun's Festival of Ra Entering Nut (the Sky) is on Day 3.
There is a Festival of Nut on day eighteen. In honor of Rekeh-Sheri "The Lesser Burning" Festival is held this month.
It honors the return of the light begun last month and culminating this month. There is a light for Ra and His Eye,
the protectress of the lands Who is returning and bringing Her joy back to us.
The name of the Ancient Egyptian sixth seasonal month from December 28 to January 27 is
Peret II and the seventh seasonal month from January 28 to February 26 is Peret III
when there would be planting, cultivating, and maintaining of the crops.
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 was inserted
between the 4th and 5th lunar months around December/January.
A different Goddess/God was honored for the full moon of the month.
The ancient Hellenic fifth lunar month from January 15, 2010 to February 13, 2010, is
Gamelion and called the "Month of Marriage", the full moon is dedicated to Hera, the Goddess of marriage and birth.
On the 8th would be the Sacrifice to Apollon Apotropaius, Apollon Nymphegetes, & the Nymphs at Erchia;
on the 9th the Sacrifice to Athene at Erchia. The Lenaia festival, named for the Lenai who are Maenads,
would be celebrated from the 12th to the 15th in honor of Dionysos. The Gamelia (Theogamia) festival
which is a celebration of the Hieros Gamos (Sacred Marriage) of Zeus and Heraon (Hera) is on the 26th day.
On the 27th the Sacrifice to Kourotrophos, Hera, Zeus Teleius & Poseidon at Erchia.
The ancient Hellenic sixth lunar month from February 14, 2010 to March 14, 2010, is
Anthesterion, named after the Anthesteria, a festival of Dionysos, and considered the first month of spring,
most things bloom (anthein) from the earth at that time; the full moon is dedicated to Poseidon, the God of the sea.
The Hellenic Anthesteria festival, in honor of Dionysos, Hermes & Hekate, would start on the 11th of Anthesterion.
It is a Festival of Flowers, Celebration of the New Wine Vintage, recognition of ancestors with a Feast of the Dead, and a Drinking Festival centered around Dionysus Limnaios ("of the marshes") .
On the 11th, the Pithoigia, was the 'Opening of the Jars'. The 12th was Khoes, the 'Pitcher Feast',
a day for drinking parties, both public and private. Starting at sunset on the 13th was the celebration
of the Hieros Gamos (Sacred Marriage) of Dionysos with the Basilinna (Queen) , Dionysos represented by the Arkhon Basileus.
Also on the 13th was Khutroi, the 'Day of Pots' devoted to the cult of the dead; pots containing mixed vegetables
were offered to Hermes Psukhopompos; spirits of the dead roamed free. The Lesser Mysteries in preparation for the
Eleusinian Mysteries, at deme of Agrae in Athens would start on the 20th. And on the 29th, the Diasia festival
in honor of Zeus Meilichios.
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.
According to tradition, the Roman ruler Numa Pompilius added January and February to the calendar.
This made the Roman year 355 days long. He also moved the beginning of the year from Marius to Januarius.
The name of Januarius, the modern January, is derived from the name of the God Janus, the god of beginnings.
The month is dedicated to the God Janus. Day 1 is the start of the New Year Festival. This was originally a one day festival, but was extended to five days during the Imperial era. Natales templorum for Vediovis, for Fortuna, and for Aesculapius.
For the ancient Roman, February was the month of purification, when Rome was ceremonially purified,
and the 5th was the official beginning of spring.
The first two weeks are considered a time of abstinence. It was the last month before the new year
(when the new year began at the beginning of Martius)
and was a time for wiping the slate clean and starting fresh. Houses were purified by sweeping out
and by sprinkling with salt and toasted spelt (a kind of wheat) . 'Februa' (means of purification) ,
was the name of the whip used in the Festa di Lupercalia (February 15) where both women and fields
were slapped to purify and fertilize them. As part of this festival young men would draw the names
of young females from an urn. Since this season represents the coming of spring,
the rituals focus on purification and fertility.
Valentine's Day probably derives its origins from the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia.
At this time of the year, in most of the Northern Hemisphere, we are deep in the middle of Winter,
halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, with the promise of Spring to come.
This is the time of the year to celebrate prophesy, purification, and the begining of fertility of the land.
We associate Ground hog Day, in early February, with practicing the old tradition of weather divination.
Midwinter observences, fesitvals, and/or celebrations in February are:
Disting (Teutonic) ,
Feast to celebrate the Birhtday of Nut (Egyptian) ,
Festa di Lupercus (Strega) , Roman Lupercalia and Feast of Faunus (Pan) ,
Chinese New Year (new moon) , Aztec New Year, Candlelaria (Mexican) ,
Ground Hog's Day (USA) , Valentine's Day (USA Feb 14) ,
Oimelc, Imbolic Brigantia (Caledonni) , Imbolic (Celtic) ,
the Snowdrop Festival, the Festival of Lights, Feast of the Waxing Light,
Armenian Candlemas, Saint Brighids's Day, Brigit's Day,
St. Bridget's Day (Christian) , Candlemas (Christian) , and The Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary.
Deities of midwinter: All Virgin/Maiden Goddesses: Februa, Brighid, Aradia, Athena, Inanna, Gaia; and Gods of Love and Fertility: Februus, Lupercus, Aengus Mac Og, Eros.
Brigit/Brighid was a Celtic sun Goddess and her sacred fire burned at Cill Dara for 1500 years until it was extinquished by King Henry VIII's soldiers.
The fire was relit on Brighid's Day 1995, ending 500 years of darkness.
She was considered a goddess of fire, patroness of smithcraft, poetry
and healing (especially the healing touch of midwifery) . Another form of the name Brigit is Bride, and it is thus She bestows her special patronage on any woman about to be married or handfasted, the woman being called 'bride' in her honor. Brigit's holiday was chiefly marked by the kindling of sacred fires, since she symbolized the fire of birth and healing, the fire of the forge, and the fire of poetic inspiration. Bonfires were lighted on the beacon tors, and chandlers celebrated their special holiday.
The God associated with Brigit is Aengus Mac Og. He is the son of Dagda.
The Celtic version of Eros and the embodiment of youthful love.
The Year is divided into Quarters by the Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, and the Fall Equinox.
Halfway between the Solstice and Equinox is the Cross Quarter.
These Quarters and Cross Quarters are called the Wheel of the Year of the Sun.
Mid Winter (Imbolc) is one of the 4 Cross Quarter Sun Celebrations in the Wheel of the Year.
It is halfway between the two Quarter Sun Celebrations, Winter Solstice (Yule) and Spring Equinox (Ostara) .
Exactly opposite Mid Summer (Lammas, August 1) on the wheel of the year.
This is the time considered by some to be the start of spring.
In the highlands of Scotland and England all the Cross Quarters are considered times of
being able to cross over to the "other world". |
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