Saint Patrick engrafted Christianity onto the pagan religion with such skill that he won many of the people over to the Christian religion before they understood the exact differences between the two systems of beliefs (Spence 67). In fact, Christian leaders were notoriously ready to assimilate elements of paganism into their own religious practices. This was to avoid posing to direct a conflict of loyalties in the minds of new converts (Thomas 47). The ancient

Cunningham, Scott. Wicca for the Solitary Practictioner. St. Paul: Llewellyn, 1997.

Like all cultures, the pagans had myths and legends to explain the whys of the world. Their faith explained the changing of the seasons, and also gave them reasons to celebrate those changes. These celebrations are divided into Greater and Lesser Sabbats. As the Goddess is honoured with the phases of the moon, so is the God at certain of the phases of the sun. These are the Lesser Sabbats that occur at the Summer and Winter Solstices and the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes. The four Greater Sabbats are more in the nature of seasonal, rather than specifically solar, festivals and are therefore times for general celebration with both the God and Goddess duly honoured (Buckland 67).

Akasha, Herne, and the Celtic Connection. Home Page. 1997-1999.

As the God reaches the pinnacle of his strength, so does the sun itself. Midsummer, Litha, is the celebration of the God reaching his maximum power (Herne). During Litha, on June 21, all natural waters were believed to have magical properties. Bathing in the streams and rivers was thought to cure illnesses. Christian leaders reinterpreted the pagan bonfires as a tribute to saint John, who was described as the "burning and shining light" (Henderson 245). Also, the early Christians did not overlook the association between bathing in the streams and St. John the Baptizer.

Henderson, Helene and Sue Ellen Thompson, eds. Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations

Lughnasadh means the funeral games of Lugh (pronounced Loo), referring to Lugh, the Irish sun God. However, the funeral is not his own, but the funeral games he hosts in honor of his foster-mother Tailte. For that reason, the traditional Tailtean craft fairs and Tailtean marriages (which last for a year and a day) are celebrated at this time (Herne). This day originally coincided with the first reaping of the harvest. It was known as the time when the plants of spring wither and drop their fruits or seeds for our use as well as to ensure future crops. As autumn begins, the Sun God enters his old age, but is not yet dead. The God symbolically loses some of his strength as the Sun rises farther in the South each day and the nights grow longer. The Christian religion adopted this theme and called it 'Lammas ', meaning 'loaf-mass', a time when newly baked loaves of bread are placed on the altar (Spence 102).

Some common words found in the essay are:
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