Santeria is a Caribbean tradition that originated with certain African slaves revering their deities in the Christian framework that was imposed on them once they were forced from their homelands. Thus the deities of the Western African Yoruba pantheon, or orishas, became “saints” by association and Santeria is the worship of those saints. It is practiced today in the United States (and elsewhere, obviously), mostly by Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Venezuelans, Colombians, Dominicans, and other people of Latin American extraction, both black and white. As is the case with syncretistic religions, it is no longer the same faith as that practiced by the Yoruba people in Africa, but a unique

This year, we’ll enjoy a rather rare occurrence – a blue moon (the second full moon in a calendar month) falling on New Year’s Eve.* Technically any full moon on the 31st of a month (such as on Samhain) will be a blue moon, since the moon’s cycle is 29.5 days – but a blue moon falling on New Year’s Eve only happens every 19 years. Last time this happened was 1990, and next time it happens it will be 2028. However, to add to the exciting mix, this full moon will come complete with a lunar eclipse (which those of us in the Americas will not be able to see, as it happens in the daytime for us) as the moon is aligned with both Earth and Sun, and will occur when the moon reaches

Today is the winter solstice, marking the shortest day of the year and the longest night. Rather than trying to think of some beautiful, new words all my own, I will let a few of our authors handle it. Here are a couple excerpts to enjoy while sipping something warm and watching the snow fall in the dark afternoon. December is a month for holiday celebrations, no matter which religion you follow. For Pagans, that holiday is Yule, which falls on or around December 21st. Yule is a celebration of the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. In the Wiccan symbolism of the turning Wheel of the Year, this is the time when the Holly King (who represents the dark half of the year) is

This week Gap, the popular US clothing chain, released its 2009 holiday ad, which I’ve already seen probably 10 times. It’s a loud and rather annoying cheer, which the first few times I heard just sounded like random shouting. After a couple more times, I realized they are cheering: Go Christmas! Go Hanukkah! Go Kwanzaa! Go Solstice! Yes, our religious path has been elevated to the heights of a mainstream TV commercial. I mean, they could have picked Festivus for number four, right? They even have a website where you can choose a “cheer” from these overly cheery model/actor/dancers, personalize it, and email it to friends and family. Aw, thanks Gap. But I did not see a Pagan