Pagan | It Is What It Is

~~June 23, 2016~~

NOCHE DE SAN JUAN

San Juan is a festival celebrated on June 23rd, a magical night that welcomes the summer season

If I was younger, if I was in Puerto Rico, if circumstances were “normal”,

I would would have found an awesome stretch of beach.

There would have been a plan in place for friends, family and beachgoers to get together and celebrate in style.

Puerto Ricans alwys loook for an excuse to party.

What more would be better than celebrating this special night with those you love?

Of course you would always connect with those near your chosen spot and the party would get bigger and bigger.

One big group of people, free from worries, at least for one night, celebrating Puerto Rican culture.

I know it will happen tonight.

Anywhere there’s a Puerto Rican, there will be some sort of celebration.

Have to go out now and find one such celebration.

HortyRex©

The celebration takes place during the shortest night of the year; the summer solstice. It is a celebration that is usually held on the beach with roaring bonfires, drinks, food and friends.

Legends, tradition and magical rituals are connected by a common elements: fire and water.

Some mystical people believe that on this magical night paranormal events can occur because ancient pagan gods get closer to humans. For this reason many magical rituals are celebrated. Young people jump over fires which, according to legend, gives more strength to the sun, which loses hours of light during the summer.

It is also a night full of Superstition.

If you want to be lucky for the next 12 months you may want to:

Jump over a bonfire
Burn a piece of paper with your lover’s name on it
Burn something old and personal to leave behind bad spirits from the past and start a new phase
Swimming in the ocean after midnight purifies soul and body
Fountains and natural water resources become magic and have healing properties

~ORIGINS~

Every region in Spain has different local traditions, however all of them are related to fire and water.
Dancing and praying around bonfires, and in some areas burning rag man, which originally symbolized Judas Iscariot.

Pagan and Religious tradition meet in this awesome celebration.

“As it appears in … full read/full credit”

http://www.livinglanguage.com/blog/2012/06/22/la-noche-de-san-juan-the-night-of-fire/

~~GRAPHICS SOURCE~~

Google Images

I do not own these images.

No intention of taking credit.

If anyone knows the owner of any, please advise and it will be corrected immediately.

HortyRex©

~~GALLERY~~

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#WeAlllAreOne #ItIsWhatItIs #DrRex #HortyRex #hrexachwordpress

~~Noche de San Juan …. Puerto Rico’s Night on the Beach~~

PUERTO RICO

(not the best video but this one explained the meaning clearly and in English)

~~Uploaded on Jul 30, 2010~~

Join LatinFlyer.com for Noche de San Juan (Night of St. John), a centuries-old tradition that brings thousands of people to the beach at midnight, for an evening of celebration, friends and family.

Get ready to get wet!

We ALL are ONE!!

~~October 31, 2014~~

Halloween, a contraction of “All Hallows’ Evening”, also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows’ Eve, or All Saints’ Eve, is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day. It initiates the triduum of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers. Within Allhallowtide, the traditional focus of All Hallows’ Eve revolves around the theme of using “humor and ridicule to confront the power of death.”

According to many scholars, All Hallows’ Eve is a Christianized feast initially influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, with possible pagan roots, particularly the Gaelic Samhain. Other scholars maintain that it originated independently of Samhain and has solely Christian roots.

Samhain is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the “darker half” of the year. It is celebrated from sunset on 31 October to sunset on 1 November, or about halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with Imbolc, Beltane and Lughnasadh.

Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Kindred festivals were held at the same time of year in other Celtic lands; for example the Brythonic Calan Gaeaf (in Wales), Kalan Gwav (in Cornwall), and Kalan Goañv (in Brittany).

~~GALLERY~~

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~~Samhain/Halloween~~

Helen Demetriou

~~Uploaded on Oct 12, 2010~~

Contained in this video are the origins of Samhain, better known as Halloween, with correspondences and activities that can be done to celebrate this ancient Celtic festival.