BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:iCalendar-Ruby BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Rising Action Theatre\n840 E. Oakland Park Blvd\n\nOakland Park\, FL 33334 SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20081106T220000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5645890-christmas-with-christopher-peterso ns-eyecons-north-americas-foremost-female-impersonator-fl-oakland-park-3333 4-rising-action-theatre?s=ical DTSTART:20081106T200000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_980419987@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:  A huge hit in Palm Springs\, Toronto\, Rehobeth and LasVega s\, accolades include: "Peterson's Rendition of Barbra is a show stopper.. .. likebuttah." Toronto Star "Peterson actually performs the Barbra and Ju dy materialbetter than Jim Bailey" Desert Sun "Fun\, Fun maddening fun wit h a sense of style too good to belegal!"  Vue Weekly "His Judy will break your heart:" Edmonton Sun "The Brass you expect from a female impersonato r. The Classmay come as a surprise." Hamilton Spectator Thursday\, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm\;  Sunday at 7 pmShow only tickets $35.00Show and Thr ee Course Dinner at Primavera Restaurantacross the street - only $60.00  Â Â Â EyeconsSunday\, December 13\, 2009 at 7:00 PM SUMMARY:Christmas with Christopher Peterson's Eyecons! North America's Fo remost Female Impersonator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Rising Action Theatre\n840 E. Oakland Park Blvd\n\nOakland Park\, FL 33334 SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20081107T233000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5645890-christmas-with-christopher-peterso ns-eyecons-north-americas-foremost-female-impersonator-fl-oakland-park-3333 4-rising-action-theatre?s=ical DTSTART:20081107T213000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_947328390@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:  A huge hit in Palm Springs\, Toronto\, Rehobeth and LasVega s\, accolades include: "Peterson's Rendition of Barbra is a show stopper.. .. likebuttah." Toronto Star "Peterson actually performs the Barbra and Ju dy materialbetter than Jim Bailey" Desert Sun "Fun\, Fun maddening fun wit h a sense of style too good to belegal!"  Vue Weekly "His Judy will break your heart:" Edmonton Sun "The Brass you expect from a female impersonato r. The Classmay come as a surprise." Hamilton Spectator Thursday\, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm\;  Sunday at 7 pmShow only tickets $35.00Show and Thr ee Course Dinner at Primavera Restaurantacross the street - only $60.00  Â Â Â EyeconsSunday\, December 13\, 2009 at 7:00 PM SUMMARY:Christmas with Christopher Peterson's Eyecons! North America's Fo remost Female Impersonator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Rising Action Theatre\n840 E. Oakland Park Blvd\n\nOakland Park\, FL 33334 SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20081108T233000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5645890-christmas-with-christopher-peterso ns-eyecons-north-americas-foremost-female-impersonator-fl-oakland-park-3333 4-rising-action-theatre?s=ical DTSTART:20081108T213000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_316226695@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:  A huge hit in Palm Springs\, Toronto\, Rehobeth and LasVega s\, accolades include: "Peterson's Rendition of Barbra is a show stopper.. .. likebuttah." Toronto Star "Peterson actually performs the Barbra and Ju dy materialbetter than Jim Bailey" Desert Sun "Fun\, Fun maddening fun wit h a sense of style too good to belegal!"  Vue Weekly "His Judy will break your heart:" Edmonton Sun "The Brass you expect from a female impersonato r. The Classmay come as a surprise." Hamilton Spectator Thursday\, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm\;  Sunday at 7 pmShow only tickets $35.00Show and Thr ee Course Dinner at Primavera Restaurantacross the street - only $60.00  Â Â Â EyeconsSunday\, December 13\, 2009 at 7:00 PM SUMMARY:Christmas with Christopher Peterson's Eyecons! North America's Fo remost Female Impersonator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Rising Action Theatre\n840 E. Oakland Park Blvd\n\nOakland Park\, FL 33334 SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20081109T210000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5645890-christmas-with-christopher-peterso ns-eyecons-north-americas-foremost-female-impersonator-fl-oakland-park-3333 4-rising-action-theatre?s=ical DTSTART:20081109T190000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_449754191@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:  A huge hit in Palm Springs\, Toronto\, Rehobeth and LasVega s\, accolades include: "Peterson's Rendition of Barbra is a show stopper.. .. likebuttah." Toronto Star "Peterson actually performs the Barbra and Ju dy materialbetter than Jim Bailey" Desert Sun "Fun\, Fun maddening fun wit h a sense of style too good to belegal!"  Vue Weekly "His Judy will break your heart:" Edmonton Sun "The Brass you expect from a female impersonato r. The Classmay come as a surprise." Hamilton Spectator Thursday\, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm\;  Sunday at 7 pmShow only tickets $35.00Show and Thr ee Course Dinner at Primavera Restaurantacross the street - only $60.00  Â Â Â EyeconsSunday\, December 13\, 2009 at 7:00 PM SUMMARY:Christmas with Christopher Peterson's Eyecons! North America's Fo remost Female Impersonator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Rising Action Theatre\n840 E. Oakland Park Blvd\n\nOakland Park\, FL 33334 SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20081113T220000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5645890-christmas-with-christopher-peterso ns-eyecons-north-americas-foremost-female-impersonator-fl-oakland-park-3333 4-rising-action-theatre?s=ical DTSTART:20081113T200000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_597719186@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:  A huge hit in Palm Springs\, Toronto\, Rehobeth and LasVega s\, accolades include: "Peterson's Rendition of Barbra is a show stopper.. .. likebuttah." Toronto Star "Peterson actually performs the Barbra and Ju dy materialbetter than Jim Bailey" Desert Sun "Fun\, Fun maddening fun wit h a sense of style too good to belegal!"  Vue Weekly "His Judy will break your heart:" Edmonton Sun "The Brass you expect from a female impersonato r. The Classmay come as a surprise." Hamilton Spectator Thursday\, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm\;  Sunday at 7 pmShow only tickets $35.00Show and Thr ee Course Dinner at Primavera Restaurantacross the street - only $60.00  Â Â Â EyeconsSunday\, December 13\, 2009 at 7:00 PM SUMMARY:Christmas with Christopher Peterson's Eyecons! North America's Fo remost Female Impersonator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Rising Action Theatre\n840 E. Oakland Park Blvd\n\nOakland Park\, FL 33334 SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20081114T233000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5645890-christmas-with-christopher-peterso ns-eyecons-north-americas-foremost-female-impersonator-fl-oakland-park-3333 4-rising-action-theatre?s=ical DTSTART:20081114T213000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_184691667@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:  A huge hit in Palm Springs\, Toronto\, Rehobeth and LasVega s\, accolades include: "Peterson's Rendition of Barbra is a show stopper.. .. likebuttah." Toronto Star "Peterson actually performs the Barbra and Ju dy materialbetter than Jim Bailey" Desert Sun "Fun\, Fun maddening fun wit h a sense of style too good to belegal!"  Vue Weekly "His Judy will break your heart:" Edmonton Sun "The Brass you expect from a female impersonato r. The Classmay come as a surprise." Hamilton Spectator Thursday\, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm\;  Sunday at 7 pmShow only tickets $35.00Show and Thr ee Course Dinner at Primavera Restaurantacross the street - only $60.00  Â Â Â EyeconsSunday\, December 13\, 2009 at 7:00 PM SUMMARY:Christmas with Christopher Peterson's Eyecons! North America's Fo remost Female Impersonator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Rising Action Theatre\n840 E. Oakland Park Blvd\n\nOakland Park\, FL 33334 SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20081115T233000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5645890-christmas-with-christopher-peterso ns-eyecons-north-americas-foremost-female-impersonator-fl-oakland-park-3333 4-rising-action-theatre?s=ical DTSTART:20081115T213000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_114870563@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:  A huge hit in Palm Springs\, Toronto\, Rehobeth and LasVega s\, accolades include: "Peterson's Rendition of Barbra is a show stopper.. .. likebuttah." Toronto Star "Peterson actually performs the Barbra and Ju dy materialbetter than Jim Bailey" Desert Sun "Fun\, Fun maddening fun wit h a sense of style too good to belegal!"  Vue Weekly "His Judy will break your heart:" Edmonton Sun "The Brass you expect from a female impersonato r. The Classmay come as a surprise." Hamilton Spectator Thursday\, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm\;  Sunday at 7 pmShow only tickets $35.00Show and Thr ee Course Dinner at Primavera Restaurantacross the street - only $60.00  Â Â Â EyeconsSunday\, December 13\, 2009 at 7:00 PM SUMMARY:Christmas with Christopher Peterson's Eyecons! North America's Fo remost Female Impersonator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Rising Action Theatre\n840 E. Oakland Park Blvd\n\nOakland Park\, FL 33334 SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20081116T210000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5645890-christmas-with-christopher-peterso ns-eyecons-north-americas-foremost-female-impersonator-fl-oakland-park-3333 4-rising-action-theatre?s=ical DTSTART:20081116T190000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_701384095@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:  A huge hit in Palm Springs\, Toronto\, Rehobeth and LasVega s\, accolades include: "Peterson's Rendition of Barbra is a show stopper.. .. likebuttah." Toronto Star "Peterson actually performs the Barbra and Ju dy materialbetter than Jim Bailey" Desert Sun "Fun\, Fun maddening fun wit h a sense of style too good to belegal!"  Vue Weekly "His Judy will break your heart:" Edmonton Sun "The Brass you expect from a female impersonato r. The Classmay come as a surprise." Hamilton Spectator Thursday\, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm\;  Sunday at 7 pmShow only tickets $35.00Show and Thr ee Course Dinner at Primavera Restaurantacross the street - only $60.00  Â Â Â EyeconsSunday\, December 13\, 2009 at 7:00 PM SUMMARY:Christmas with Christopher Peterson's Eyecons! North America's Fo remost Female Impersonator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Rising Action Theatre\n840 E. Oakland Park Blvd\n\nOakland Park\, FL 33334 SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20081120T220000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5645890-christmas-with-christopher-peterso ns-eyecons-north-americas-foremost-female-impersonator-fl-oakland-park-3333 4-rising-action-theatre?s=ical DTSTART:20081120T200000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_24853129@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:  A huge hit in Palm Springs\, Toronto\, Rehobeth and LasVega s\, accolades include: "Peterson's Rendition of Barbra is a show stopper.. .. likebuttah." Toronto Star "Peterson actually performs the Barbra and Ju dy materialbetter than Jim Bailey" Desert Sun "Fun\, Fun maddening fun wit h a sense of style too good to belegal!"  Vue Weekly "His Judy will break your heart:" Edmonton Sun "The Brass you expect from a female impersonato r. The Classmay come as a surprise." Hamilton Spectator Thursday\, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm\;  Sunday at 7 pmShow only tickets $35.00Show and Thr ee Course Dinner at Primavera Restaurantacross the street - only $60.00  Â Â Â EyeconsSunday\, December 13\, 2009 at 7:00 PM SUMMARY:Christmas with Christopher Peterson's Eyecons! North America's Fo remost Female Impersonator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Rising Action Theatre\n840 E. Oakland Park Blvd\n\nOakland Park\, FL 33334 SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20081121T233000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5645890-christmas-with-christopher-peterso ns-eyecons-north-americas-foremost-female-impersonator-fl-oakland-park-3333 4-rising-action-theatre?s=ical DTSTART:20081121T213000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_858879780@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:  A huge hit in Palm Springs\, Toronto\, Rehobeth and LasVega s\, accolades include: "Peterson's Rendition of Barbra is a show stopper.. .. likebuttah." Toronto Star "Peterson actually performs the Barbra and Ju dy materialbetter than Jim Bailey" Desert Sun "Fun\, Fun maddening fun wit h a sense of style too good to belegal!"  Vue Weekly "His Judy will break your heart:" Edmonton Sun "The Brass you expect from a female impersonato r. The Classmay come as a surprise." Hamilton Spectator Thursday\, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm\;  Sunday at 7 pmShow only tickets $35.00Show and Thr ee Course Dinner at Primavera Restaurantacross the street - only $60.00  Â Â Â EyeconsSunday\, December 13\, 2009 at 7:00 PM SUMMARY:Christmas with Christopher Peterson's Eyecons! North America's Fo remost Female Impersonator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Rising Action Theatre\n840 E. Oakland Park Blvd\n\nOakland Park\, FL 33334 SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20081123T000000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5645890-christmas-with-christopher-peterso ns-eyecons-north-americas-foremost-female-impersonator-fl-oakland-park-3333 4-rising-action-theatre?s=ical DTSTART:20081122T220000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_370640600@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:  A huge hit in Palm Springs\, Toronto\, Rehobeth and LasVega s\, accolades include: "Peterson's Rendition of Barbra is a show stopper.. .. likebuttah." Toronto Star "Peterson actually performs the Barbra and Ju dy materialbetter than Jim Bailey" Desert Sun "Fun\, Fun maddening fun wit h a sense of style too good to belegal!"  Vue Weekly "His Judy will break your heart:" Edmonton Sun "The Brass you expect from a female impersonato r. The Classmay come as a surprise." Hamilton Spectator Thursday\, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm\;  Sunday at 7 pmShow only tickets $35.00Show and Thr ee Course Dinner at Primavera Restaurantacross the street - only $60.00  Â Â Â EyeconsSunday\, December 13\, 2009 at 7:00 PM SUMMARY:Christmas with Christopher Peterson's Eyecons! North America's Fo remost Female Impersonator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Rising Action Theatre\n840 E. Oakland Park Blvd\n\nOakland Park\, FL 33334 SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20081123T210000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5645890-christmas-with-christopher-peterso ns-eyecons-north-americas-foremost-female-impersonator-fl-oakland-park-3333 4-rising-action-theatre?s=ical DTSTART:20081123T190000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_317596620@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:  A huge hit in Palm Springs\, Toronto\, Rehobeth and LasVega s\, accolades include: "Peterson's Rendition of Barbra is a show stopper.. .. likebuttah." Toronto Star "Peterson actually performs the Barbra and Ju dy materialbetter than Jim Bailey" Desert Sun "Fun\, Fun maddening fun wit h a sense of style too good to belegal!"  Vue Weekly "His Judy will break your heart:" Edmonton Sun "The Brass you expect from a female impersonato r. The Classmay come as a surprise." Hamilton Spectator Thursday\, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm\;  Sunday at 7 pmShow only tickets $35.00Show and Thr ee Course Dinner at Primavera Restaurantacross the street - only $60.00  Â Â Â EyeconsSunday\, December 13\, 2009 at 7:00 PM SUMMARY:Christmas with Christopher Peterson's Eyecons! North America's Fo remost Female Impersonator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Rising Action Theatre\n840 E. Oakland Park Blvd\n\nOakland Park\, FL 33334 SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20091203T220000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5645890-christmas-with-christopher-peterso ns-eyecons-north-americas-foremost-female-impersonator-fl-oakland-park-3333 4-rising-action-theatre?s=ical DTSTART:20091203T200000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_560926269@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:  A huge hit in Palm Springs\, Toronto\, Rehobeth and LasVega s\, accolades include: "Peterson's Rendition of Barbra is a show stopper.. .. likebuttah." Toronto Star "Peterson actually performs the Barbra and Ju dy materialbetter than Jim Bailey" Desert Sun "Fun\, Fun maddening fun wit h a sense of style too good to belegal!"  Vue Weekly "His Judy will break your heart:" Edmonton Sun "The Brass you expect from a female impersonato r. The Classmay come as a surprise." Hamilton Spectator Thursday\, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm\;  Sunday at 7 pmShow only tickets $35.00Show and Thr ee Course Dinner at Primavera Restaurantacross the street - only $60.00  Â Â Â EyeconsSunday\, December 13\, 2009 at 7:00 PM SUMMARY:Christmas with Christopher Peterson's Eyecons! North America's Fo remost Female Impersonator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Rising Action Theatre\n840 E. Oakland Park Blvd\n\nOakland Park\, FL 33334 SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20091212T220000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5645890-christmas-with-christopher-peterso ns-eyecons-north-americas-foremost-female-impersonator-fl-oakland-park-3333 4-rising-action-theatre?s=ical DTSTART:20091212T200000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_299667739@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:  A huge hit in Palm Springs\, Toronto\, Rehobeth and LasVega s\, accolades include: "Peterson's Rendition of Barbra is a show stopper.. .. likebuttah." Toronto Star "Peterson actually performs the Barbra and Ju dy materialbetter than Jim Bailey" Desert Sun "Fun\, Fun maddening fun wit h a sense of style too good to belegal!"  Vue Weekly "His Judy will break your heart:" Edmonton Sun "The Brass you expect from a female impersonato r. The Classmay come as a surprise." Hamilton Spectator Thursday\, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm\;  Sunday at 7 pmShow only tickets $35.00Show and Thr ee Course Dinner at Primavera Restaurantacross the street - only $60.00  Â Â Â EyeconsSunday\, December 13\, 2009 at 7:00 PM SUMMARY:Christmas with Christopher Peterson's Eyecons! North America's Fo remost Female Impersonator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Rising Action Theatre\n840 E. Oakland Park Blvd\n\nOakland Park\, FL 33334 SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20091213T210000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5645890-christmas-with-christopher-peterso ns-eyecons-north-americas-foremost-female-impersonator-fl-oakland-park-3333 4-rising-action-theatre?s=ical DTSTART:20091213T190000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_734471517@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:  A huge hit in Palm Springs\, Toronto\, Rehobeth and LasVega s\, accolades include: "Peterson's Rendition of Barbra is a show stopper.. .. likebuttah." Toronto Star "Peterson actually performs the Barbra and Ju dy materialbetter than Jim Bailey" Desert Sun "Fun\, Fun maddening fun wit h a sense of style too good to belegal!"  Vue Weekly "His Judy will break your heart:" Edmonton Sun "The Brass you expect from a female impersonato r. The Classmay come as a surprise." Hamilton Spectator Thursday\, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm\;  Sunday at 7 pmShow only tickets $35.00Show and Thr ee Course Dinner at Primavera Restaurantacross the street - only $60.00  Â Â Â EyeconsSunday\, December 13\, 2009 at 7:00 PM SUMMARY:Christmas with Christopher Peterson's Eyecons! North America's Fo remost Female Impersonator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Oakland Park-FL Venue\nSee Event Details\n\nOakland Park\, FL SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20091219T210000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5872055-2009-8-winter-solstice-sun-celebra tion-yule-fl-oakland-park-oakland-park-fl-venue?s=ical DTSTART:20091219T190000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_555850284@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:The Moon Path Chapter of Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pag ans (CUUPS) will host an open Winter Solstice Sun Celebration 7:00pm\, Satu rday\, December 19\, 2009 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ft. Laude rdale\, 3970 NW 21st Ave. (between Commercial and Oakland Park) \, Free. Br ing canned or non-perishable food items\, to be donated to the Cooperative Feeding Program of Broward County.The public is invited to attend the Winte r Solstice Sun Celebration which will conform to the ancient tradition. The re will be drumming\, dancing\, chanting\, and feasting. Feel free to come dressed in garb or costume. Bring your drums and percussion instruments for the drum circle\, as well as food and drink to share for the feast\, to fo llow the Celebration. Visit the CUUPS Moon Path Chapter website for details on pagan activities. http://MoonPathCUUPS.org .This year the Winter Solsti ce is December 21\, 2009 17:47 Universal Time\, when the Sun enters zero de grees Capricorn.The full moon in the month of December is called the Long N ights Moon. This year the Long Nights Moon is December 02\, 2009 7:30 Unive rsal Time and/or December 31\, 2009 17:47 Universal Time.The Winter Solstic e is a festival of Rebirth of the Sun\, the shortest day of the year\, the official first day of winter and marks the division of the year and the low est power of the Sun. Just as the dark or waning half of the year began at Summer Solstice with the longest day\, the light or waxing half begins now at the Winter Solstice with the longest night. It is also considered by som e to be the start of the new Wheel of the Year and is the start of the Chin ese Solar Year. It is the time to look on the past year's achievements and to celebrate with family and friends.The word "Yule" is believed to derive from the Norse\, Jul\, meaning "wheel."Four thousand years ago or so\, anci ent Egyptians celebrated the rebirth of the sun at this time of year. They set the length of the festival at 12 days\, to reflect the 12 divisions in their sun calendar. They decorated with greenery\, using palms with 12 shoo ts as a symbol of the completed year\, since a palm was thought to put fort h a shoot each month. In ancient Egypt there was the Dejed-piler resembling a stylized tree. The Djed pillar (pronounced Zed) is a khemetic hieroglyph ic symbol which stands for stability. It represents the backbone of Osiris which is the greek form of the Khemetic Asir. The Djed was raised at variou s times\, during the end of the A'aperti's reign & the coronation of a new one\, and also during the Winter Solstice. The common people raised the Dje d pillar during times of failing crops to ensure fertility which has to do with Asir being a Netjer of resurrection. During the 'Raising of the Djed F estival' the A'aperti or the pharaoh would run a certain course to prove th at he was still fit to rule. The Djed was decorated with a Tet Knot (bow) a nd Dejeds (flanges) to represent the union of Isis and Osiris.The ancient E gyptians had both a lunar calendar\, and a seasonal 'solar' 365 day calenda r\, which was divided into three seasons of four months each. Each month co nsisted of 30 days (3 weeks of 10 days per week) . At the end of the solar year\, five additional 'spiritual' days were added to the solar calendar fo r the birth of the Goddesses/Gods. An extra day would be added as needed.Th e heliacal rise of Sirius just before dawn was an extremely important event for the Ancient Egyptians. The first visibility of the star Sirius on the morning sky\, called heliacal rising\, fell close to the Inundation of the Nile and was the beginning of the Ancient Egyptian solar year. The first ne w moon after the heliacal rising was the begining of the lunar year. 3\, 00 0 years ago the heliacal rising was in early July\, currently it is around August 1st. Each lunar month was named after an Ancient Egyptian Goddess\, God\, or major festival. In a year with 13 new moons\, the 13th lunar month was added to the end of the year.The Ancient Egyptian fourth lunar month f rom November 16\, 2009 to December 15\, 2009 is Ka-Hr-Ka/Ka-Hr-Ka/Choiak (C hoiach) and Sacred to Sekhet/Sekhmet/Sekhtet\, the lion headed sun Goddess of sunset\, destruction\, death\, ending\, wisdom\, sexuality\, transformat ion\, magick\, healing\, surgery\; wife of Ptah and mother of Nefertem. Day one is the Feast of Re and Sekhmet. Feast for all gods is day two. Feast o f Sekhmet-Bast-Re is day fifteen. the Mysteries of Isis and Osiris were cel ebrated through a series of elaborate rituals. In these the Lamenting of Is is over the death of Osiris\, the resurrection of Osiris through the power of Isis\, and the impregnation of Isis are all reinacted in symbolic terms. The Ancient Egyptian fifth lunar month from December 16\, 2009 to January 1 4\, 2010 is Sf-Bdt/tA-aAbt/Tybi and Sacred to Khopry/Menu/Amsu\, the winged beetle God that appears from the mud flats arising out of the Nile's inund ation. Day one is the Feast of Re\, Feast of Bast\, and The Heb-Sed (Jubile e) Festival. The Feast of Sekhmet Placing the Flame Before the Great Ones i s the day seven. Day eighteen commemorates the going forth of the Netjeru o f Abydos.The Navigation festival of the Distant Goddess Sekhmet (the Eye of Ra) from the southern lands starts on day 19 and is celebrated over severa l days. After the Winter Solstice the Sun (representing the Eye of Ra) is s een as turning and beginning its annual journey to the north. Sekhmet begin s Her transformation back into the beautiful Goddess Hathor/Hwt-Hrw.On the 23rd day is the Festival of Goddess Neith - revered Mother of the Gods and personification of the ancinet waters from which creation arose.The name of the Ancient Egyptian solar month from November 29 to December 28 is Peret I (emergence) \, when crops were planted\, cultivated\, and maintained.The ancient Hellenic lunar months would start on the new moon and a new day wou ld start at sunset. The new year would start on the new moon when the full moon was in the month of the Autumn Equinox\, which is September. Except fo r Athens which used the new moon following the Summer Solstice. I use the A utumn Equinox and the lunar month of Boedromion for my calculations for the new year. In a year with 13 new moons\, the 13th lunar month (Poseideon II ) was inserted between the 4th (Poseideon) and 5th (Gamelion) lunar months around December/January. A different Goddess/God was honored for the full m oon of the month.The ancient Hellenic fourth lunar month from November 16\, 2009 to December 15\, 2009 is Poseideon and full moon is dedicated to Heph estus (Vulcan) \, the god of fire\, smithing and artifice\, who MADE the th underbolts FOR Zeus. In the month of Poseideon there was a festival held to honor Poseidon on the 8th\; The Country Dionysia festival was held sometim e during the period from the 15th to the 29th (determined by each farm) and the Haloa was held on the 26th in honor of Demeter and Dionysos.The ancien t Hellenic thirteenth lunar month from December 16\, 2009 to January 14\, 2 010 is Poseideon II and full moon is dedicated to Hephestus (Vulcan) \, the god of fire\, smithing and artifice\, who MADE the thunderbolts FOR Zeus. In the month of Poseideon there was a festival held to honor Poseidon on th e 8th\; The Country Dionysia festival was held sometime during the period f rom the 15th to the 29th (determined by each farm) and the Haloa was held o n the 26th in honor of Demeter and Dionysos.Greek legend has a story of the Kallikantzaroi--ugly monsters of chaos who\, during most of the year are f orced underground. During the 12 days of Yule\, the Kallikantzaroi are said to roam freely on the earth's surface. They are known more for malicious p ractical joking than any real harm. To scare them away\, the Greeks kept th eir Yule log burning. Any child born during the twelve days was in danger o f becoming a Kallikantzaroi. The antidote? Binding the baby in tresses of g arlic or straw\, or singeing the child's toenails! The signal for their fin al departure does not come until the Epiphany\, when the "Blessing of the W aters" takes place. Some of the hallowed water is put into vessels\, and wi th these and with incense the priests sometimes make a round of the village \, sprinkling the people and their houses.The Roman calendar was originally lunar. The first days was the kalends (from which the modern word calendar is derived) \, the first quarter was the nones\, and the full moon was the ides. A crown of flowers was hung over the hearth\, and sacrifices were ma de to the Lares\, or household gods on the kalends\, nones\, ides\, and all feast days. The waning moon was the unlucky part of the month and had no n ame. The days were numbered backward from the first of the next month.The a ncient Roman solar calendar consisted of 10 months in a year of 304 days. T he Romans seem to have ignored the remaining 61 days\, which fell in the mi ddle of winter\, the unmarked "Terror Time". The 10 months were named Marti us\, Aprilis\, Maius\, Junius\, Quintilis\, Sextilis\, September\, October\ , November\, and December.December was originally the tenth month of the an cient Roman cival calendar and the name is derived from the Latin word for ten\, decem.Numa Pompilius\, the second king of Rome circa 700 BC\, added t he two months Januarius "January" and Februarius "February". This made the Roman year 355 days long. He also moved the beginning of the year from Mari us to Januarius.The first day of December is the Festival of Neptune\, the god of the sea and water. Neptune was known to the Greeks as Poseidon.Satur nalia was the feast at which the Romans commemorated the dedication of the temple of the god Saturn\, which took place on December 17. Over the years\ , it expanded to a whole week. Saturnalia was marked chiefly by having mast ers and slaves switch places\, which led to widespread drinking and debauch ery. The people gave themselves up to wild joy. They feasted\, they gave gi fts\, they decorated their homes with greenery. In the Roman calendar the W inter Solstice fell in this period\; in imperial times the event was celebr ated in honour of Sol Invictus\, the "Invincible Sun".In the third century the Roman Emperor Aurelian established December 25\, as the birthday of the "Invincible Sun" as part of the Roman Saturnalia (Winter Solstice) celebra tion/festival. The Roman Saturnalia festival went on for 12 days till Janua ry 6th.The fourth century Roman emperor Constantine\, moved the celebration of Christmas to December 25. In 567 AD\, Christians adopted the 12 day fes tival. Church leaders proclaimed the 12 days from December 25 to Jan 6th as a sacred\, festive season.Winter Solstice observences\, fesitvals\, and/or celebrations in December are: Christmas (Christian) \, Hanukkah (Jewish) \ , Las Posadas\, Ta Chui\, Alban Arthan\, Finn's Day\, Festival of Sol\, Yul etide\, La Festa dell' Inverno\, Great Day of the Cauldron\, and Festival o f Growth.The Winter Solstice festivities celebrates the rebirth of the Sun\ , and honors the birth of the Sun God/King. The Goddess gives birth to the Sun Child\, the Sun of God\, and hope for new light is born. This is when w e celebrate the coming light\, and thank the Goddesses and Gods for seeing us through the longest night.Also at this time of year was Sacaea or Zagmuk \, the annual renewal festival of the Babylonians which was adopted by the Persians. One of the themes of these festivals was the temporary subversion of order. Masters and slaves exchanged places. A mock king was crowned. Ma squeraders spilled into the streets. As the old year died\, rules of ordina ry living were relaxed.There's the Julbock or Julbukk\, or Yule goat\, from Sweden and Norway\, who had his beginnings as carrier for the god Thor. No w he carries the Yule elf when he makes his rounds to deliver presents and receive his offering of porridge. The Yule elf is called Jultomten in Swede n\, Julesvenn in Norway\, and Jule-nissen in Denmark and Norway.Yule is a t ime to look on the past year's achievements and to celebrate with family an d friends.The Yule log and tree\, mistletoe\, holly\, pine\, cedar\, junipe r\, spinning wheels\, the colors red and green\, and gift giving are all pa rt of the Yule celebrations. Red candles are used to symbolize the fire and heat of the returning sun as the days begin to lengthen. The tree also dat es from old European or pagan rituals. It was the time to celebrate the ren ewal of the earth\, and greens were used as the symbol.The yule log is the counterpart of the midsummer bondfires\, which are held outdoors on Summer Solstice (Litha) to celebrate the shortest night of the year. It is also cu stomary to place mistletoe around the fire\, which is the plant that grew o n the oak tree\, sacred to the Druids\, the priests of the old Celts.In Eur ope the yule log is brought in and placed on the hearth where it glows for the twelve nights of the holiday season. After that\, it is kept in the hou se all year to protect the home and its inhabitants from illness and any ad verse condition.Goddesses associated with the winter solstice are: All Godd esses whose worship continued in Christian times under the name Mary\, Tona ntzin (Native Mexican corn mother) \, Holda (Teutonic earth goddess of good fortune) \, Bona Dea (Roman women's goddess of abundance and prophecy) \, Ops (Roman goddess of plenty) \, Au Set/Isis (Egyptian) \, Lucina/St. Lucy (Roman/Swedish goddess/saint of light) \, and Befana (Italian Witch who giv es gifts to children at this season) .Gods associated with the winter solst ice are: Saturn (Roman agricultural god) \, Janus (Roman) \, Cronos (Greek god\, also known as Father Time) \, the Holly King (Celtic god of the dying year) \, Father Ice/Grandfather Frost (Russian winter god) \, Thor (Norse sky god who rides the sky in a chariot drawn by goats) \, Odin/Wotan (Scand inavian/Teutonic All-Father who rides the sky on an eight-legged horse) \, Frey (Norse peace/fertility/prosperity God of Yule born on the Winter Solst ice) \, and the Tomte (a Norse Land Spirit known for giving gifts to childr en at this time of year) . Santa's reindeer can be viewed as forms of Herne \, the Celtic Horned God.The Year is divided into Quarters by the Winter So lstice\, Spring Equinox\, Summer Solstice\, and the Fall Equinox. Halfway b eteen the Solstice and and Equinox is the Cross Quarter. These Quarters and Cross Quarters are called the Wheel of the Year of the Sun.Winter Solstice (Yule) is one of the 4 Quarter Sun Celebrations in the wheel of the Year. It is halfway between 2 Cross Quarter Sun Celebrations\, November 1st (Samh ain) and February 2nd (Imbolc) . Exactly opposite Summer Solstice (Litha) o n the wheel of the year.\n\nVenue Name: Unknown \nVenue City: Oakland Pa rk \nVenue State: FL SUMMARY:2009 (8) Winter Solstice Sun Celebration - Yule END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Oakland Park-FL Venue\nSee Event Details\n\nOakland Park\, FL SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20100130T210000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/5871538-2010-1-mid-winter-sun-celebration- imbolc-fl-oakland-park-oakland-park-fl-venue?s=ical DTSTART:20100130T190000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_89616088@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:The Moon Path Chapter of Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pag ans (CUUPS) will host an openMid Winter Sun Celebration\, 7:00 pm\, Saturda y\, January 30\, 2010\, at theUnitarian Universalist Church of Ft. Lauderda le\, 3970 NW 21st Ave.(between Commercial and Oakland Park) \,Ft. Lauderdal e\, Fl 33309\, Free.Bring canned or non-perishable food items and clothing\ , to be donated tothe Cooperative Feeding Program of Broward County.Bring y our drums and percussion instruments\,as well as food and drink to share fo r the feast to follow the Celebration.The public is invited to attend the M id Winter Sun Celebration which willconform to\, and celebrate\, the Ancien t Tradition.There will be drumming\, dancing\, chanting\, and feasting.Feel free to come dressed in Garb or Costume.Anyone interested in participating is welcome.Visit the CUUPS Moon Path Chapter website for details on pagan activities. http://MoonPathCUUPS.org .Mid Winter (Imbolc) is one of the 4 C ross Quarter Sun Celebrations in the Wheel of the Year.It is halfway betwee n the two Quarter Sun Celebrations\,Winter Solstice (Yule) and Spring Equin ox (Ostara) .Exactly opposite Mid Summer (Lammas\, August 1) on the wheel o f the year.This year the Mid Winter Cross Quarter is on February 5\, 2010\, when the Sun reaches 15 degrees Aquarius but it is always celebrated on Feb ruary 2.Mid Winter is a festival of spiritual purification and dedication\; very home-centered\,with cleansing and purification rites conducted for ea ch room in preparation for the birth of spring.This is the origin of 'Sprin g Cleaning'. It's the appropriate time for new beginning and re-dedications .Mid Winter is the time considered by some to be the start of spring.The qu ickening of the seeds of spring within the earth.Though in early February t he days are growing noticeably longer\, this is still a dark time.The full moon in the month of February is called the Quickening Moon.This year the Q uickening Moon is Sunday\, February 28\, 16 38 UTImbolc is a Gaelic word me aning 'in the belly' (of the Mother) and thought to be derivedfrom the word Oimelc meaning ‘ewe's milk'. Imbolc has also been described as referring to the quickening of the unborn in the womb (allegorically the seeds of spr ing within the earth) .Inbolc is normally celebrated on February 2nd and ho nors the Celtic sun/fire Goddess Brigid.This is the time considered by some to be the start of spring.In the highlands of Scotland and England all the Cross Quarters are considered times of being ableto cross over to the "oth er world".The month of February is named for the Roman goddess Februa\, vir gin mother of Mars\,(Also known as Juno Februa and St. Febronia)or the Etru scan god of the Underworld Februusor for februa\, means of purification.Tho ugh in early February the days are growing noticeably longer\, this is stil l a dark time\,and for the ancient Celts candles were the only means of lig hting the long nights.If there were enough candles\, a celebration of light was held\, with each window of a house being lit on this night.The Christa ns adopted this tradition and called it Candlemas meaning 'Candle Mass' and the priests ofthe church took stock of their candle supply and cleansed th eir altars.In Ireland at this time people celebrated a feast in honor of th e Goddess Brigit (later St. Brigit) \,a hearth deity whose realm included t he fires of purification. The colors of the celebration are White\, and som etimes Red.It is a festival of spiritual purification and dedication.Ancien t Egypt (Kemet) used both a lunar and seasonal (solar) calendar.The solar c alendar consisted of 365 days. The year was divided into three seasons of f our months each.Each month consisted of 30 days (3 weeks of 10 days per wee k) .Five days called 'Heriu-renpet' were added to the solar calendar at the end of the three seasonsfor the birth of the Goddesses/Gods - Wesir/'Osiri s'\, Heru-Wer/'Horus'\, Set/'Seth'\, Aset/'Isis' and Nebthet/'Nephthys'.An extra day would be added as needed.The heliacal rise of Sirius just before dawn was an extremely important event for the Ancient Egyptians.The first v isibility of the star Sirius on the morning sky\, called heliacal rising\, fell close tothe Inundation of the Nile and was the beginning of the Kemet solar year. The first new moon afterthe heliacal rising was the begining of the Kemet lunar year. 3\, 000 years ago the heliacal risingwas in early Ju ly\, currently it is around August 1st. Each lunar month was named after an Ancient Egyptian Goddess\, God\, or major festival. In a year with 13 new m oons\, the 13th lunar month wasadded to the end of the year.The name of the ancient Egyptian sixth lunar month January 15\, 2010 to February 13\, 2010 isRekh Wer and is sacred to Rekeh-Ur.Day one is the Festival of Little Hea t (left eye of Re.) and the Feast of Ptah lifting up Re with his hands.On d ay eight is the Feast of the Great Heat (Right eye of Re) \, the "Great Bur ning" or Djaret ("Ancient") festival\,held in honor of Rekeh/Heru-Wer. Ther e is also the Feast of Hathor.There is a Feast to Sekhmet on the last day.T he name of the ancient Egyptian seventh lunar month from February 14\, 2010 to March 14\, 2010 isRekh Neds and is sacred to Rekeh-Netches.Day one is T he Feast of Ra and the Eye of Ra. Amun's Festival of Ra Entering Nut (the S ky) is on Day 3.There is a Festival of Nut on day eighteen. In honor of Rek eh-Sheri "The Lesser Burning" Festival is held this month.It honors the ret urn of the light begun last month and culminating this month. There is a li ght for Ra and His Eye\,the protectress of the lands Who is returning and b ringing Her joy back to us.The name of the Ancient Egyptian sixth seasonal month from December 28 to January 27 isPeret II and the seventh seasonal mo nth from January 28 to February 26 is Peret IIIwhen there would be planting \, cultivating\, and maintaining of the crops.The ancient Hellenic lunar mo nths would start on the new moon and a new day would start at sunset.The ne w year would start on the new moon before the Autumn Equinox. Except for At hens which used thenew moon following the Summer Solstice. I use the Autumn Equinox and the lunar month of Boedromion formy calculations for the new y ear. In a year with 13 new moons\, the 13th lunar month was insertedbetween the 4th and 5th lunar months around December/January.A different Goddess/G od was honored for the full moon of the month.The ancient Hellenic fifth lu nar month from January 15\, 2010 to February 13\, 2010\, isGamelion and cal led the "Month of Marriage"\, the full moon is dedicated to Hera\, the Godd ess of marriage and birth.On the 8th would be the Sacrifice to Apollon Apot ropaius\, Apollon Nymphegetes\, & the Nymphs at Erchia\;on the 9th the Sacr ifice to Athene at Erchia. The Lenaia festival\, named for the Lenai who ar e Maenads\,would be celebrated from the 12th to the 15th in honor of Dionys os. The Gamelia (Theogamia) festivalwhich is a celebration of the Hieros Ga mos (Sacred Marriage) of Zeus and Heraon (Hera) is on the 26th day.On the 2 7th the Sacrifice to Kourotrophos\, Hera\, Zeus Teleius & Poseidon at Erchi a.The ancient Hellenic sixth lunar month from February 14\, 2010 to March 1 4\, 2010\, isAnthesterion\, named after the Anthesteria\, a festival of Dio nysos\, and considered the first month of spring\,most things bloom (anthei n) from the earth at that time\; the full moon is dedicated to Poseidon\, t he God of the sea.The Hellenic Anthesteria festival\, in honor of Dionysos\ , Hermes & Hekate\, would start on the 11th of Anthesterion.It is a Festiva l of Flowers\, Celebration of the New Wine Vintage\, recognition of ancesto rs with a Feast of the Dead\, and a Drinking Festival centered around Diony sus Limnaios ("of the marshes") .On the 11th\, the Pithoigia\, was the 'Ope ning of the Jars'. The 12th was Khoes\, the 'Pitcher Feast'\,a day for drin king parties\, both public and private. Starting at sunset on the 13th was the celebrationof the Hieros Gamos (Sacred Marriage) of Dionysos with the B asilinna (Queen) \, Dionysos represented by the Arkhon Basileus.Also on the 13th was Khutroi\, the 'Day of Pots' devoted to the cult of the dead\; pot s containing mixed vegetableswere offered to Hermes Psukhopompos\; spirits of the dead roamed free. The Lesser Mysteries in preparation for theEleusin ian Mysteries\, at deme of Agrae in Athens would start on the 20th. And on the 29th\, the Diasia festivalin honor of Zeus Meilichios.The Roman calenda r was originally lunar. The first days was the kalends (from which the mode rn word calendar is derived) \,the first quarter was the nones\, and the fu ll moon was the ides. A crown of flowers was hung over the hearth\,and sacr ifices were made to the Lares\, or household gods on the kalends\, nones\, ides\, and all feast days.The waning moon was the unlucky part of the month and had no name.The days were numbered backward from the first of the next month.The Ancient Roman solar calendar consisted of 10 months in a year of 304 days.The Romans seem to have ignored the remaining 61 days\, which fel l in the middle of winter\, the unmarked "Terror Time".The 10 months were n amed Martius\, Aprilis\, Maius\, Junius\, Quintilis\, Sextilis\, September\ , October\, November\, and December.According to tradition\, the Roman rule r Numa Pompilius added January and February to the calendar.This made the R oman year 355 days long. He also moved the beginning of the year from Mariu s to Januarius.The name of Januarius\, the modern January\, is derived from the name of the God Janus\, the god of beginnings.The month is dedicated t o the God Janus. Day 1 is the start of the New Year Festival. This was orig inally a one day festival\, but was extended to five days during the Imperi al era. Natales templorum for Vediovis\, for Fortuna\, and for Aesculapius. For the ancient Roman\, February was the month of purification\, when Rome was ceremonially purified\,and the 5th was the official beginning of spring .The first two weeks are considered a time of abstinence. It was the last m onth before the new year(when the new year began at the beginning of Martiu s)and was a time for wiping the slate clean and starting fresh. Houses were purified by sweeping outand by sprinkling with salt and toasted spelt (a k ind of wheat) . 'Februa' (means of purification) \,was the name of the whip used in the Festa di Lupercalia (February 15) where both women and fieldsw ere slapped to purify and fertilize them. As part of this festival young me n would draw the namesof young females from an urn. Since this season repre sents the coming of spring\,the rituals focus on purification and fertility .Valentine's Day probably derives its origins from the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia.At this time of the year\, in most of the Northern Hemisphere \, we are deep in the middle of Winter\,halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox\, with the promise of Spring to come.This is the ti me of the year to celebrate prophesy\, purification\, and the begining of f ertility of the land.We associate Ground hog Day\, in early February\, with practicing the old tradition of weather divination.Midwinter observences\, fesitvals\, and/or celebrations in February are:Disting (Teutonic) \,Feast to celebrate the Birhtday of Nut (Egyptian) \,Festa di Lupercus (Strega) \ , Roman Lupercalia and Feast of Faunus (Pan) \,Chinese New Year (new moon) \, Aztec New Year\, Candlelaria (Mexican) \,Ground Hog's Day (USA) \, Valen tine's Day (USA Feb 14) \,Oimelc\, Imbolic Brigantia (Caledonni) \, Imbolic (Celtic) \,the Snowdrop Festival\, the Festival of Lights\, Feast of the W axing Light\,Armenian Candlemas\, Saint Brighids's Day\, Brigit's Day\,St. Bridget's Day (Christian) \, Candlemas (Christian) \, and The Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary.Deities of midwinter: All Virgin/Maiden God desses: Februa\, Brighid\, Aradia\, Athena\, Inanna\, Gaia\; and Gods of Lo ve and Fertility: Februus\, Lupercus\, Aengus Mac Og\, Eros.Brigit/Brighid was a Celtic sun Goddess and her sacred fire burned at Cill Dara for 1500 y ears until it was extinquished by King Henry VIII's soldiers.The fire was r elit on Brighid's Day 1995\, ending 500 years of darkness.She was considere d a goddess of fire\, patroness of smithcraft\, poetryand healing (especial ly the healing touch of midwifery) . Another form of the name Brigit is Bri de\, and it is thus She bestows her special patronage on any woman about to be married or handfasted\, the woman being called 'bride' in her honor. Br igit's holiday was chiefly marked by the kindling of sacred fires\, since s he symbolized the fire of birth and healing\, the fire of the forge\, and t he fire of poetic inspiration. Bonfires were lighted on the beacon tors\, a nd chandlers celebrated their special holiday.The God associated with Brigi t is Aengus Mac Og. He is the son of Dagda.The Celtic version of Eros and t he embodiment of youthful love.The Year is divided into Quarters by the Win ter Solstice\, Spring Equinox\, Summer Solstice\, and the Fall Equinox.Half way between the Solstice and Equinox is the Cross Quarter.These Quarters an d Cross Quarters are called the Wheel of the Year of the Sun.Mid Winter (Im bolc) is one of the 4 Cross Quarter Sun Celebrations in the Wheel of the Ye ar.It is halfway between the two Quarter Sun Celebrations\, Winter Solstice (Yule) and Spring Equinox (Ostara) .Exactly opposite Mid Summer (Lammas\, August 1) on the wheel of the year.This is the time considered by some to b e the start of spring.In the highlands of Scotland and England all the Cros s Quarters are considered times ofbeing able to cross over to the "other wo rld".\n\nVenue Name: Unknown \nVenue City: Oakland Park \nVenue State: FL SUMMARY:2010 (1) Mid Winter Sun Celebration - Imbolc END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Oakland Park-FL Venue\nSee Event Details\n\nOakland Park\, FL SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20100424T210000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/6070203-2010-3-may-day-family-picnic-belta in-fl-oakland-park-oakland-park-fl-venue?s=ical DTSTART:20100424T190000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_979832903@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:The Moon Path Chapter ofCovenant of Unitarian Universalist Paga ns (CUUPS) will host aMay Day Festival\, Family Picnic\, and Sun Celebratio n12:00 PM - 7 PM\, Saturday\, April 24\, 2010\,Unitarian Universalist Churc h of Ft. Lauderdale\,3970 NW 21st Ave. (between Commercial and Oakland Park ) \,Ft. Lauderdale\, Fl 33309\, . Free.The public is invited to attend theM ay Day Festival and Sun Celebrationwhich will honor the Ancient ways.Bring non-perishable food items and clothing\, (or cash donation)to be donated to the Cooperative Feeding Program of Broward County.Witch's Mark will perfor m theirspecial brand of music 3 PM to 5 PMBring your own picnic food and dr ink.Bring your drums andpercussion instruments for the drum circle and ritu al.Bring Ribbons for the May Pole. Each one = 18 feet or 6 yards.Feel free to come dressed in garb/costume.Fun and Games for kids of all ages - Picnic (BYOF/D InOrOutside)Pagan Education - Networking with other PagansChildren 's Program - Story Telling - Pee Wee Pagans - Teen RoomVendors in air condi tioned facilities:(Ceramics\, Drums\, Henna Artist\, Food\, Jewelry\, Massa ge Therapist\,Psychic\, Reiki Healing\, Rune Reading\, Sarongs\, Soaps\,Tar ot Reading\, T-Shirts\, Various Merchandise)12 PM -Opening12:30 PM -Walking the Labyrinth is an outside activity1 PM -Story Telling - Pee Wee Pagans - Teen Room2 PM -Drum Circle - outside on patio(bring your own drums/musical instruments)3 PM -Witch's Mark' - Pagan Band outside on patio3 PM -Sadie o f the Hawk: The Queen of the May will select her King\;May Pole Dancing wit h ribbons5 Pm -Raffle Drawing5:15 PM -Pre Ritual Grounding Meditation - TBD 5:30 PM -May Day Sun CelebrationAnyone wishing to stay and participate is w elcome.Visit the CUUPS Moon Path Chapter website for details on pagan activ ities.http://MoonPathCUUPS.orgThe full moon in the month of May is called t he Flower Moon.This year the Flower Moon is MAY 27\, 2010 23:07 Universal T ime.The Year is divided into Quarters by theWinter Solstice\, Spring Equino x\, Summer Solstice\, and the Fall Equinox.Halfway between the Solstice and and Equinox is the Cross Quarter.These Quarters and Cross Quarters are cal ledthe Wheel of the Year of the Sun.MayDay (Beltaine)is one of the 4 Cross Quarter Sun Celebrations in the Wheel of the Year.It is halfway between the two Quarter Sun Celebrations\,Spring Equinox (Ostara) and Summer Solstice (Litha) .Exactly opposite November 1 (Samhain (SOW-in/Ireland) )on the whee l of the year.This year the Cross Quarter is on May 5when the Sun reaches 1 5 degrees Taurusbut it is always celebrated on April 30/May 1.In the highla nds of Scotland and England all the Cross Quarters areconsidered times of b eing able to cross over to the "other world".This is the time considered by some to be the start of spring.The month of May was named after either the Roman fertility Goddess Maia\,or the Greek Goddess Maia\, mother of Apollo and Artemis\;originally a mountain nymph\, later identified as the most be autifulof the Seven Sisters\, the Pleiades. By Zeus\, she is also themother of Hermes\, god of magic.Maia's parents were Atlas and Pleione\, a sea nym ph.The ancient Egyptians had both a lunar and seasonal (solar) 365 day cale ndar\,which was divided into three seasons of four months each.Each month c onsisted of 30 days (3 weeks of 10 days per week) .Five days called 'Heriu- renpet' were added to the solar calendarat the end of the three seasons for the birth of the Goddesses/Gods.An extra day would be added as needed.The heliacal rise of Sirius just before dawn wasan extremely important event fo r the Ancient Egyptians.The first visibility of the star Sirius on the morn ing sky\,called heliacal rising\, fell close to the Inundation of theNile a nd was the beginning of the Ancient Egyptian solar year.The first new moon after the heliacal rising was the beginning of the lunar year.3\, 000 years ago the heliacal rising was in early July\, currently it is aroundAugust 1 st. Each lunar month was named after an Ancient Egyptian Goddess\,God\, or major festival. In a year with 13 new moons\, the 13th lunar monthwas added to the end of the year.The Ancient Egyptian (Kemet) ninth lunar month from April 14\, 2010 to May 13\, 2010 is Hnsw (PA-n-) /xnsw/Pachons and is Sacre d toKhonsu/Khensu the falcon headed moon God who is the decider of the life span\,also the God of time\, knowledge\, healing\, and giver of oracles.Th e Ancient Egyptian (Kemet) tenth lunar month fromMay 14\, 2010 to June 11\, 2010 is Hnt-Htj/pA-n-Int/Payni and is Sacred toKhenthy/Kentamenti/Khenti/K henti-Amenti/Khenti-Amentiu/\,the wolf/funerary God who embodied all deceas ed kings buried at Abydosand assimilated with Anibus and then Osiris.He is one of the husbands of the vulture-Goddess Nekhbet.The Ancient Egyptian nin th solar month fromMarch 29 to April 27 is Shomu/Shemu I (low-water) when c rops were harvested.The Ancient Egyptian tenth solar month fromApril 28 to May 27 is Shomu/Shemu II (low-water) when crops were harvested.The ancient Hellenic lunar months would start on the new moon and anew day would start at sunset. The new year would start on the new moonbefore the Autumn Equino x. Except for Athens which used the new moonfollowing the Summer Solstice. I use the Autumn Equinox and the lunarmonth of Boedromion for my calculatio ns for the new year. In a yearwith 13 new moons\, the 13th lunar month (Pos eideon II) was insertedbetween the 4th (Poseideon) and 5th (Gamelion) lunar months aroundDecember/January. A different Goddess/God was honored for the full moon of the month.The Ancient Hellenic eighth lunar month fromApril 14 \, 2010 to May 13\, 2010 is Mounykhion and thefull moon is dedicated to Aph rodite (Venus) \,the Goddess of beauty\, love\, and spring\;There were many festivals in the month of Mounykhion.The Mounykhia festival on the 16th da y honors Artemis asMoon Goddess and Lady of the Beasts\; There is a process ionin which the people carry Amphiphontes (Shining-all-round) \,round cakes in which dadia (little torches) are stuck\,much like the cakes offered to Hekate\;later these are offered to the Artemis with a prayer.The Ancient He llenic ninth lunar month fromMay 14\, 2010 to June 11\, 2010 is Thargelion and thefull moon is dedicated to Apollon the God of music.The Thargelia is a harvest (First-fruit Offering) festivalfor Apollo (as a guardian of crops ) \,it has two parts\, purification and offering.The 6th is the first day o f the festival.This is the birthday of Apollos's sister\, Artemis and is a day of purification.Two (preferably unattractive) men\, the Pharmakoi (Scap e-Goats) \,who have been fed by the people\, are led around the city\,and t hen driven away by fig-branches and (poisonous) squill-bulbs(used for purif ication) . One Pharmakos wears a necklace of black figs\,which represent th e men of the city\, and the other wears one ofwhite figs\, representing the women.Then the second day\, the 7th which is Apollos's birthday\,is for a first-fruits offering to the God\;the Thargelos is made by boiling corn and other vegetables in a pot.There are separate hymn singing contests for men 's and boys' choirs\;the winners receive a tripod\, which they then dedicat ed to the God.The Roman calendar was originally lunar.The first days was th e kalends (from which the modern word calendar is derived) \,the first quar ter was the nones\, and the full moon was the ides.A crown of flowers was h ung over the hearth\, and sacrifices were made to theLares\, or household g ods on the kalends\, nones\, ides\, and all feast days.The waning moon was the unlucky part of the month and had no name.The days were numbered backwa rd from the first of the next month.The ancient Roman solar calendar consis ted of 10 months in a year of 304 days.The Romans seem to have ignored the remaining 61 days\, which fell in the middleof winter\, the unmarked "Terro r Time". The 10 months were named Martius\,Aprilis\, Maius\, Junius\, Quint ilis\, Sextilis\, September\, October\, November\,and December. The year be gan with Martius "March". Numa Pompilius\,the second king of Rome circa 700 BC\, added the two months Januarius "January"and Februarius "February". He also moved the beginning of the year from Mariusto Januarius. This made th e Roman year 365 days long.The month of Aprilis\, the modern April\,was ori ginally the second month of the Roman civil year.The origin of the name Apr ilis is unknown.The poet Ovid suggested that it was derived from the word a perrtum\, open\,as in the opening of the season of spring.There is also a s imilarity to the word apricus\,which means sunny or warmed by the sun.The m onth of Maius\, the modern May\,was originally the third month of the civil yearand is dedicated to the Goddess Maia.Maius is derived from the name of the Goddess.Nos Galon Mai ushers in the fifth month of the modern calendar year\,the month of May.In ancient Italy\, Cardea\, the White Goddess\, was celebrated as the Queen of May.Cardea presided over marriage and childbirt h and she carried a protectivehawthorn bough.The Celtic Blodeuwedd\, wife o f Lleu was also associated withhawthorn and celebrated as the Queen of May. MayDay is a powerful holiday\, filled with legend and traditionthat goes ba ck farther than most recorded history.One of the most famous is probably th e Maypole\, a tall pole of oakadorned with a hawthorne garland and many bri ghtly colored ribbons.The ribbons would be held by the many participants wh o danced theirway around the Maypole in opposing directions\, weaving in an d outuntil the people were almost arm in arm and the Maypole was wovenwith bright springtime colors from top to bottom.The Maypole is actually a symbo l for fertility of the land\, and the ribbonsbeing wound represent the move ment of energies between the Earth and the Sky(The Goddess and the God) tha t causes the plants to grow and the world to re-awaken.The Maypole\, associ ated with May festivals\, is traceable to an ancient Greek figureknown as a herm\, named for Hermes. The earliest form of a herm was simply awooden co lumn upon which a ritual mask was hung.The Maypole\, a phallic symbol\, rep resents the masculine.The soft\, colorful ribbons represent the feminine.Th e union of the two symbolizes the union of the God and Goddess.In ancient E gypt there was the Dejed-piler resembling a stylized tree.The djed pillar ( pronounced Zed) is a khemetic hieroglyphic symbolwhich stands for stability . It represents the backbone of Osiriswhich is the greek form of the khemet ic Asir. The Djed was raisedat various times\, during the end of the A'aper ti's reign &the coronation of a new one\, and also during the winter solsti ce.The common people raised the djed pillar during times of failingcrops to ensure fertility which has to do with Asir being a Netjerof resurrection. During the raising of the djed festival theA'aperti or the pharaoh would ru n a certain course to prove thathe was still fit to rule. It was decorated with a Tet Knot (bow)and Dejeds (flanges) to represent the union of Isis an d Osiris.MayDay is a festival of Rebirth\, traditionally a fertility festiv al.It is a celebration of the re-awakening of the earth\, the opening ofthe flowers\, the rebirth of all that had 'died' throughout the Winter'scold r ule. There is encouragement for the crops to begin growing and thecattle to give birth to the next generation. Birds and animals are mating.In the fie lds\, newly planted seeds are beginning to grow.Great fires are lit honorin g the fertility God Belenos.Some leap the fires to show the exuberance of t he season.The Land represented by the Goddess is now ripe and fertile and t heYoung God expresses His Love for Her.It is legend that children conceived at Mayday were gifted by the gods.The old Celtic name for May Day is Belta ne (in its most popular Anglicized form) \,which is derived from the Irish Gaelic 'Bealtaine' or the Scottish Gaelic 'Bealtuinn'\,meaning 'Bel-fire'\, the fire of the Celtic god of light (Bel\, Beli or Belinus) .He\, in turn\ , may be traced to the Middle Eastern god Baal.MayDay is also known as: Bea ltaine\; Bealtinne\; Beal-tine\; Bealtuinn\; Beltan\;Beltain\; Beltein\; Be ltine\; Bel-tien\, Nos Galan MaiS\; Shenn da Boaldyn\; Walburga.The Year is divided into Quarters by theWinter Solstice\, Spring Equinox\, Summer Sols tice\, and the Fall Equinox.Halfway between the Solstice and Equinox is the Cross Quarter.These Quarters and Cross Quarters are called the Wheel of th e Year of the Sun.The eight Sun Celebrations in the Wheel of the Year are:W iccan name: Druid NameSamhain November 1 (Cross Quarter)Yule December 20-22 (Winter Solstice) Alban ArthanImbolc February 2 (Cross Quarter)Ostara Marc h 20-22 (Spring Equinox) Alban EilerBeltaine May 2 (Cross Quarter)Litha Jun e 20-22 (Summer Solstice) Alban HefinLammas August 1 (Cross Quarter)Mabon S eptember 20-22 (Autumn Equinox) Alban Elfed\n\nVenue Name: Unknown \nVenu e City: Oakland Park \nVenue State: FL SUMMARY:2010 (3) May Day Family Picnic Beltain END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Oakland Park-FL Venue\nSee Event Details\n\nOakland Park\, FL SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20100731T210000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/6070199-2010-5-mid-summer-first-harvest-su n-celebration-fl-oakland-park-oakland-park-fl-venue?s=ical DTSTART:20100731T190000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_601790800@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:Ft. Lauderdale Mid Summer First Harvest Sun Celebration\,The Mo on Path Chapter ofCovenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS) will ho st aMid Summer First Harvest Sun Celebration\,Saturday\, July 31\, 20107:00 PMUnitarian Universalist Church of Ft. Lauderdale\,3970 NW 21st Avenue (be tween Commercial and Oakland Park) \,Ft. Lauderdale\, Fl 33309\, 954-484-67 34. FreeThe public is invited to attend theMid Summer First Harvest Sun Cel ebration\,which will honor the Native American ways.Bring non-perishable fo od items and clothing\, (or cash donation)to be donated to the Cooperative Feeding Program of Broward County.During the Mid Summer First Harvest Sun C elebrationthere will be drumming\, dancing\, and chanting.Bring (Native Ame rican) food and drink to share as well as yourdrums and percussion instrume nts for thefeast and drum circle to follow the Celebration.Feel free to com e dressed in Garb.Anyone interested in participating is welcome.Moon Path M erchant and Sword & Swan as well asNative American vendors will be availabl e.Visit the CUUPS Moon Path Chapter website for details on pagan activities .http://MoonPathCUUPS.org .Mid Summer First Harvest Cross Quarter is on Aug ust 6th\,when the Sun reaches 15 degrees Leo but it is alwayscelebrated on July 31/August 1.The full moon in August is called the Corn Moon.This year the Corn Moon is 17 05 UT August 24\, 2010.This is the time of year for a c elebration and festival of theMid Summer First Harvest. The early crops are being brought inand this is the start of winter storing. This is the time offeasting on the Mid Summer First Harvest and breads that aremade from the early grains of barley and corn. This is whendays continue to shorten\, an d marks the time of less and lesssunlight until Autumn Equinox\, when light and dark are equal.It is the first of three harvest festivals.The other tw o being Autumn Equinox and November 1 (Mid Autumn) .It is common ritual to bake special ceremonial breads to honor the Godsand Goddesses. The grinding of the grain represents the harvest and death(or transition) \, adding spr outed wheat and yeast represents resurrection\,and the consumption of the f ood represents the cycles of nature and new life.The Christian religion ado pted this theme and called it 'Lammas'\, meaning'loaf-mass'\, a time when n ewly baked loaves of bread are placed on the altar.Mid Summer First Harvest honors all of the Grain Harvest Goddesses and Gods aswell as the Goddesses and Gods of Death and Resurrection: Sekhmet\, Egypt\;Tammuz\, Sumerian\; A donis\, Assyrian/Babylonian\; Demeter\, Greek\; Persephone\,Greek\; Ceres\, Roman\; Freyja\, Norse\; Sif\, Norse\; Bride\, Celtic.It is a time of than kfulness to the Goddess and God for their help inthe plenty of now and of p rayers for a full harvest for the winter thatlies ahead.The ancient Egyptia ns had both a lunar calendar\, and a solar 365 day calendar\,which was divi ded into three seasons of four months each. Each month consistedof 30 days (3 weeks of 10 days per week) . At the end of the year\,five additional 'He riu-renpet' days were added to the solar calendarfor the birth of the Godde sses/Gods. An extra day would be added as needed.The heliacal rise of Siriu s just before dawn was an extremely important eventfor the Ancient Egyptian s. The first visibility of the star Sirius on themorning sky\, called helia cal rising\, fell close to the Inundation of theNile and was the beginning of the Ancient Egyptian solar year.The first new moon after the heliacal ri sing was the beginning of the lunar year.3\, 000 years ago the heliacal ris ing was in early July\, currently it is aroundAugust 1st. Each lunar month was named after an Ancient Egyptian Goddess\,God\, or major festival. In a year with 13 new moons\, the 13th lunar monthwas added to the end of the ye ar.This month is also Holy to Sekhmet (The destructive form of Hathor.)Isis is the Greek name for Hathor. Sekhmet and Hathor transformed into each oth er.On many ancient temple text they are refered to as one and the same Godd ess.Ptah is the consort of Sekhmet and is depicted the same as Osiris\,the consort of Isis. Mysteries of Osiris and the Feast of Lights of Isisare fes tivals celebrated during this lunar month.The Festival of Inebriation was c elebrated from the 20th to the 24th day.In Ancient Egypt the terms "drunken ess" and "inebriation" did not refersoley to intoxication through the use o f substances. Rather inebriationwas seen as a state of ecstasy that frequen tly bordered on trance in whichcommunication with Gods was possible. As suc h\, these states ofintoxication were induced through ritual\, with the help of chanting and music.There is evidence that indicates that this Festival is the true "Festival ofIntoxication." Strong evidence points to the myth r ecounting thedestruction of mankind as the basis for this festival. Accordi ng to this story\,in order to end Hathor's bloody rampage\, Re tricked her into drinking beerlaced with mandrake and red ocher. He flooded Egypt with this drugged beer.Hathor/Sekhmet\, thinking it was blood\, consumed so much of it that shebecame drunk and passed out\, and she lost interest in destr oying humanity.The yearly Innundation by the Nile\, with its rich\,red silt \, is the earthly re-enactment of this flood of beer.This feast of intoxica tion is the ancient Egyptian's "October fest."The Ancient Egyptian (Kemet) twelth solar month from June 27 to July 26 isShomu/Shemu IV (low-water) whe n crops were harvested.The Kemet 'Heriu-renpet' from July 27 to July 31 cel ebrates the birth of theGoddesses/Gods:Wesir/'Osiris'\, Heru-Wer/'Horus'\, Set/'Seth'\, Aset/'Isis' and Nebthet/'Nephthys'.The Ancient Egyptian first solar month from August 1 to August 30 isAkhet I (innundation) when the nil e flooded.The first day of Akhet I was when the Ancient Egyptian New Year W ep Renpet\,one of the most sacred festivals\, was celebrated.The ancient He llenic lunar months would start on the new moon and anew day would start at sunset. The new year would start on the new moonbefore the Autumn Equinox. Except for Athens which used the new moonfollowing the Summer Solstice. I use the Autumn Equinox and the lunarmonth of Boedromion for my calculations for the new year. In a yearwith 13 new moons\, the 13th lunar month (Posei deon II) was insertedbetween the 4th (Poseideon) and 5th (Gamelion) lunar m onths aroundDecember/January. A different Goddess/God was honored for thefu ll moon of the month.The Roman calendar was originally lunar.The first days was the kalends (from which the modern word calendar is derived) \,the fir st quarter was the nones\, and the full moon was the ides.A crown of flower s was hung over the hearth\, and sacrifices were made to theLares\, or hous ehold gods on the kalends\, nones\, ides\, and all feast days.The waning mo on was the unlucky part of the month and had no name.The days were numbered backward from the first of the next month.The ancient Roman solar calendar consisted of 10 months in a year of 304 days.The Romans seem to have ignor ed the remaining 61 days\, which fell in the middleof winter\, the unmarked "Terror Time". The 10 months were named Martius\,Aprilis\, Maius\, Junius\ , Quintilis\, Sextilis\, September\, October\, November\,and December. The year began with Martius "March". Numa Pompilius\,the second king of Rome ci rca 700 BC\, added the two months Januarius "January"and Februarius "Februa ry". He also moved the beginning of the year from Mariusto Januarius. This made the Roman year 365 days long.The month of Julius\, the modern July\, i s named after Julius Caesar.Julius was originally the fifth month of the Ro man solar year\, and hadthe name of Quinctilis\, from the Latin word for fi fth\, quintus.Augustus Caesar clarified and completed the calendar reform o f Julius Caesar.In the process\, he also renamed the month of Sexilis to Au gust to honor himself.Lughnasad\, (LOO-nah-sah) (Irish Gaelic) traditionall y celebrated on August 1\,is a festival characterized by races\, games and contests of all sorts and feastingon the year's first fruits. Originating a s a harvest festival\, it is associatedwith the Irish sun-god Lugh\, or Sam ildanach\, master of many arts and skills.Lugnasadh means the "Commemoratio n of Lugh"\, not Lugh's death but the death ofhis foster mother Taillte\, t he goddess of agriculture who died while clearingthe Irish forests in prepa ration for planting. In Ireland there weredifferent type of Fairs: The "fei s" that was a national fair\, the "dal"that was a tribal or area fair\, and the "mor-dal" that was the great assemblythe Tailltenn Fair is the most fa mous example of this. This was also thetime of Tailltean marriages or handf asting for a year and a day. This wasa common form of marriage until the 15 00's\, but one you didn't bother thepriests about. Usually it was officiate d over by a poet\, bard\, Druid\, ora priest/ess of the old religion. The D ruids of old consideredthis festival a very important part of social order and religiousimportance.At this time the grain stands high in the fields an d the days are hot and lazy.It is a festival where sharing between all pres ent\, of the harvest and its bounty\,forms a closeness or bond. The highlig ht of this festival was the 'Catherinewheel'. A large wagon wheel was taken to the top of a hill\, covered with tar\,set aflame\, and ceremoniously ro lled down the hill.Yet in this time of celebration\, it is also on everyone 's mind to prepare for thecoming winter\, against the coming darkness. Not only is food prepared for winter.It is a time to sit and take a moment to t ake stock of your life. Is theresomething lacking? Can something be done ab out it?The Year is divided into Quarters bythe Winter Solstice\, Spring Equ inox\, Summer Solstice\, and the Autumn Equinox.Halfway beteen the Solstice and and Equinox is the Cross Quarter.These Quarters and Cross Quarters are calledthe Wheel of the Year of the Sun.Mid Summer First Harvest is one of the4 Cross Quarter Sun Celebrations in the Wheel of the Year.It is halfway between 2 Quarter Sun Celebrations\,Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox.Exac tly opposite Mid Winter on the wheel of the year.In the highlands of Scotla nd and England all the Crossquarter sun days areconsidered times of being a ble to cross over to the "other world".The eight Sun Celebrations in the Wh eel of the Year are:Wiccan name: Druid NameSamhain November 1 (Cross Quarte r)Yule December 20-22 (Winter Solstice) Alban ArthanImbolc Feburary 2 (Cros s Quarter)Ostara March 20-22 (Spring Equinox) Alban EilerBeltaine May 1 (Cr oss Quarter)Litha June 20-22 (Summer Solstice) Alban HefinLammas August 1 ( Cross Quarter)Mabon September 20-22 (Autumn Equinox) Alban ElfedSamhainMabo n YuleLammas ImbolcLitha OstaraBeltaine\n\nVenue Name: Unknown \nVenue Ci ty: Oakland Park \nVenue State: FL SUMMARY:2010 (5) Mid Summer First Harvest Sun Celebration END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT LOCATION:Oakland Park-FL Venue\nSee Event Details\n\nOakland Park\, FL SEQUENCE:0 CLASS:PUBLIC DTEND:20100918T210000 URL:http://culturemob.com/events/6070126-2010-6-autumn-equinox-pagan-pride- celebration-ma-fl-oakland-park-oakland-park-fl-venue?s=ical DTSTART:20100918T190000 UID:November 23\, 2009 06:15:15_770904820@diamond.culturemob.com DTSTAMP:20091123T061515 DESCRIPTION:The Moon Path Chapter of Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pag ans (CUUPS)will host the Broward County\, Florida\,Twelfth Annual Pagan Pri de Day Celebration Family Picnic/FOOD DRIVE12 PM - 7 PM\, September 18\, 20 10Unitarian Universalist Church of Ft. Lauderdale\,3970 NW 21st Avenue (bet ween Commercial and Oakland Park) \,Ft. Lauderdale\, Fl 33309\, 954-484-673 4. FreeThe public is invited to attend theTwelfth Annual Pagan Pride Day Ce lebration Family Picnic/FOOD DRIVEwhich will honor the Ancient ways.Bring n on-perishable food items and clothing\,to be donated to the Cooperative Fee ding Program of Broward County.Witch's Mark will perform theirspecial brand of music 3 PM to 5 PMhttp://www.witchsmark.com/Bring your own picnic food and drink.Bring your drums and percussion instrumentsfor the drum circle an d ritual.Food will be available for purchase fromKING OF CUUPS CATERINGhttp ://www.kingofcuups.com/Feel free to come dressed in garb/costume.Fun and Ga mes for kids of all ages -Vendors in air conditioned facilities:(Ceramics\, Drums\, Henna Artist\, Food\, Jewelry\, Massage Therapist\,Psychic\, Reiki Healing\, Rune Reading\, Sarongs\, Soaps\,Tarot Reading\, T-Shirts\, Vario us Merchandise)12 PM -Opening12:30 PM -Labyrinth - Sophia1 PM -Story Tellin g - Pee Wee Pagans - Teen Room2 PM -Drum Circle - Drummers - outside on pat io(bring your own drums/musical instruments)3 PM -Witch's Mark - Pagan Band outside on patio5 PM -Raffle Drawing5:15 PM -Pre Ritual Grounding Meditati on-The Luna Road Faerie Troupe5:30 PM -Autumn Equinox RitualNote: The celeb ration's primary focus is the 5:30 PMAutumnal (Autumn) Equinox Sun Celebrat ion Circlewhich will honor the Ancient ways.Anyone wishing to stay and part icipate is welcome.Visit the CUUPS Moon Path Chapter website for details on pagan activities.http://MoonPathCUUPS.orgThe Autumn Equinox is the officia l first day of Fall and occurswhen the sun crosses the equator on it's appa rent journey southward.As day and night are of equal length on the Equinox\ , it is a time ofequilibrium\, moving toward the dark half of the year.We e xperience a day and a night that are of equal duration\;a time of thanksgiv ing in many Pagan traditions.This year the Fall Equinox is September 23\, 2 010\, 03:09\,when the Sun is directly over the Earth's equator and entersze ro degrees Libra.The full moon in the month of September is called the Harv est Moon\,and farmers would harvest their crops by this moonlight as part o fthe Second Harvest celebration.This year the Harvest Moon is 10 30 UT Sept ember 23\, 2010.This is the second of three pagan harvest festivals.The oth er two being August 1st (MidSummer) and November 1st (MidAutumn) .The food drive held in conjunction with this festival is a way to givethanks for the food abundance of the year\, and share that abundancewith others. Food and clothing donations for the Cooperative Feeding Programwill be taken during the event.The Autumn Equinox Sun Celebration ceremony will be a simple exp ressionof thanks combined with wishes for continued abundance\, and blessin gthe results of the food drive before it is given away.Modern Paganism\, or Neo-Paganism\, is a growing religious movement based oncombinations of anc ient polytheism\, modern eco-spirituality\, and reverencefor the Divine as both masculine and feminine. Some of the more commontraditions include Wicc a or Neo-Pagan Witchcraft\, Heathen\, Asatru\, Strega\,Druidic spiritual pa ths\, Goddess-Worshippers\, and other earth-centeredreligions. Practitioner s are found in all walks of life from professionalsto homemakers\, and simp ly enjoy celebrating a religion that emphasizesrespect for nature\, humanit y\, and oneself.The International Pagan Pride Project was started in 1998 a nd is an organizationfocused on educating the public about Earth-based spir itualities in order toallay misconceptions and promote religious freedom.Th e Ft Lauderdale celebration started in 1999 and is sponsored byThe Moon Pat h Chapter of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS) \,and co ordinated by Sophia Letourneau\, sophialinus@hotmail.com on behalf ofall Pa gan-pathed individuals in the South Florida area.The Pagan Pride Project st arted with 17 events in the United States andone in Canada. It has grown to over 100 events in the United States\,Canada\, Europe\, and South America. For more information about the event or about Pagan religions:Moon Path Cha pter of CUUPShttp://MoonPathCUUPS.org Questions?Questions? Contact spelcast or@aol.comFt Lauderdale Pagan Pride Dayhttp://moonpathcuups.webs.com/mabona utumnequinox.htmQuestions? Contact sophialinus@hotmail.com\, or 954-984-418 3International Pagan Pride Projecthttp://www.paganpride.orgQuestions? Conta ct dagonet@paganpride.org 317-536-3145The ancient Egyptians had both a luna r calendar\, and a solar 365 day calendar\,which was divided into three sea sons of four months each. Each month consistedof 30 days (3 weeks of 10 day s per week) . At the end of the year\,five additional 'Heriu-renpet' days w ere added to the solar calendarfor the birth of the Goddesses/Gods. An extr a day would be added as needed.The heliacal rise of Sirius just before dawn was an extremely important eventfor the Ancient Egyptians. The first visib ility of the star Sirius on themorning sky\, called heliacal rising\, fell close to the Inundation of theNile and was the beginning of the Ancient Egy ptian solar year.The first new moon after the heliacal rising was the begin ning of the lunar year.3\, 000 years ago the heliacal rising was in early J uly\, currently it is aroundAugust 1st. Each lunar month was named after an Ancient Egyptian Goddess\,God\, or major festival. In a year with 13 new m oons\, the 13th lunar monthwas added to the end of the year.The ancient Egy ptian first solar month from August 1 to August 30is Akhet I when there wou ld be Inundation.The ancient Egyptian second solar month from August 30 to September 29is Akhet II when there would be Inundation.The ancient Hellenic lunar months would start on the new moon and anew day would start at sunse t. The new year would start on the new moonbefore the Autumn Equinox. Excep t for Athens which used the new moonfollowing the Summer Solstice. I use th e Autumn Equinox and the lunarmonth of Boedromion for my calculations for t he new year. In a yearwith 13 new moons\, the 13th lunar month (Poseideon I I) was insertedbetween the 4th (Poseideon) and 5th (Gamelion) lunar months aroundDecember/January. A different Goddess/God was honored for thefull moo n of the month.The Roman calendar was originally lunar.The first days was t he kalends (from which the modern word calendar is derived) \,the first qua rter was the nones\, and the full moon was the ides.A crown of flowers was hung over the hearth\, and sacrifices were made to theLares\, or household gods on the kalends\, nones\, ides\, and all feast days.The waning moon was the unlucky part of the month and had no name.The days were numbered backw ard from the first of the next month.The ancient Roman solar calendar consi sted of 10 months in a year of 304 days.The Romans seem to have ignored the remaining 61 days\, which fell in the middleof winter\, the unmarked "Terr or Time". The 10 months were named Martius\,Aprilis\, Maius\, Junius\, Quin tilis\, Sextilis\, September\, October\, November\,and December. The year b egan with Martius "March". Numa Pompilius\,the second king of Rome circa 70 0 BC\, added the two months Januarius "January"and Februarius "February". H e also moved the beginning of the year from Mariusto Januarius. This made t he Roman year 365 days long.September is the seventh month of the ancient R oman solar calendar.The name of the month of September is derived from the Latin word for seven\, septem.It was temporarily renamed Germanicus in hono r of the Emperor Domitian's victoriesover marauding German tribes. The orig inal name of September was reinstated afterDomitian fell from favor.Autumn (or Autumnal) Equinox observences\, fesitvals\, and/or celebrations in Sept ember are:Alban Elfed (Caledonii\, or Druidic - celebrating the Lord of the Mysteries) \, Mabon\,the Fall Equinox\, the Second Harvest Festival\, Fest ival of Dionysus\, Wine Harvest\,Cornucopia\, Feast of Avalon\, and Equinoz io di Autunno (Strega) . The Teutonic name forthis period is Winter Finding \, which spans from the Equinox itself until Winter Night\,on October 15. W inter Night is the Norse New Year. Ancient Native Americans built stonestru ctures which marked the sun rise/set of the Autumn Equinox.Goddesses and Go ds associated with this Celebration include all Wine Deities - particularly Dionysus and Bacchus\, and Aging Deities. Emphasis might also be placed on the Goddess inHer aspect of the Mother (Demeter is a good example) \, Perse phone (Queen of the Underworldand daughter of Demeter) \, and Thor (Lord of Thunder in Norse mythology) . Some other AutumnEquinox Goddesses include M odron\, Morgan\, Snake Woman\, Epona\, Pamona\, and the Muses.Some other ap propriate Gods are Mabon\, Thoth\, Hermes\, and Hotei.Some traditions of Wi cca named this Autum Equinox Sun Celebration for the Welsh God Mabon(MAY-bu n\, MAY-bone\, MAH-boon or MAH-bawn) \, son of Modron (‘Son\, son of Moth er') \, also knownas Maponus in Britain and Gaul. Mabon symbolized the male fertilizing principle in the Welshmyths. Some mythologists equate him as t he male counterpart for the Greek Goddess Persephone.The story of his impri sonment and release is told in the tale Kulwch and Olwen (found in TheMabin ogion) . With the coming of the Romans\, Mabon became associated with Apoll o(as Maponus/Apollo) and acquired his attributes of God of the Sun\, Music\ , and Hunting.At this point in the Wheel of the Year\, two appropriate myth ological legends are that ofMabon and Modron\, and the story of Demeter\, P ersephone and Hades.According to one Greek myth\, Autumn begins when Persep hone returns to the Underworld to livewith her husband\, Hades. Modron\, Ma bon's mother\, is like Demeter\, the Great Goddess\,Guardian of the Otherwo rld\, Protector\, and Healer. She is Earth itself.The Year is divided into Quarters by theWinter Solstice\, Spring Equinox\, Summer Solstice\, and the Fall Equinox.Halfway beteen the Solstice and and Equinox is the Cross Quar ter.These Quarters and Cross Quarters are calledthe Wheel of the Year of th e Sun.The Fall Equinox is one of the 4 Quarter Sun Celebrations in the Whee l of the Year.It is halfway between 2 Cross Quarter Sun Celebrations\,Augus t 1st (MidSummer) and November 1st (MidAutumn) .Exactly opposite the Spring Equinox on the wheel of the year.The eight Sun Celebrations in the Wheel o f the Year are:Wiccan name: Druid NameSamhain November 1 (Cross Quarter)Yul e December 20-22 (Winter Solstice) Alban ArthanImbolc Feburary 2 (Cross Qua rter)Ostara March 20-22 (Spring Equinox) Alban EilerBeltaine May 2 (Cross Q uarter)Litha June 20-22 (Summer Solstice) Alban HefinLammas August 1 (Cross Quarter)Mabon September 20-22 (Autumn Equinox) Alban ElfedSamhainMabon Yul eLammas ImbolcLitha OstaraBeltaineSophialinus The Drum Lionesshttp://moonpa thcuups.webs.com/mabonautumnequinox.htmhttp://MoonPathCUUPS.orgMoonPathCUUP S@yahoo.comMoonPathCUUPS-subscribe@yahoogroups.comhttp://groups.yahoo.com/g roup/MoonPathCUUPS\n\nVenue Name: Unknown \nVenue City: Oakland Park \n Venue State: FL SUMMARY:2010 (6) Autumn Equinox PAGAN PRIDE CELEBRATION Ma END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR