Origins of Wicca


Our ancestors used to read the skies for the weather, know the seasons for farming, and they were thankful for everything nature supplied them. Wicca and Paganism is one of the oldest religions. It is a way of life.
    Most famously, there were the Salem Witch Trails that took place in the1600s, where ordinary Wicca’s and Pagans were burnt at the stake, hanged and drowned by people who were afraid of them. Is knowing how to cure an upset stomach with herbs and flowers, worth dying over?
    We celebrate nature still, even in this high tech world. A Wicca’s festivals are days that mark the major changes in the nature around us, like the summer solstice and spring. You may see Wicca images around you, but have no idea that it has its root in the religion. For example, Easter comes from the word ‘Eostre’ of ‘Ostara’, who is an Anglo-Saxon Dawn Goddess. Ostara’s symbols are the egg and Hare, the now popular Easter bunny and Easter egg. The chocolate Yule log that you can eat at Christmas, was traditionally an actual log that candles were stuck into and lit on the 21st to symbolise the coming sun. The national holiday, May Day, on the 1st May is called Beltane to Wicca’s and is a festival that celebrates the marriage of our Goddess and God. The Maypole used on this day, symbolises the union between the God and Goddess.