How Do I Pronounce...?

The names that are generally used to denote the Wiccan sabbats (as well as festivals of many pagan traditions) come from Gaelic (both Scots and Irish), Welsh, Norse, and Anglo-Saxon. 

There are variations of pronunciations for each one. 

We are not saying you have to say it with perfect pronunciation.

But since so many people have asked, here is a list that can give you a good start in trying to sound like the languages from which these words came.

Just remember, this is not some kind of Sekrit Pagan Language (TM); many of these words are in use in Europe today by pagans and non-pagans alike to denote these days. 

And yes, this shows a European bias, but then so do the commonly-used names for Wiccan holy days. 

These seem to be the names most frequently asked about in alt.pagan.


Samhain (31 Oct) -- Irish Gaelic for "summer's end." The standard Irish pronunciation is "sow-in" with the "ow" like in "cow." 

Other pronunciations that follow with the many Gaelic dialects include "sow-een" "shahvin" "sowin" (with "ow" like in "glow"). 

The Scots Gaelic spelling is "Samhuin" or "Samhuinn." 

There is no linguistic foundation for saying this word "samhane" the way it might look if it were English. 

When in doubt, just say "Hallows" or even "Hallowe'en."

Yule (21 Dec) -- Norse for "wheel." 

It's pretty much pronounced just like it looks, although if you want to make a stab at a Scandinavian sound, it'll be more like "yool" and less like "yewl." 

This is the winter solstice.

Imbolg/Imbolc (1 Feb) -- Irish Gaelic for "in the belly." Pronounce this one "IM-bullug" or "IM-bulk" with a guttural "k" on the end. 

Other names include Candlemas; Brighid (pronounced "breed"), who is the Irish goddess whose festival this is; and Oimelc (pronounced EE-mulk), which means "ewe's milk" in Scots Gaelic.

Ostara (21 Mar) -- Saxon name for a maiden goddess of spring, loosely connected to Astarte and Ishtar. 

This one's easy -- "o-STAHR-uh." 

Other names include Eostre (say "OHS-truh" or "EST-truh"). 

This is the spring equinox.

Beltane/Bealtaine (30 April) -- Irish Gaelic for either "fires of Bel" or "bright fires." 

If you want to try it in Gaelic, you can say "bee-YAWL-tinnuh" or "BELL-tinnuh." 

Unlike Samhain, this word can within the linguistic structure of its language of origin be pronounced like it looks -- "BELL-tane" -- without totally abandoning its original construction. 

Other names are Walpurgisnacht (vawl-PUR-gis-nahkt) and May Day.

Litha (21 Jun) -- Norse or Anglo-Saxon for "longest day." 

You can say this one just like it looks, or you can try for a Scandinavian sound and say "leetha" with the "th" more like a "t." 

This is the summer solstice.

Lughnasadh/Lunasa or Lammas (1 Aug) -- The first is Irish Gaelic for "festival of Lugh" (a major Irish deity); the second is Anglo-Saxon for "festival of the loaves" ("hlaf-mass"). 

Don't panic at that spelling; the second (which is modern Irish as opposed to old Irish) tells you all you need to know. 

Say "LOO-nah-sah." (Some people maintain that the Scots dialect says it "LOO-nah-soo.") Lammas is just like it looks, "LAH-mus." 

Mabon (21 Sep) -- This is believed to be a form of the Welsh word for "son." 

Therefore, it would probably be pronounced "MA-bon" with the "a" like in "mass." 

However, most Wiccans and pagans say "MAY-bon." 

This is the autumn equinox.

Beltane Cake

Beltane is a festival with ancient origins traditionally celebrated on May 1st, a spring time festival of optimism. 

This was a festival of great spiritual significance for the Celts, but some people celebrate it from a purely secular perspective. 

Numerous traditions surround the festival of Beltane. 

Bonfires would be set as a means of purification. 

Some people even burned their beds and floor coverings to start anew. 

The fires were also believed to protect people from harm by spirits of the netherworld. 

Many people put out sweets for the fairies in order to appease them. 

So, would you like to make the fairies happy?

Here's a traditional Beltane cake recipe and you can do just that:

Beltane Cake

This recipe makes a rich and spicy one-layer cake with 8-10 slices.

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

½ tbsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. ground cardamom

½ tsp. ground cloves

¾ tbsp. ground ginger

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate

½ cup milk

¼ cup brandy

½ tsp. vanilla

¾ cups butter

½ lb. dark brown sugar

3 eggs

¾ cups amaretto liqueur

confectioner sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 177 degrees Celsius.

Grease a large bundt pan or spring-form pan.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler and set aside.

Mix milk, brandy, and vanilla.

Mix flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and ginger in a separate bowl.

Cream the butter, then add brown sugar and beat until fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, into the butter mixture.

Add cooled chocolate to the butter mixture.

Add the flour mixture and milk mixture to the butter mixture a little at a time.

Pour mixture into greased bundt pan or spring-form pan.

Bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until done (test with a small knife), taking care not to overbake.

Let cake cool for 20 minutes before removing from pan, then place it into a bowl (flat side up) which is just large enough to hold it, but no larger.

Using a skewer, pierce the cake with 10-12 holes, being careful not to go all the way through.

Pour 1/3 of the amaretto over the cake. 

When that is absorbed, pour another 1/3 amaretto; when absorbed, pour the remainder onto the cake. 

This will take several hours.

When all of the amaretto has been absorbed, gently invert the cake onto a plate (flat side down).

Dust the cake with confectioner's sugar.

As a side note, in case you’re wondering...

Cardamom is a spice made from the seed pods of the cardamom plant, a close relative to ginger and turmeric, that is native to South India. 

The triangle-shaped pods are made up of spindle-shaped clusters of seeds with a thin outer shell that can be enjoyed both whole or ground. 

The spice is frequently used in both sweet and savory dishes in global cuisines from India to the Middle East to Scandinavia.

The taste?

It has a piney, fruity, and almost menthol-like flavor. 

When used too much, it can be slightly astringent, so use sparingly.

Happy Easter

Easter

In 325 CE, the Council of Nicaea established that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox.

From that point forward, the Easter date depended on the ecclesiastical approximation of March 21 for the vernal equinox.

Easter is a Pagan festival, it really is as simple as that.

While Pagans are celebrating the Spring Equinox, religious culture celebrates the resurrection. 

However, early Christianity accepted ancient pagan practices, most of which most people practice today at Easter. 

The death of the son (sun) on a cross (the constellation of the Southern Cross) and his rebirth, overcoming the powers of darkness, was a well worn story in the ancient world. 

There were a lot of other resurrected saviours too.

The Sumerian goddess Inanna, or Ishtar, was hung naked on a stake, and was subsequently resurrected and ascended from the underworld. 

One of the oldest resurrection myths is Egyptian Horus. Born on 25 December, Horus and his damaged eye became symbols of life and rebirth. 

Mithras was born on what we now call Christmas day, and his followers celebrated the spring equinox. 

Even as late as the 4th century AD, the sol invictus, associated with Mithras, was the last great pagan cult the church had to overcome. Dionysus was a divine child, resurrected by his grandmother. 

Dionysus also brought his mum, Semele, back to life.

It’s all about the resurrection.

Although we see no celebration of Easter in the New Testament, early church fathers celebrated it, and today many churches are offering "sunrise services" at Easter – an obvious pagan solar celebration. 

The date of Easter is not fixed, but instead is governed by the phases of the moon – that’s pretty much Pagan.

And there are all the familiar things about Easter are certainly Pagan. 

Bunnies are from the Pagan festival of Eostre, a great northern goddess whose symbol was a rabbit or hare. 

Exchange of eggs is an ancient custom, celebrated by many cultures. 

Hot cross buns are very ancient too. In the Old Testament we see the Israelites baking sweet buns for an idol, and religious leaders trying to put a stop to it. 

The early church clergy also tried to put a stop to sacred cakes being baked at Easter. 

In the end, in the face of defiant cake-baking Pagan women, they gave up and blessed the cake instead.

Easter is essentially a pagan festival which is celebrated in churches for totally different reasons than they were originally were honored.