#you celebrate a christian holiday about the christian god and that's fine just don't be in denial ab it

[jellybeanium124]

I hate when people are in denial that christmas is christian. I always feel like I have to be sensitive around atheist/agnostic people who celebrate "cultural christmas." like babes it's still about the birth of jesus, and the reason it's celebrated is because jesus is some people's god. like I'm sorry. I'm not saying you're christian if you celebrate christmas (obviously lol, there's a lot more to being christian than that, like at a bare minimum identifying as christian) but it's a christian holiday about the christian god.

[huntressofladyartemis]

Honestly, as a Greek, I want to sincerely thank you for your latest post.

I’m so sick and tired of people making their own versions of the Gods, mischaracterising them and especially calling them names like “raρist”, “bitch” and “pick me”.

It seems to me that there is this whole narrative that says that since “it’s just mythology”, it’s fine to perceive it as some sort of book series or fanfiction. They fail completely to understand the cultural and even religious importance these myths have for us, Greeks.

They think that since we don’t worship the Gods as a whole anymore, that they can disrespect them without a care, even subconsciously (since they usually are ppl who claim to love them). The funny thing is that we still do respect them and have even taken parts of our old religion and inserted them to our new one (orthodox Christianity). For example, in Greek orthodoxy, Virgin Mary is depicted as a military general, mirroring Athena and Saint Nicolas as the protector of the seas, taking the role of Poseidon. Hell, we even celebrate old pagan holidays like the carnival, which in Greece honours Dionysus, and every Greek knows it. And culturally speaking, we still talk about Hades when speaking of death, (like: I’ll go to hades = I’ll die) and we mention Zeus when there’s a huge storm, saying that he is angry. (Just some silly examples to show how deeply rooted the Mythos is in our minds)

Entire places are still dedicated to Gods and Demigods. My mother’s village is dedicated to Heracles and we have a whole marble statue of him in its entry.

Furthermore, the “Hellenic National Religion” is recognised by constitution as a religion in Greece.

It is quite clear that for the Greeks, the Gods, are not some characters to a story that we can make headcannons for. They are Gods. They are important, respected and sacred entities and should be treated as such. Of course there is no problem with voicing one’s opinion regarding the Gods, even a bad one, but at least they shouldn’t pretend to be “Greek mythology nerds” because to be passionate about something starts with understanding and respecting it.

I don’t think i have to say anything about the interpretation of the myths, since you spoke of it beautifully, and thank you again.

I’m sorry for rumbling, I just feel strongly about this topic!

Oh PS: it’s very funny to me when I hear foreigners talk about Zeus so insultingly, while forgetting that He is literally their protector. The reason Greeks are big on hospitality is because it is a sacred thing for Zeus. That’s why one of his most important titles is “Xenios: Ξένιος” which basically means “hospitable to foreigners”.

Hello! 🤗 Oh, i'm really glad that my post had received so much care especially for Greeks because that's means that i was respectful! I didn't wanted to offend or say something inaccurate! 💙

I'm also sick of the bad characterization of the gods 😞 The males are the ones who took the worst part... Zeus, Poseidon and Apollo are treated as raρists and assholes, also some females... Aphrodite as treated as a vain whore, Hera as a jealousy bitch, Demeter as a terrible and evil mother who don't think in her daugther's happiness 😕 And they say: "The ancient greeks made them like this, so is a fact" 😐 But as you said, those people don't understand that greek gods are part of the culture and religion in Greece! Is like the Greek Mythology has taken and used in some ways that people forget about the history and culture they are from! I don't see people calling Seth a "r*pist" for what he did to Horus in some stories of the Horus vs Seth myth... They seems to respect the Egyptian but not the Greeks? (I respect egyptian gods, i don't call Seth a "villain", because i know is a story for explain the power and royalty of the pharaoh. Seth was worshiped even after that myth, he was a protector god in Egypt! )

I grow up with the stories of Greek Myths and now that i studied more about the culture and the history of the myths, i know that were written in a diferent context by diferent authors with their own ideas! I saw a post here which said that the gods are not their myths, and yes, is true that myths bring us despictions of the gods, but people need to know that were symbolic... The gods's actions in myths were symbolics! Even for the the Ancient Greeks whose worshiped them (correct me if i wrong).

Those stories of gods having children with mortals or nymphs were to explain the divine legacy of some cities... (again correct me if i wrong) Zeus's many offsprings with mortals were often despicted as kings, so yes, Zeus assaulted women in myths, but there is a WHY! Is not just because "Oh he is bad, mysoginist a r*pist" 😕 And again don't took the myths as literal!

Your mother’s village is dedicated to Heracles? That's amazing! And also another motif for why people need to be respectful with the Greek Gods despictions... They usually are respectful with Hindu Deities, and the Egyptian… Why the Greeks are a exception?

You said "Hellenic National Religion is recognised by constitution as a religion in Greece". YES! And it's awful to hear that some worshipers are attacked just for worship certain god.

The adjectives "mysoginist" or "feminisit" DON'T apply for gods and goddesses with centuries of history... Yes, maybe the Ancient Greece was patriarchal (as many ancient civilizations) But is not a excuse to say that Zeus is a mysoginist! He ISN'T! He WASN'T! Neither of the male gods!!! Because is history, don't judge a ancient god with a modern criterion!

Yeah! Zeus is the protector of foreigners, and this is how we treats him (i speak as a foreigner, but i don't think Zeus is how modern media often depicts him)

"I’m sorry for rumbling, I just feel strongly about this topic!" You don't need to apologies! I understand and i feel bad when i see those comments against the gods! I'm not greek, but as i said in my post, i love them and don't like when they are insulted or hated for something that "they did" in a story written by a human person with his own ideas (some of those authors were anti-gods) many years ago :/

Of course the myths helped (and helps) the worshipers, because many of the gods epithets were obtained from the stories in myths... But again... symbolic-metaphore-bring a lesson-explain certains things and facts

That's all, i just wanted to answer and again a made a post of this, sorry 😅

Thank you, have a nice day or night 💙

[tellwolves]

" so how was your christmas, greta? "

uncle finn had been so quiet, she'd almost thought he'd fallen asleep. or even -- god, wouldn't that've been creepy.

" it was fine. " she's staring at a loose thread on her wool socks as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. she leans forward a little to pick at it.

she hears more than sees finn huffing amusedly. " just not the same is it? a lot more fun when you're little. "

she thinks then of margaret in are you there god? it's me, margaret. that was her favorite book when she was a kid. not only did it really understand her, awkward and in-between as all children are when they're eleven, twelve, thirteen, talking frankly about how frightening and thrilling puberty is, but margaret was like her, except her mom was christian and her dad was jewish, not the other way around.

she'd always use that when trying to explain to her peers how her family worked, what they celebrated. christmas had always excited her more than the jewish holidays, but she never told her parents that.

but she had told uncle finn.

pathetically: " yeah. "

a series of worrying coughs causes her eyes to snap to finn. he looks so different. he's wearing a toboggon (is he cold? is his hair thinning and falling out?), and he's got a tie around his waist because his pants don't stay up the way they should, he's lost so much weight.

she can't stand being here. sick people have always creeped her out. it doesn't help that mom gets so worked up and obsessively cleans the apartment, and june gets all mopey (more than usual), and nothing feels right. like an itchy, too-small sweater.

besides, this isn't a normal sickness. it's -- it's fucking aids. uncle finn has aids, and he is going to die. and she is in his apartment, on his furniture, it might infect her, and --

" you ready to get back to school? "

understatement. she misses her friends, misses theatre and chorus and all her clubs and extracurriculars. spending time with her family is bumming her out. " yeah. "

finn smiles, weak yet sly. " girl of few words today, hm? "

she sighs. good god. " yu-p. " the p pops, plosive. she wishes he'd stop talking. she can't stand the way his voice sounds now, thin and exhausted.

after a spell, finn clears his throat. " do you know what the spring musical is going to be yet? "

greta brightens at that. talking about theatre with finn had been one of her favorite things as a little girl. try as she might to seem that she had discarded such silly pastimes and fantasies, it was a hell of a lot better than listening to her uncle's wheezing breath in the silence. " not yet. we'll know the first day we go back. "

" how exciting. " a beat. " i'm sure you'll be a lead, being that you're a senior. i can't wait to come see it. "

the tears are practically instantaneous. she abruptly stands up and acts like she's going to look out the window. she peels one of the gauzy curtains back, looking out at the upper west side from her uncle's apartment's living room for the last time.

" ready to go, greta? " her mother says, walking back in from finn's bedroom with june.

she sniffles, willing the unfallen tears back, pushing them deep down. " finally. i was an hour ago. "

finn stands from his chair. mom puts a hand on his shoulder as they say goodbye. greta has a feeling it is to steady herself more than it is him. june gets a c'mere, crocodile and a tight hug.

she's halfway out the door on purpose. still, finn manages to look at her, really look at her, straight in her eyes and into her soul, it feels like. he manages a smile. " you have a happy new year, okay, darling? "

(the next time mom and june go visit, the last time anybody from the elbus household sees finn alive, she doesn't go with them. she says she has to study her sheet music, go over lines.)

she nods. it's all she can do. she flies down the stairs, all twelve flights, not bothering with the ancient elevator.

[veale2006-blog]

The Ugly Truth About Mother’s Day — Why Many People Don’t Celebrate It (and why you may not want to either!) Mother's Day May 15,2023 Nationwide — Believe it or not, but many people don’t celebrate Mother’s Day. But why? What’s so wrong with a special day to show love to one’s mom? Well, the problem for many is the origin – where the idea of Mother’s Day came from, how it started, and why it even exists.

The Origin The earliest Mother’s Day celebrations can be traced back to the worship of mythological gods and paganism. People in ancient Greece would hold annual celebrations in the spring in honor of Rhea, the mother of the gods. As a part of the celebration, people would make offerings of honey cakes, fine drinks, and flowers at dawn.

The Romans also had a mother of all gods that they worshipped. Her name was Magna Mater meaning “Great Mother”. They built a temple for her in Rome, and every March, there was a celebration in her honor called the Festival of Hilaria. Gifts were brought to the temple to please the powerful mother-goddess.

The Adoption By Christianity During the 1600s, Christian groups in England adopted the tradition but called it “Mothering Sunday” as a way to honor the mothers of England. Because many of England’s poor lived and worked as servants for the wealthy, far away from their homes and families, they were given Mothering Sunday off and were allowed to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the “mothering cake,” was often baked to add to the festivities, and many attended a special service at the “mother church”—the main church in the vicinity of their home.

Over time, the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and it became traditional for children to present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. This custom eventually faded in popularity before merging with the American Mother’s Day in the 1930s and 1940s.

The Commercialism Now, in our day, Mother’s Day is one of the most profitable holidays in the world. Flower shops, gift shops, and other retailers generate billions and billions of dollars every year from people who buy gifts for their mothers on Mother’s Day.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), “The average person will spend about $140 for Mother’s Day, meaning the total spending will reach about $16 billion.”

Even more, according to The History Channel, more phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year. So the telecommunications industry is cashing in too!

What Those Who Don’t Celebrate Are Saying Those who don’t celebrate Mother’s Day say, “Why choose only one day of the year to make your mom feel special? Why choose just one day of the year to call her?”

They also ask, “Why celebrate a holiday that originated with the worship of mythological gods?” They even question why someone would support a holiday that really has nothing to do with one’s mom, but more to do with retailers wanting to cash in.

WE DON'T HAVE TO PICK ONE DAY OUT OF THE YEAR TO CELEBRATE OUR MOTHERS. WE CAN CELEBRATE THEM EVERYDAY.

Exodus 20:12 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Honor your father and mother so that you’ll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you.

[progressivemother]

Easter History And How To Enjoy Stress Free Easter

What is the meaning of Easter? It depends on the person and their own beliefs. To our family, it is simply a family holiday to enjoy together. We have fun with Easter baskets and egg hunts. But we have to understand where Easter originated to understand the meaning behind the traditions.

We like to teach our children the history of every holiday. If you follow me, you know that. No matter your beliefs, you need to know how holidays started and why they are apart of our lives.

The feast day of Easter was first a pagan holiday of renewal and rebirth. Spring is known as the season of new beginnings because it symbolizes the rebirth of nature and the return of life after the challenges of winter. The spring season brings back color, flowers, and animals that have been dormant during the winter. This is why it is celebrated throught the world and history.

Honored in the early spring, it praised the pagan goddess of fertility and spring known as ‘Ostara’, ‘Eastre’ or ‘Eostre’. The word “Easter” finds its etymology from the goddess’s name. The Germanic folk, known as the Teutons, worshiped pagan gods and goddesses and it’s believed that the origin of the Easter Bunny, hares and eggs can be dated back to the 13th century in Germany.

Eggs are used as fertility symbols. Drawings of Eostre often depict her holding a woven basket on her arm, and she would carry baskets filled with eggs to encourage fertility. Eggs and seedlings have long been considered a sign of new life in many cultures, and the tradition of putting eggs inside Easter baskets has both religious and cultural significance. Later on Christians would hold on to the old customs. That's the main reason why we still give baskets filled with goodies during this holiday. To Christians it represents Christ's reasuresction.

Easter baskets are fun! But remember, that children do not need a lot. It isn't Christmas nor a birthday. Some candy, a new swimsuit, flip-flops, sunglasses, and sidewalk chalk all they really need. That is it. Sometimes, I don't always add flip-flops or a swimsuit. It really depends on it they have outgrown their old ones. To make it more enjoyable, try doing a scavenger hunt for the baskets instead of just putting them out to be easily found. It's much more fun for the kids. I do this for St. Patrick's Day. Unfortunately, I forgot to write a post about it. I will have to remember for next year. No matter the holiday, scavenger hunts are so much fun.

Dying eggs does not have to be a hassle. I know that many have problems with peeling eggs no matter what you try. Here is a suggestion: Start eggs in already boiling water for 15 minutes. Put eggs in ice water right for 15 minutes. Dye the eggs and peel under running water when you are ready to eat. Many sites have wonderful ideas on easy egg dying activities that are fun and stress free.

Another thing. I used to be one of those moms that thought my kids needed a new outfit for every holiday, including Easter. They looks adorable but it isn't necessary. They most likely already have something great for Easter in their closets. There isn't a need for me to stress about this nor you.

Easter egg hunts are another amazing activity. Everyone knows how to do this. But you don't have to only put candy. You can add money or little toys. Unfortunately, we couldn't do it today because it's a rainy day out where we live but we are excited to do it next weekend.

Once we are able to throughly enjoy Easter when the weather is better, I will add pictures. The kids are most excited about banana pudding. Remember, that desserts and dinner don't have to be hard either. Simply things such as puddings, no bake cookies, deviled eggs, and simple baked chicken instead of something that takes most of the day is just fine. You are meant to spend time with your family not slave away in the kitchen.

Well, that is it. Remember, that Easter is about the spring season and family fun. It doesn't have to be serious or hard by any means. Easter is filled with sunshine, warmth, lots of pastel and all the joy and new life that comes with spring!

[pub-lius]

What a great Thanksgiving to remember that this holiday was originally to celebrate the generosity of the Indigenous people towards the pilgrims and not about Christianity <333

[breelandwalker]

Hey, I just saw one of your posts about witch holidays. I'm just curious, are there any that aren't exclusively pagan or wiccan? I'm Christian, but I'm fairly progressive so I'm down to celebrate other holidays- but I don't want to take part in pagan or wiccan religious rituals or traditions without knowing, if that makes sense. Holidays that are often celebrated by pagans or wiccans but don't necessarily have to have pagan or wiccan religious practices included in the celebrations is fine. Ignore if this doesn't make sense! I'm bad at explaining things, sorry (:

This is a really good question! I do want to open by saying that you can't "accidentally" celebrate a holiday without knowing that's what you're doing. There's certainly some overlap in festivities and traditions, but you're not accidentally celebrating Saturnalia at Christmastime just by going about your usual business.

As for particular religious rituals, same situation. While some rituals and traditions may look similar, you're not accidentally celebrating a pagan holiday by putting up flower garlands in the springtime, because that's not what you set out to do.

Witches celebrate all kinds of holidays. The Wheel of the Year created by Wiccans is an oft-cited template, but these are certainly not the only festivals in modern paganism and pagans don't have a monopoly on celebrating the solstices or the harvest cycle. Furthermore, not all witches are pagan and thus they may celebrate holidays of the faith they were raised in, or holidays pertaining to their personal and familial traditions, or no holidays at all.

The important thing to remember with pagan holidays is that while celebrations of the solstice days and the harvest cycle are very often associated with Wicca and paganism, these ideas are also secular. There is no inherently universal religious symbolism in marking the seasons or planting crops, but when that's your society's baseline for timekeeping, trade, and subsistence, it's going to feature in your religion. Which is why similar patterns are found in religions pretty much the world over and why holidays tend to cluster around certain times of year even in faiths which are widely separated by time and geography.

Christians in antiquity (by which I mean long before the modern witchcraft reconstructionist movement got a word in) celebrating these things as a way of keeping life enjoyable and giving thanks to their God for whatever blessing was timely. And sure, some pre-Christian traditions got blended in along the way, but trust me, in the grander scheme of history, that's nothing new.

To be direct on the matter, if you want to celebrate the harvest cycle or seasonal changes as a Christian, there's absolutely nothing stopping you.

[exclamaquest]

Hi Theo! This is gonna be a weird ask but I value your opinion on the matter and would like to hear your take. I was raised... Christian? My family was never super religious but we do Christmas. My mom is Catholic. As I grew up I became agnostic, and then an atheist, and then agnostic again and I'm at this crossroads where I guess idk anything and I'm fine with that. But the more I learn about Jewish beliefs, the more I find I agree with some of the concepts. I've even thought about converting but I'm not devout one way or the other, is the problem. Would you call it disrespectful to say that I identify with Jewish beliefs without actually being Jewish (my father's mother was, but I did not get the chance to connect with her or that part of my heritage before she died, I'm forever sad about that) or planning to devote myself to any particular faith?

I've been exploring my spirituality and weird estranged relationship with God over the last few years and this has been on my mind a lot, especially since my family still celebrates Christian holidays.

Anyway I know this is an insane ask to send to a user on Tumblr dot com so if you don't feel comfortable answering this please don't feel pressured to. Thank you for your time regardless 💖

text under cut it just got long enough to be worth cramming into an image

Also i forgot to say there's tons and tons of atheist + agnostic Jews out there so that's not a problem

myjewishlearning jewbelong

I'm flattered you asked me this but this is something to talk to a rabbi about. you also never specified what Jewish beliefs you agree with and there's a big difference between believing in Tikkun Olam (duty to help repair the world) or the importance of debate and dialogue and believing in the ritual of Yom Kippur or the Jewish interpretation of "sin". EG you can agree that you need to do actual work for an apology to be sincere without calling it teshuvah.

Additionally Judaism is traditionally matrilineal meaning (according to the most strict interpretation) your father is Jewish but you are not (his mother was Jewish, presumably yours isn't) but that's not really taken as strictly by reform (and some conservative, and i think humanistic but don't quote me on that) congregations.

based on what you've said my advice would be to connect with a reform or humanistic rabbi in your area and ask them your questions. don't get suckered into talking to a chabad rabbi they have good food usually but they're also ultra Orthodox. Decent place to meet cute Jewish guys if you can stand the incessant Zionism tho.

Again I'm not an expert i just post about anime girls celebrating Rosh Hashanah so don't quote me on any of this check out myjewishlearning or (especially for you) jewbelong for more info

[a-kosher-dunk]

It feels weird being in the Jewish community, as somebody who hasn't fully decided if they want to convert. It feels weird being of jewish descent, and not being Jewish. Having this tie to and love for something I'm not technically a part of and don't know for sure if I actually will be is weird. I have extreme guilt and like a road block for not being fully able to ditch my past spirituality. I feel like I'm appropriating by learning more and immersing myself if I don't know for sure if I'll convert. I don't know if I can fully divorce myself from my past beliefs (none of which are christian) Any advice or wise words?

First: My apologies for taking several weeks to respond to this. 

Second: Many born-Jewish people feel like they’re not “really” Jewish or not Jewish in the “right” way. Arguably, even Moses struggled with this sense of imposter syndrome, asking God how he - a person raised as an Egyptian and living among Midianites - could possibly be qualified to rescue the Israelite people. So, while it’s uncomfortable to feel like you don’t belong, it’s also normal. Feeling un-Jewish is a very Jewish feeling. You are not alone.

Third: Learning isn’t appropriative. Even if you ultimately decide not to convert, the fact that you took time to learn about Judaism will not have been an act of appropriation. It will have been an act of learning about other people. I know stuff about Japanese history, Filipino food, and Ojibwe cultural practices. I’m not Japanese, Filipino, or Ojibwe. But that knowledge means that when I meet people who do belong to these groups, I have a good starting point for communication. I’m more likely to understand context that I might miss otherwise. Learning about the lives of other people is a good thing.

If you want to become Jewish and keep parts of your past spirituality, look for the parts that are compatible with Judaism. A rabbi can give you a more detailed analysis of which ideas can and can’t work within a Jewish framework, but off the top of my head: Meditation? Totally fine. My Reform shul once held a yoga and meditation break during Yom Kippur. Reincarnation? It’s not a common Jewish idea, but there have been Jews who believed in it, like some kabbalists and Hasidim. Nature worship? Well, you can’t worship nature itself as a Jew, but you can celebrate the presence of God in nature during Tu Bishvat and other outdoors-focused holidays. 

There are ideas that aren’t compatible with Judaism, like polytheism or God having a physical form. These ideas aren’t bad; they’re just not Jewish. If you ultimately decide that you do want to hold on to a non-Jewish spiritual belief, but you still feel drawn to Judaism, there is a solution: Jewish friends. A gentile with Jewish friends can still get invited to seders, eat challah, and even attend shabbat services. To give a similar example from my own life: My non-Jewish wife helped me make food for our Pesach seder last year. We both had fun, and it was meaningful for her, and the fact that she is not planning on converting to Judaism really didn’t matter for the purposes of the seder.

Keep learning. Talk to people: rabbis, clergy from other faiths, conversion students, friends. Find the spiritual practices that you feel good about doing and that help you become the person you want to be. Then figure out the label that goes with those spiritual practices.

[tarotandshinyrocks]

in addition to misused Kabbalah (Cabalah/Qabala/etc) which is rampant, I frequently see Hebrew letters, or rarely, words, mixed into things basically for the Aesthetic (because it's ~more mystickal~ than English)

examples from tarot cards because I haven't delved deeply into Wicca itself: RWS Wheel of Fortune has a squiggle replacing one of the letters in the name of g-d, but the intent is obviously there and was explicitly mentioned in the guidebook I had. there's another deck that I don't remember the name of that I can picture (might have been called Sun and Moon Tarot or something else similarly generic? very pretty art otherwise) that has random Hebrew letters in every Major Arcana card, but like? not even by their numeric value, just randomly assigned

also "wow if you draw the symbols of the four elements on top of each other you get the Star of David what a Mystical Coincidence" no there's just only so many shapes you can generate with equilateral triangles and a majority of Jewish people find no significance in that so you probably shouldn't insist it's a bigger thing than it really is.

I wanted to learn more about how Wicca/Pagan cultures appropriate pieces of Judaism. I’m trying to help educate a friend who wants to learn but google is absolutely no help. Thanks!!

[breaniebree]

Hello

I have a few questions that have been on my mind for a while that i just have to share here. I'm sorry but Its a long ask.

First: why do people in the Wizarding world say Gods instead of God? Do they see the four Hogwarts founders as individual gods?

Second: Christmas is a muggle holiday day as it is the birth of Jesus! Who was a muggle man how do witches and wizards celebrate ? (Yes i've seen the movies and yes i've read you Xmas holiday chapters) do they celebrate the birth of a muggle man even the pure blood ones do?

Third: in the previous chapter Jenny was talking about her Brother relationships to Harry, referring to the Weasley wife/ fiancé/girlfriends as "my brothers Witches" why is it common in the Wizarding world to refer to women as birds or Witches? In addition to being witches they are first women so why do ppl refer to them as such ? For example: my witch is... instead of (my wife) or (my girlfriend).

Another example : so and so is a fine young witch instead of woman.

I'm new to the Hp universe fandom.

I've seen the movies years ago of course and wasn't a fan, never read the books untill the start of the pandemic (so much of the movies made so much more senes as i'm sure i don't need to tell you).

I have so many questions.

Thank you

Curiouser and curiouser

Hi, Curiouser and curiouser

First of all — the books are better than the films in 99% of everything.

As to your questions:

I like to think there are people who have different religious beliefs but I also think that for the most part, they believe in different gods like paganism because it’s more magical in my opinion. So I like them using gods or goddess sometimes. Just a personal hc.

It is, but Yule is a pagan holiday that Christmas was born out of. Technically Jesus wasn’t even born in December and the church moved it to Yule as a way to get pagans to celebrate. Christmas is celebrated all over the world — and by a lot of people who aren’t even Christian. It’s fun so it’s in there. Also England celebrates Christmas a whole so it makes sense that the magical world would as well.

Ginny not Jenny. Again just a term I like to use because they are magical witches and wizards. As for the term ‘bird’ that’s an English phrase equivalent to like the American chick or babe.

[veale2006-blog]

The Ugly Truth About Mother’s Day — Why Many People Don’t Celebrate It (and why you may not want to either!) Mother's Day May 12,2024 Nationwide — Believe it or not, but many people don’t celebrate Mother’s Day. But why? What’s so wrong with a special day to show love to one’s mom? Well, the problem for many is the origin – where the idea of Mother’s Day came from, how it started, and why it even exists.

The Origin The earliest Mother’s Day celebrations can be traced back to the worship of mythological gods and paganism. People in ancient Greece would hold annual celebrations in the spring in honor of Rhea, the mother of the gods. As a part of the celebration, people would make offerings of honey cakes, fine drinks, and flowers at dawn.

The Romans also had a mother of all gods that they worshipped. Her name was Magna Mater meaning “Great Mother”. They built a temple for her in Rome, and every March, there was a celebration in her honor called the Festival of Hilaria. Gifts were brought to the temple to please the powerful mother-goddess.

The Adoption By Christianity During the 1600s, Christian groups in England adopted the tradition but called it “Mothering Sunday” as a way to honor the mothers of England. Because many of England’s poor lived and worked as servants for the wealthy, far away from their homes and families, they were given Mothering Sunday off and were allowed to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the “mothering cake,” was often baked to add to the festivities, and many attended a special service at the “mother church”—the main church in the vicinity of their home.

Over time, the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and it became traditional for children to present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. This custom eventually faded in popularity before merging with the American Mother’s Day in the 1930s and 1940s.

The Commercialism Now, in our day, Mother’s Day is one of the most profitable holidays in the world. Flower shops, gift shops, and other retailers generate billions and billions of dollars every year from people who buy gifts for their mothers on Mother’s Day.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), “The average person will spend about $140 for Mother’s Day, meaning the total spending will reach about $16 billion.”

Even more, according to The History Channel, more phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year. So, the telecommunications industry is cashing in too!

What Those Who Don’t Celebrate Are Saying Those who don’t celebrate Mother’s Day say, “Why choose only one day of the year to make your mom feel special? Why choose just one day of the year to call her?”

They also ask, “Why celebrate a holiday that originated with the worship of mythological gods?” They even question why someone would support a holiday that really has nothing to do with one’s mom, but more to do with retailers wanting to cash in.

WE DON'T HAVE TO PICK ONE DAY OUT OF THE YEAR TO CELEBRATE OUR MOTHERS. WE CAN CELEBRATE THEM EVERYDAY.

Exodus 20:12 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Honor your father and mother so that you’ll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you.

[formyummah]

Hello, just curious, sorry I hope I don't offend. As a white person who grew up in a Christian culture, I celebrate Christmas but I am not Christian. Do non Islamic people do this with Ramadan? From what I gather, Ramadan is a pure and beautiful holiday focusing on bettering and cleansing yourself and I feel like that could be a great thing and something I would like to take part of. How do/CAN non religious people take part in Ramadan for personal/health/spiritual reasons?

Hello! I’m so glad you reached out to me and no, your ask is not offensive at all ☺️

I personally believe that if an individual takes the time to understand what Ramadan means & its benefits as well as respects Muslims & carefully listens to their voices about religion and what offends them, etc. then - it is perfectly fine for someone who isn’t Muslim to participate in Ramadan.

HOWEVER. White people in particular have a bad habit of capitalizing on other people’s stuff and I fear that there are some who would use Ramadan and twist it to their gain or something and take credit for ideas, etc.

At the end of the day, Islam is a mercy to all of mankind, not just Muslims. I think it’s wonderful you want to participate in Ramadan for the benefits you mentioned. It’s not my place to tell you that you cannot participate in an Islamic ritual.

Fasting itself did not come with Islam as God told us that “fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you”. It guards us from evil. With that, I think it’s beautiful for anyone to participate in fasting 🤗

I hope this helps and if not please let me know 😊

[evilwickedme]

Hey I was tagged in the replies so I'm going to say my piece, hope it's interesting

Many of y'all will know that (a) buffy is my special interest and (b) I am very much about that Jewish Content In Media. So like, I have thought about this before, and what I've come to is that the Judaism in BTVS is just... Wasted potential.

Okay let me explain. There's a trope - You Gotta Have Jews - because Hollywood is filled with Jews. Filling that quota, however, is very much only contingent on using the word Jew, Jewish, maybe a mention of Hanukkah around Christmastime. Honestly, for a show set in California, there's nothing inherently wrong about this. A lot of Jews are secular in California, and while it would be nice to see Jewish representation be complex, on a case by case basis, this is... Fine.

The problem with You Gotta Have Jews, then, is that the overwhelming amount of Jews you see in film and TV are Jewish in name only. They're just like xtians, holding the same values, mentioning Hanukkah but celebrating Christmas, no mention of the High Holidays or Passover, no discussion of Jewish values, the ways generational trauma of 2000+ years of oppression can change your perspective on life just a little bit. And again, on a case by case basis, this is fine - but God, wouldn't it be nice to see it be different, just once?

And the thing is there is something unique about Willow where her Judaism could be a pretty significant factor. I'm not talking about her being a lesbian - the Jewish population in the US is overwhelmingly left-wing or liberal, and while there is a discussion to be had there, it's not something that I feel would be particularly conducive to Willow's character. But something interesting is that Willow mentions her father possibly being upset at her hanging Crucifixes in the house - so overt xtianity, or idolatry, is clearly a problem in her household.

So why the hell isn't it brought up when it comes to her witchcraft?

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of jewitches in the world. I, myself, dabble in tarot. But it's something you have to grapple with. Each jewitch has to figure out where the line is crossed for her, and praying to goddesses the way Willow often casually does in later seasons is absolutely crossing the line for many jewitches. Wouldn't it have been an interesting thing to be brought up?

Another thing I could've stood to see was a Shiva. I know that Willow and Tara weren't actually married, but their relationship was intense and beautiful, and I feel like that loss could have been treated a lot more Jewishly. When I lost my Uncle last year, I had to really face the fact that I wasn't qualified for a Shiva, not being his child or spouse. But still, the grieving process is a complex one in Judaism, and it lasts for a full year. I would have loved to see that on television, especially in season six and seven, seasons that were so preoccupied with grief in general.

Like, yeah, there's a lot of general fucked up ness in the assumption that crucifixes are the way to ward off vampires, giving power to Christianity over all other religions, blah blah, I recently reblogged a post about that under the #dracula tag, probably also #antisemitism. But Buffy as a whole isn't a religious show - it's one based in characters, and there are a lot of missed character moments in ignoring Willow's Judaism.

But then again, I can't think of a single person in that writer's room I would trust to do literally any of this. So.

Do you know if anyone has written anything much on Judaism in btvs? Trying to put together a piece about anti-Semitism and the vampire myth (which obviously has a lot of material) but was interested in looking at willow and more broadly at how the show gives cursory glances to Judaism while still rooting its mythos in Christianity. Are there any good sources anywhere on that that you know of? No worries if nothing comes to mind just thought you might know.

I can't think of any off the top of my head. Putting this out as a signal boost - does anyone out there have any ideas?