Sunday, March 17, 2019

Why I Don't Celebrate "All Snakes Day" and What to Do Instead


As Contemporary Pagans, we are better than All Snakes Day.  For those that don’t know what he hell I’m talking about, the short version is a counter holiday built upon badly compiled lore surrounding St. Patrick’s Day.  The gist of it is that the snakes that St. Patrick chased out of Ireland were actually the Pagans of Ireland, thus All Snakes Day is a celebration of the snakes.

The truth of the matter is that this just isn’t historically accurate, not in the least.  As someone that works heavily with Irish Reconstructionism, studies the myths and histories thereof, and speaks several hundred words of Gaeilge (Irish), and actively working on furthering this, I confirm that the scholarship is just missing in this regard.  I, however, really don’t feel up to doing the work to lay it all out, but not to leave y’all hanging, there is a blog by Ian Corrigan that helps to lay it out well enough that y’all will get the idea.  Plus he includes a few more links at the bottom for those that really want to chase this roebuck through the thicket.  Go HERE.

There is a charm here though that I do like.  I like the idea of celebrating Paganism as a whole and as a holiday separate from the common Pagan Pride Days.  I also love the Druid/Irishness of it, because I work in these areas in my personal Craft.  I just think that St. Patrick’s Day and All Snakes Day shouldn’t be it.

Instead, I think I am going to take up the Feast of Age as a practice. 

The Feast of Age comes from Irish mythology and is of the Tuatha dĆ© Danann (the Gods and Goddesses of Ireland).  As a modern practice, it is something that the now defunct Henge of Keltria developed and was one of their own holidays.  I like it and so here is an excerpt of what they have to say about it, straight from “The Book of Keltria.*”


In particular the “feast to acknowledge agelessness of our ethical and moral convictions” bit speaks to me.  For me, this is a good alternative.  Feel free to join me in celebrating such, but don’t feel obliged.  Maybe you’ll even think of another good alterative for you and yours.  If so, do it and share it with others.  The spirit of All Snakes Day is right but the lore and timing is not.

As for the Feast of Age, I’m thinking that the first Saturday in June is a good time.  This year it is June 1st.  I picked the date for no particular reason other than that it is nicely placed after Bealtaine but before the solstice and is a good time of year for firing up the barbeque smoker (or grill), feasting upon said foods, and having a beer with friends in celebration of Paganism as a whole. 

Feel free to save the date and join in.

Boidh SĆ©,

-SM

“Lost in a thicket, bare-foot upon a thorn path.”


*Right before the Henge of Keltria dis enfranchised they took their correspondence course and turned it into a book, this is that book.

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