Figure 2 Wheel of the Year

3

Testivals of the Seasons

✓Tradia taught that participation in the 'Trequenda Festivals brought `Witches into harmony with .'Mature. It aligned them with the energy patterns which flowed across the earth. sfradia promised that the traditional powers of Witchcraft would be bestowed through continuous participation in the `Wheel of the Year.

from the text

In Italy, Witches do not use the word Sabbat for their seasonal rites. The Italian word is Treguenda (Tray-gwen-dah), and is similar in meaning to that of Sabbat. Webster's Dictionary lists Sabbat as Old French for Sabbath (old English as well). The word "Sabbatical" (French: Sabbatique) is defined in the dictionary as "of or suited to the Sabbath" and "a period of rest that occurs in regular cycles." The word "Treguenda" has as its root the word Tregua which means "a respite, or a truce." It is interesting to note that a "Tregua" (Tray-gwah) is also slang for the Full Moon ceremony. Respite translates as "an interval of temporary relief or rest (as from work, etc.). In modern Italian the word Triguenda means "quarterly, every three months." It is easy to see the relationship between Sabbat and Treguenda as periods of rest.

In early times, the followers of the Old Religion were farmers and craftsmen. Their lives were largely spent in toil. Their religion provided times in which they could set aside their work and enjoy a social and spiritual celebration. These festivals were indeed "respites," or "periods of rest occurring in regular cycles."

THE EIGHT T REGI ENDAS

In the modern Aridian Tradition there are eight Treguendas: four major and four minor. The major rites occur in October, February, May, and August. These are the Spiritual Festivals and are considered of greater importance. The minor festivals occur on the Spring and Autumn Equinox, and on the Summer and Winter Solstice. These are the Earth Festivals, and are seasonal/agricultural in nature. While many people believe that the ritual observance of these times is of Celtic origin, the fact remains that these seasonal rites were observed in ancient Roman times in southern Europe, as we shall discover in this chapter.

The agricultural year was vital to ancient Romans and to later Italian farmers. Ancient Romans held various festivals every month; thus, it is easy to find similar celebrations occurring near the same dates as modern Wiccan festivals. Roman farmers were aware of the Equinoxes and Solstices and their place in the Wheel of the Year; this was also noted in the Greek and Roman Eleusinian Mystery Cult. The rites of the Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries were celebrated at the Spring Equinox; the Greater Mysteries at the Autumn Equinox. Such rites focused upon the descent of the Goddess into the Underworld and her ascent in the Spring.

Just as we have no historical records to indicate that any specific sect of Celts celebrated the eight Sabbats within any specific cult, so too it is with Italian traditions. We know that the basic themes of each Sabbat are native to Aegean/Mediterranean festivals occurring at the same time of year as northern European festivals. A simple study of Greek and Roman festivals will clearly demonstrate this (see the appendix for more parallels). To obtain a good overview of ancient Italian festivals originating from Etruscan and Roman influences in Italy, let us look at the Wiccan festivals of the year and note the Italic counterparts.

Samhain (October 31/November 1):

According to Italian tradition the dead return to the human world beginning on the night of November eve and continue until the second night (3 nights in all). In the fifteenth century, the Roman Catholic Church (in an attempt to disband Pagan practices) officially claimed the day of celebration calling it Ognissanti or All Souls. As early as the tenth century this old Italian pagan celebration had already concerned the Christian monks who encountered it among the people. The Church allowed this practice to continue because of the conversion opportunities it presented; the monks began cooking large vats of fava beans for the poor which they placed on street corners in honor of the departed souls of the faithful. A free sermon accompanied each serving of free food.

Winter Solstice (December 21):

December was marked by Roman festivals to the sun god Sol and to the agricultural god Saturn. The intimate connection between the sun and the growing of crops called for an invocation of both aspects of deity.

Imbolg (Candlemas):

In Gardnerian Wicca it is a time of purification. The month of February was sacred to the Roman god Februus who was a god of purification and death. The purification rites of the Lupercalia were also celebrated in February. This ritual occasion was later transformed into a festival honoring St. Simon. In the seventh century, the Roman Church renamed it "The Presentation to the Lord." The date was changed to the 2nd of February in hopes of putting an end to the rival Pagan celebrations. By providing a conflicting time of worship, the Church ensured the presence of common folk who would not want to be counted absent from the Christian celebration, nor discovered as preferring the Pagan celebration, for fear of the resulting retribution by the Church. The Church festivals then coincided with the month dedicated to purification in Roman Paganism: to Iunio Febru- ata and the ritual of the Lupercalia. By removing all these pagan presences, and above all, Juno, the 2nd of February became the Purification of the Blessed Virgin. This time was then known as Candelora or Candlemas because people were blessed by candles distributed to the faithful by the Church. These candles were believed to possess protective virtues against calamities, storms, and the agony of death. The same practices and beliefs were earlier observed by Pagan farmers who once lit torches for Juno's protection.

Spring Equinox (March 21):

March was marked by the festival of Liberia, who was also known by the name Proserpine (Persephone). Proserpina was (among other things) a goddess of Spring whose ascent from the Underworld was marked by rituals performed in the Eleusinian Mysteries at the Spring Equinox.

Bealtaine/May Day (April 30/May 1):

May was marked by the Spring festivals of the Floralia. Flora was the Roman goddess of gardens and flowers. Her week-long Spring celebrations culminated on May 1st with a grand festival.

Summer Solstice (June 22):

The Roman festival of Vesta occurred in June. Vesta was the goddess of the hearth and of sacred fire itself. The Lare (ancestral spirits) were under her domain. These Lare were originally spirits of cultivated fields. They are derived from the Etruscan Lasa who were spirits of fields and meadows. The Lasa are identical to the old concepts of fairies throughout Europe. The Mid-Summer festival is connected to fairies and magickal times. In the Roman festival of Vesta, with her Lare, we see the theme of the Queen of the Fairies on Mid-Summer's Eve.

Lughnasadh/Lammas (July 31/August 1):

The festival of Ops occurred in August. Ops was the goddess of the fertility, creative forces, and earthly energies. She was the wife of Saturn, who was the Roman god of agriculture, and thus we have the harvest association. In Roman Mythology she was identified with the goddess Fauna/Fatua.

Autumn Equinox (September 21):

In the Eleusinian rites of the Roman and Greek cults this was the time of the descent of the Goddess into the Underworld. This ancient Aegean/Meditteranean theme is the classic Wiccan mythos as viewed by most Traditions.

The modern Aridian rites of the festival year are based upon the myths of the Old Religion, which are collectively referred to as "the Mythos." These myths employ the names of various deities to personify the ways of nature, and to portray the life of humankind, as well as the process of death and rebirth. In essence, the myths are a drama play, Earth is the stage, and we are the players. Within the heroes and villains of the play, we find our own inner selves struggling with the forces of light and darkness. The seasonal year represents the journey of the Soul as it moves through the cycles of the natural world and the supernatural world.

The religious Aridian year begins at the end of October and is marked by the celebration known as Shadowfest, or in Italian, as La Festa dell' Ombra. The following is a summary of each Treguenda:

Shadow Fest (La Festa dell' Ombra) - October 31: Celebration of the Pro-Creation. In the Mythos, the union of the God and Goddess.

Winter Solstice (La Festa dell' Inverno) - December 21122: The birth of the Sun God, from the Union in Shadow Fest. Celebration of light, hope, and promise.

Lupercus (Festa di Lupercus) - February 2: Celebration of purification, and the beginning of fertility. In the Mythos, the puberty of the Sun God.

Spring Equinox (Equinozio della Primavera) - March 21/22: Celebration of the ascent of the Goddess from the Underworld Realm of Shadows. Celebration of awakening fertility.

Tana's Day (La Giornata di Tana) - May 1: In the Mythos, the Courtship of the God and Goddess. Celebration of the return of the Goddess to the World. Celebration of life, and of the fullness of fertility.

Summer Solstice (La Festa dell' Estate) - June 21122: In the Mythos, the marriage of the God and Goddess. Celebration of life, and growth.

Cornucopia (La Festa di Cornucopia) - August Eve: Celebration of Plenty, and of a ripe harvest. In the Mythos, the God is preparing to sacrifice Himself for the world to continue.

Autumn Equinox (Equinozio di Autunno) - September 21122: Celebration of the Harvest. In the Mythos, the God dies and departs to the Underworld. The Goddess then descends to seek her lost lover.

A common modern term for the eight rites is the "Wheel of the Year." It is thought of as a spinning wheel, turning and weaving the patterns of life. On the physical level, it is symbolic of the changing seasons. On the spiritual level, it is symbolic of the "seasons of the soul." The Mythos, which is an integral part of each rite, symbolizes the journey of the soul through a variety of existences. In the Mystery Teachings of the Wheel, we discover that we are the characters in the Mythos. Everything is symbolic within each Mythos and represents various aspects of the encounters facing a Soul as it passes from life to life. Through a study of the Mythos, and routine participation in each Treguenda, one can gain spiritual enlightenment.

The Mythos of the Full Moon ceremony weaves its way through each Treguenda and completes the Spiritual Vision. Understanding the Full Moon ceremony is essential to unlocking the Mysteries. It is interesting to note that the ancient teachings connect the light of the Moon to the passages of the soul.

In the old Mythos, the God would rise up each day and travel across the sky from east to west. As he did so, he collected the souls who had left the body during his absence. Then he would descend into the Underworld and deliver them to the Goddess. She would then take them to the Realm of Luna (which was the Moon). As more and more souls were gathered, the light of the Moon increased until it was full. As these souls were reborn back into the World, the light of the Moon would decrease.

Aradia taught that participation in the Treguenda Festivals brought Witches into harmony with Nature. It aligned them with the energy patterns that flowed across the earth. Aradia promised that the traditional powers of Witchcraft would be bestowed through continuous participation in the Wheel of the Year.

In ancient Rome, a festival known as the Saturnalia was held in December. This particular mythic rite was to have more impact upon later European customs influencing the Old Religion than perhaps any other. In the pre-Republican calendar, the festival started on December 17, and usually ran for several days, ending on the Winter Solstice. Bonfires blazed during this time, and the celebration was marked by orgies, carnivals, transvestism, and gift giving.

Masters and slaves changed places and the world was turned upside down for a short period. All of this was overseen by a temporary king called "The Lord of Misrule." These Saturnalian revels and orgies were not tamed until the fourteenth century, when the Catholic Church had enough power to finally exert its "authority" over both the government and the people.

The person chosen to play the Lord of Misrule had to be a young, attractive man, strong and virile. For thirty days prior to the festival he was allowed to indulge himself in any and all pleasures as he pleased. He was dressed in royal robes and was treated like a king. In point of fact, this young man represented the god Saturn, in whose honor the festival originated.

The Romans considered Saturn to be a god of cultivated fields and sprouting seed; according to legend he was the first king of Latium and first introduced agriculture. At the end of the festival he was slain upon the altar of Saturn by having his throat cut. His blood was then given to the fields so that his vitality passed into the soil, revitalizing the life within the Earth and ensuring a bountiful harvest for the next year. In the classical period of Horace and Tacitus, this king was a buffoon figure, but in earlier times he was the sacrificial king.

In the book The Golden Bough, by James Frazer, we read these words:

We can hardly doubt that in the King of the Saturnalia at Rome, as he is depicted by classical writers, we can see only a feeble emasculated copy of that original, whose strong features have been fortunately preserved for us by the obscure author of the Martyrdom of St. Dasius. In other words, the martyrologist's account of the Saturnalia agrees so closely with the accounts of similar rites elsewhere which could not possibly have been known to him, that the substantial accuracy of his description may be regarded as established; and further, since the custom of putting a mock king to death as a representative of a god cannot have grown out of a practice of appointing him to preside over a holiday revel....'

In Italy today, the winter festival of Carnevale (the Carnival) closely resembles the revels of the Saturnalia, with the exception of the literal slaying of the king, of course. Frazer writes of this in The Golden Bough:

The resemblance between the Saturnalia of ancient and the Carnival of modern Italy has often been remarked, but in the light of all the facts that have come before us, we may well ask whether the resemblance does not amount to identity. We have seen that in Italy, Spain and France, that is, in the countries where the influence of Rome has been the deepest and most lasting, a conspicuous feature of the Carnival is a burlesque figure personifying the festive season, which after a short career of glory and dissipation is publicly shot, burnt, or otherwise destroyed, to the feigned grief or genuine delight of the populace. If the view here suggested of the Carnival is correct, this grotesque personage is no other than a direct successor of the old king of the Saturnalia.

In ancient Rome, a pig was sacrificed at the Saturnalia. In later times, this was substituted with a trickster character, and in more recent times by a great buffoon who ruled as the King of the Carnival. This character was carried about upon a throne as he reclined, wearing the costume of a pig.

Traditionally, a fava bean was baked into a focaccia cake, and the young man among the contestants who found the bean became the Lord of Misrule. The custom of placing a fava bean in a focaccia cake still takes place at Carnival in Italy, along with many tamed versions of the original revels of the Roman Saturnalia. In The Aquarian Dictionary of Festivals by J. C. Cooper, the author comments on the ancient and modern associations of the Saturnalia:

The characteristics of this time passed from Rome into Europe, persisting into medieval times, having also a Lord of Misrule.'

Ritual Dancers

Frazer's book deals with the Slain God Mythos which is an integral part of the Old Religion. In The Golden Bough, we find these words from Frazer:

We may conclude with a fair degree of probability that if the King of the Wood at Aricia lived and died as an incarnation of a sylvan deity, he had of old a parallel at Rome in the men who, year by year, were slain in the character of King Saturn, the god of the sown and sprouting seed.4

Clearly we can see, in all presented here, the Slain God Mythos of the Western Mystery Tradition; the Lord of the Vegetation (formerly the Lord of the Woods) sacrificed in the harvest. It is interesting to note that yet another northern European Craft Mythos originated in Italy. There are still those, however, who claim that Stregheria is not native to the Meditteranean/Aegean region but is a system created from modern Gardnerian Wicca. The fact that almost every tenet of Gardnerian Wicca also appears in ancient Greek and Roman beliefs and practices seems to escape the logic of these critics. In reality, it is only natural that the witches of Italy would absorb various cultural, religious, philosophical, and theological aspects found in southern Europe. See the appendix for a further outlining of these parallels, which I have presented for those who wish to approach this subject with an open mind.

ENDNOTES

1. The Golden Bough by James Frazer, page 678. MacMillan Company, 1 volume abridged, 12th printing, 1972.

2. The Golden Bough, page 678.

3. The Aquarian Dictionary of Festivals, page 192. The Aquarian Press, 1990.

4. The Golden Bough, page 679.

OTHER SOURCES

Bunson, Matthew. A Dictionary of the Roman Empire. Oxford University Press, 1991.

Cardini, Franco. Il giorno del sacro, it Libra dellefeste (Sacred Days, the book of Festivals). Milano: Rusconi Libri, 1989.

Catabiani, Alfredo. Calendario; Lefeste i mitti le leggende e i ritti dell'anno (The Calendar; festivals, myths, legends and rituals of the year). Milano: Rusconi Libri, 1988.

Field, Carol. Celebrating Italy. New York: William Morrow & Co, 1990.

Kravitz, David. Who's Who in Greek and Roman Mythology. Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1975.

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