Lammas: The Wiccan Holiday

Lammas is an important Wiccan holiday which is also known as Lughnasadh. It marks the beginning of hot days in August, which is the time of the year when the earth is parched and dry. Moreover, the bright yellows and reds of harvest season are honored during the holiday. It occurs when the apples start to ripen, and all the vegetables of summer have already been picked. A vegetable commonly thought of during the holiday is corn. Corn is known for its green color and tall height. Lammas celebrates the harvesting season. It is when you reap what has been sown. Everyone gathers around the first harvests of oats, wheat, grain, and other vegetables. Lammas is either celebrated for the harvest season or to honor Lugh, who is an important pagan god. 

Celebration of Grain

Since the beginning of civilization, grain has played an essential part in society. The grain is associated with rebirth and death. Tammuz is a Sumerian god that had been slain during this time, and Ishtar was his lover who had grieved so much so that Nature stopped bearing fruit.
According to legend, it is believed that Tammuz had been mounted by Ishtar and brought to the Underworld for rebirth. As for Greek Legend, Adonis is the grain god. Persephone and Aphrodite are the two goddesses that had fought to gain his love. To put an end to the fighting, Zeus had to order Adonis to spend the rest of his life with Aphrodite after he had spent about six months with Persephone. Continue reading

Litha: The Summer Solstice

Litha is a recognition of the Summer Solstice. It is the day of the year that experiences the shortest night and the longest day. Litha is the pinnacle of the power of the sun and is considered to mark the growing season. It is from this day onward that the sun will start to set a little earlier every night until it is Yule. Hence, Litha is celebrated to give thanks for warmth.

Just like the Winter Solstice, the Summer Solstice cannot be precisely determined as the day varies each year. However, generally, Litha is celebrated on the 21st of June. The reason why the exact date is not perceived is because of the misalignment among the actual rate at which the Earth rotates around the sun and the Gregorian calendar. Moreover, Litha is celebrated at different times, depending on where one lives. It is celebrated anywhere in the range of 20th – 22nd of June. Continue reading

International Day of Peace

How It Should Be Celebrated
The international day of peace is about every human residing in any of the countries around the world. It should be a day celebrated devoid of political agenda, violence, hatred, and stereotyping. If you are considering celebrating the International Day of Peace, below are ways you can fulfill your role on this day and involve others too.
Volunteer at Events and Organizations
With something as big as the International Day of Peace coming up, countless events will be prepared around the world and even in your country. Volunteer at any of these events and organizations to contribute your part on this day. This day is not about individuality, instead, it promotes the essence of togetherness and community activities; hence, take along your friends and family members with you as well.
The Minute of Silence
The International Day of Peace is also characterized by what we’ve lost in the past including loved ones through war. This day is specifically held to have us realize our past mistakes and how much we are actually similar to each other i.e. the people we harm are similar to our own kind. The one-minute silence, though short, is a riveting spectacle where people around the world go quiet at 12 pm noon for 60 seconds.

Learning the Word Peace in Other Languages
As peace day is something whose celebration is no hostage of borders and the differences they hold; hence, to show that you are celebrating peace as part of the earth and not as a citizen of a country, there are gestures you could use. If you wish to convey your peace day felicitations all around the world, the best way to do is to convey the message in the particular country’s language. Updating statuses and making posters with another country’s symbol of peace would be a great way to promote peace and participate as an individual.
Cook a Traditional Dish of another Country
Food is what unites us the most in the world. Our basic desire for survival is what gives rise to imports and exports in a country. If you’re a foodie, there’s a specific way you can celebrate the International Day of Peace with food. Cook up a traditional dish from any country you like. In this way, you will get an insight into what traditions and cultures the dish is based on. This little gesture would spread a connection of love for that country through food, which no border can prevent from spreading.
International Day of Peace is an important day, celebrate it wisely and learn to settle your differences. On that note, what a wonderful time it is to have North Korea and South Korea end the war between them and serve as an example for other nations to bury the hatchet and unite over a collective journey towards peace.

Changing Facebook Display with International Day of Peace Frame
Another way to show your support and the importance of this Day of Peace has for you is by changing your Facebook displays. Facebook is in itself a community characterized by interactions on a global level. In this way, we are aware of people and their reasons for suffering all around the world, it makes us realize that we are not much different. The profile picture frame update could send a message to your friends of respect. Also, by doing this you are representing that your country and its people are peace-loving as well.

Summer Solstice Celebrations 2018

The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, signifying the middle of summer. The celebration of this day takes place all throughout the world in many different shapes and forms. Druids and pagans celebrate it, performing rebirth rituals. Here are a few of the ways this occasion is celebrated worldwide.

Iceland, Reykjavik, Secret Solstice Festival

Iceland celebrates the summer solstice with a three-day long music festival. The sun sets on the eve of the summer solstice in Iceland at about midnight; it rises again just before 3 am. If you want to catch a few extra hours of sleep, you may want to use thicker curtains in your rooms. Iceland has a Secret Solstice Midnight Sun Music Festival, making use of the extra available daylight. Reggae, hip-hop and electronic acts take the stage, keeping people entertained.

England, Wiltshire, Stonehenge

Stonehenge itself is a site shrouded in mystery, mystics, archaeologists, and historians long debating its perplexing construction. The impressive structure was built by Neolithic humans, creating the enormous stone edifice using primitive tools, tools made from deer antlers and wood. Various theories proliferate regarding its purpose, but we may never know for sure what it was meant to be, whether a prehistoric observatory, a temple made to worship the ancient gods or an ancient burial ground, or perhaps something else. In today’s world, pagans, druids and other miscellaneous people are attracted to Stonehenge to watch the rising of the sun over its stone circle, aligned perfectly with the sunrise.

United States, New York, Times Square

The Big Apple celebrates the summer solstice in a unique way, holding a yoga event that lasts the whole day, beginning at 7 am and going on till sunset. The UN General Assembly has named the day the International Day of Yoga too, adding to the anticipation and enjoyment of the occasion. The event is broadcast via live webcast, enabling those not in New York to participate in it as well.

Austria, Tyrol, Solstice fires

Over here, mountain fires are lit to celebrate the summer solstice, a tradition going back to the medieval age, a time that saw native tribes using mystical fires as a form of worshipping the earth. Fires can be seen throughout the countryside in Austria as a form of celebration, particularly in Tyrol’s Wilder Kaiser region, in the mountains. Cable cars, on which one can enjoy breathtaking views, transport people to various events in the different mountain towns throughout the day going well into the evening. There is, on Lake Achensee, a cruise, and culinary and musical festivals in the backdrop of Nordkette Mountains in Innsbruck.

Sweden, Stockholm, Midsummer

The summer solstice marks an extremely important event in Sweden. Over here, midsummer is celebrated with decadent indulgence, rooted in pagan rituals. Swedes wear wildflower wreaths in their heads, eating potatoes, cured salmon and pickled herring, drinking flavored schnapps, and dancing around maypoles decorated in greenery and flowers. Celebrations take place all through the country, popular ones in Skansen Museum.