Photo by Miriam Espacio on Unsplash
You may have first heard of this through the song. But it appears it’s not just a thing of Halloween fun throughout America, there is widely believed to be a season of the witch. It doesn’t vary a whole lot in terms of the time of year, but it does change in terms of how it’s marked.
Some old traditions in far away lands
In the Czech Republic, they have some old folk traditions dating way before we have anything recorded in America that involve witches. They don’t celebrate halloween (except as an adaptation of what’s come out of America). But exactly six months after Halloween, on April 30 the whole country burns witches.
From massive celebrations at parks in Prague to bonfires at every little village dotted across the countryside, kids and adults dress up like witches and devils and burn witches to get rid of winter and bring on spring. It would
Seasons for witches
According to the book, Witchery by Juliet Diaz, witches honor an annual cycle of four equinoxes based on astronomical events and four solstices. She says there are basically two season of the witch for every earthbound season.
According to Diaz, people who practice witchcraft amplify their magical power by harnessing energy from the seasons while connecting with Mother Earth. According to this book we have just entered “Mabon” which occurred on the autumnal equinox (the first day of fall). The season celebrates the second harvest, aging, death and the spirit world.
The next season will occur on Halloween and it celebrates ancestors, spirits and those who have passed. It may not be unrelated that people of certain religions celebrate All Saints Day on November 1.
In the book The Green Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock, only four seasons are mentioned, but the celebrations are quite similar.
Interested in more on some of the strange goings on abroad? Czech out the creepiest place in Europe.
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