'Pagan' culture flourished all over the world, not just in Italy, although there was nothing organised or consistent about it.
Wicca having ancient roots doesn't make it an ancient unbroken tradition. Wicca did not exist until Gerard Gardner wrote his book in the 1950s. This simply means it's a young religion, not an invalid one. Gardner picked and chose bits from many other religions, so I get pissy when I get certain people screaming at me about 'stealing their festivals' considering the circumstances.
How old the roots of a religion are do not make it any more or less valid. It's a religion. Having said that, people shouldn't make false claims about their religion. Here, there are people complaining about the misrepresentation of their faith, about the use of a deity figure at the wrong time of year. I'm venting about people who say things like 'It's my Yule tree' when it's in the house, as (from what we know about) Germanic pagan beliefs, having a tree cut down to put it in a house to decorate would be an abomination. The Roman festival of Saturnalia had a tradition of bringing in a branch or tree to decorate. However, what's more likely is that we are simply following the custom Prince Albert made popular in the UK in the 19th Century. I don't see why it would hurt to say 'It's a Christmas Tree!' when it's clearly a Christmas tree, not a Yule tree.
I have a lot of interest in the pre-Roman history of Europe, so I am well aware of 'cult' practices across Europe, and the UK in particular. The Romans imposed better organisation and a homogenisation of beliefs by including prominent local deities in their pantheonic faith until Constantine converted to Christinity and most of the Roman Empire followed suit.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2006-12-23 10:12 pm (UTC)Wicca having ancient roots doesn't make it an ancient unbroken tradition. Wicca did not exist until Gerard Gardner wrote his book in the 1950s. This simply means it's a young religion, not an invalid one. Gardner picked and chose bits from many other religions, so I get pissy when I get certain people screaming at me about 'stealing their festivals' considering the circumstances.
How old the roots of a religion are do not make it any more or less valid. It's a religion. Having said that, people shouldn't make false claims about their religion. Here, there are people complaining about the misrepresentation of their faith, about the use of a deity figure at the wrong time of year. I'm venting about people who say things like 'It's my Yule tree' when it's in the house, as (from what we know about) Germanic pagan beliefs, having a tree cut down to put it in a house to decorate would be an abomination. The Roman festival of Saturnalia had a tradition of bringing in a branch or tree to decorate. However, what's more likely is that we are simply following the custom Prince Albert made popular in the UK in the 19th Century. I don't see why it would hurt to say 'It's a Christmas Tree!' when it's clearly a Christmas tree, not a Yule tree.
I have a lot of interest in the pre-Roman history of Europe, so I am well aware of 'cult' practices across Europe, and the UK in particular. The Romans imposed better organisation and a homogenisation of beliefs by including prominent local deities in their pantheonic faith until Constantine converted to Christinity and most of the Roman Empire followed suit.