Pagan influences in the USA

[nigel99 474]

I’m pagan and so fairly interested in Wicca and pagan symbols.

While the USA claims to be Christian I find it interesting that it is full of pagan symbols. From the money with the 3rd eye, the flag is full of Pentagrams (Pentacle is generally a pentagram with a circle around it). The freedom statue on the capital building has a crown of Pentagrams. It is interesting the amount of pagan symbolism and lack of Christian symbols.

[gowlerk 2,192]

12 minutes ago, nigel99 said:

I’m pagan and so fairly interested in Wicca and pagan symbols.

While the USA claims to be Christian I find it interesting that it is full of pagan symbols. From the money with the 3rd eye, the flag is full of Pentagrams (Pentacle is generally a pentagram with a circle around it). The freedom statue on the capital building has a crown of Pentagrams. It is interesting the amount of pagan symbolism and lack of Christian symbols.

I think it has something to do with conspiracies and Masons.

[BIGUN 1,314]

12 minutes ago, nigel99 said:

It is interesting the amount of pagan symbolism and lack of Christian symbols.

Easter EGGS!! We have Easter EGGS!!! 

[gowlerk 2,192]

Just now, BIGUN said:

Easter EGGS!! We have Easter EGGS!!! 

Don't forget Xmas trees and yule logs.

[ryoder 1,590]

39 minutes ago, gowlerk said:

Don't forget Xmas trees and yule logs.

Or specifically, the adoption of the pagan festivals of Saturnalia and Yule, with the rebranding to "Christmas".

[wmw999 2,447]

8 hours ago, BIGUN said:

Easter EGGS!! We have Easter EGGS!!! 

A few days ago I was working on a crossword puzzle that had as a clue "an animal that only lays eggs once a year." Took me awhile to figure out it was the Easter bunny

Wendy P.

[kallend 2,027]

Eostre is the Germanic goddess of dawn who is celebrated during the Spring Equinox. On the old Germanic calendar, the equivalent month to April was called “Ōstarmānod” – or Easter-month. As a holiday, Easter predates Christianity and was originally the name for Spring Equinox celebrations.

Days of the week are named for pagan gods in languages with germanic origin, and after Roman gods in the romance languages.

A seven day cycle apparently originated in Sumeria or Babylon and picked up by Judaism during the Babylonian exile..

[gowlerk 2,192]

53 minutes ago, kallend said:

A seven day cycle apparently originated in Sumeria or Babylon and picked up by Judaism during the Babylonian exile..

I have often wondered and researched why a seven day week evolved. I seems so arbitrary.

[ryoder 1,590]

18 minutes ago, gowlerk said:

I have often wondered and researched why a seven day week evolved. I seems so arbitrary.

Well The Beatles tried promoting the 8-day week, but it didn't catch on.

[kallend 2,027]

2 hours ago, gowlerk said:

I have often wondered and researched why a seven day week evolved. I seems so arbitrary.

1/4 of the 28 day lunar cycle.

[gowlerk 2,192]

13 minutes ago, kallend said:

1/4 of the 28 day lunar cycle.

Duh, face slap. It's pretty obvious isn't it? Thanks

Edited March 30, 2021 by gowlerk

[JoeWeber 2,720]

17 minutes ago, kallend said:

1/4 of the 28 day lunar cycle.

Still, they could have gone for half or a full cycle. Maybe it was for lack of other names. Borschday? Cowday? They just don't work somehow.

[ryoder 1,590]

1 minute ago, JoeWeber said:

Still, they could have gone for half or a full cycle. Maybe it was for lack of other names. Borschday? Cowday? They just don't work somehow.

But "Caturday" works!

[TriGirl 318]

Nigel,

In response to the original question, I have one word:

Halloween

(note: I had a coworker decades ago who unapologetically replied, when asked what his kids were wearing as costumes that year, that his family doesn't celebrate Halloween traditions.  He was what we would now consider evangelical Christian, and had done his homework)

Edited March 31, 2021 by TriGirl
added context

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

Oh please.

Halloween is totally Christian.

It's the day before 'All Saints Day' (which technically makes it "Catholic", not "Christian").

It's "All Hallow's Eve".

[nigel99 474]

6 hours ago, TriGirl said:

Nigel,

In response to the original question, I have one word:

Halloween

(note: I had a coworker decades ago who unapologetically replied, when asked what his kids were wearing as costumes that year, that his family doesn't celebrate Halloween traditions.  He was what we would now consider evangelical Christian, and had done his homework)

I know.

I laughed this year on St Patrick’s day when Pagans I know went off their heads about how it celebrates the persecution of witches.

[sfzombie13 324]

1 hour ago, wolfriverjoe said:

Oh please.

Halloween is totally Christian.

It's the day before 'All Saints Day' (which technically makes it "Catholic", not "Christian").

It's "All Hallow's Eve".

another one stolen by catholicism and bastardized so as to bring converts over.  ever heard of samhain?  that's where it began.

[raftman 12]

Easter has been cancelled.

 

They found the body!

[TriGirl 318]

14 hours ago, nigel99 said:

I know.

I laughed this year on St Patrick’s day when Pagans I know went off their heads about how it celebrates the persecution of witches.

Well, I sort of agree.  The name day is one thing, but the description of Patrick as having "chased all the snakes out of Ireland" is a sanitized version of his (reported) exploits of forcibly converting Pagans -- Inquisition-style.

I will celebrate/appreciate Ireland.  I will not celebrate that.

[nigel99 474]

21 hours ago, TriGirl said:

Well, I sort of agree.  The name day is one thing, but the description of Patrick as having "chased all the snakes out of Ireland" is a sanitized version of his (reported) exploits of forcibly converting Pagans -- Inquisition-style.

I will celebrate/appreciate Ireland.  I will not celebrate that.

I don't disagree with their views. I just found the completely different viewpoint amusing and also how strongly they felt about it. Especially that almost everyone celebrating that day is using it as an excuse to party and have a few drinks. 

I will admit that prior to the people getting really upset about it, I hadn't ever read up the story behind it. I've never dressed up or partied for St Patricks day, guess next year I will go to something as a snake :)

[riggerrob 643]

Samhain, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and harvest celebrations are pretty much the same thing.

Notice that Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October - a month before Americans - because we have a shorter growing season. The first frost often arrives in October.

All Hallo's Eve and Dios de Los Muertos are linked as well. Halloween is the day when spirits get loose, while Dia de Los Muertos is the day that Mexicans visit the graves of their dear departed ancestors and raise a toast to grandma.

[TriGirl 318]

On 4/4/2021 at 1:48 PM, riggerrob said:

Samhain, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and harvest celebrations are pretty much the same thing.

Notice that Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October - a month before Americans - because we have a shorter growing season. The first frost often arrives in October.

All Hallo's Eve and Dios de Los Muertos are linked as well. Halloween is the day when spirits get loose, while Dia de Los Muertos is the day that Mexicans visit the graves of their dear departed ancestors and raise a toast to grandma.

In Japan people take picnic lunches out to the family tombs to commune with their ancestors at times of the year the veil is thought to be thinnest -- similar thought process as with Samhain, but observed very differently.

[BIGUN 1,314]

57 minutes ago, TriGirl said:

Japan people take picnic lunches out to the family tombs to commune with their ancestors

Interesting. Had to look it up. 

https://www.stripes.com/lifestyle/on-okinawa-families-show-respect-for-the-dead-with-tradition-1.49217

In Catholicism, we call it, "The veneration of the dead."