Well hello there!
I know, I know.......long time, no see.....but I have been so busy you wouldn't believe it......no, you really wouldn't.
Not forgetting I just moved from an actual haunted house......so look out for that story because I will be putting it up, and it's all true.......(I shiver every time I think of it-you'll see.)
Anyhoo......forget all that for now, because it is not part of this contest.
As most of you will know, I'm Wiccan, and Halloween is actually Samhain (pronounced 'Sow-en', 'Saw-win', 'Sah-ween'and many other variations of it's pronounciation, and it comes from Irish celtic, for those of you who are interested.) for me.
So, for this contest I would like your opinion of Wicca-sort of halloweeny, witches and the like.
I am going to be very loose on how this will be written. You DON'T have to be Wiccan! I want everyone's thoughts on it, as a re-rising pagan religion in today's modern culture.
You can write this as a story, as a poem, or even as a non-fiction essay, it's entirely what feels comfortable with you.
And if you really don't like Wicca, please don't feel you can't enter. I truly am interested in everyone's thoughts, AS LONG AS THEY ARE WELL THOUGHT OUT AND CONSTRUCTED. So no 'I hate Wicca because God is going to kill you all.' I mean come on, I wouldn't do that you.....
Also any mention of 'devil-worshipping', and you're out. Any intelligent person will realise if Wiccans don't believe in God, we also don't believe in the Devil. That is a CHRISTIAN constuct. We have our own Gods and Goddesses, thank you very much!
Well, I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, and I'm feeling sort of nervous about 'hate-writing', but I know most of you reading this will go away and come back with something amazing for me to read!
Good luck!
P.S-One final note, please, please, PLEASE check your spelling and grammer. I'm no spelling nazi, but I AM a proofreader, so I'll get a wee bit annoyed if there are too many!
I know, I know.......long time, no see.....but I have been so busy you wouldn't believe it......no, you really wouldn't.
Not forgetting I just moved from an actual haunted house......so look out for that story because I will be putting it up, and it's all true.......(I shiver every time I think of it-you'll see.)
Anyhoo......forget all that for now, because it is not part of this contest.
As most of you will know, I'm Wiccan, and Halloween is actually Samhain (pronounced 'Sow-en', 'Saw-win', 'Sah-ween'and many other variations of it's pronounciation, and it comes from Irish celtic, for those of you who are interested.) for me.
So, for this contest I would like your opinion of Wicca-sort of halloweeny, witches and the like.
I am going to be very loose on how this will be written. You DON'T have to be Wiccan! I want everyone's thoughts on it, as a re-rising pagan religion in today's modern culture.
You can write this as a story, as a poem, or even as a non-fiction essay, it's entirely what feels comfortable with you.
And if you really don't like Wicca, please don't feel you can't enter. I truly am interested in everyone's thoughts, AS LONG AS THEY ARE WELL THOUGHT OUT AND CONSTRUCTED. So no 'I hate Wicca because God is going to kill you all.' I mean come on, I wouldn't do that you.....
Also any mention of 'devil-worshipping', and you're out. Any intelligent person will realise if Wiccans don't believe in God, we also don't believe in the Devil. That is a CHRISTIAN constuct. We have our own Gods and Goddesses, thank you very much!
Well, I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, and I'm feeling sort of nervous about 'hate-writing', but I know most of you reading this will go away and come back with something amazing for me to read!
Good luck!
P.S-One final note, please, please, PLEASE check your spelling and grammer. I'm no spelling nazi, but I AM a proofreader, so I'll get a wee bit annoyed if there are too many!
Contest is Over
- Contest was judged on November 3, 2008
- Rewards: Gold: 100, Silver: 50, Bronze: 20, Honorable mention: 2 people
- Final notes: Well it's over! Not that that seems to be any great tragedy...... At any rate, the one nice part of this contest I guess is that everyone got to win something-I expect there aren't many contests like that!
I enjoyed reading every single entry, and it was very interesting to see everyone's views on Halloween/Samhain, which was very varied.
Thank you very much to everyone who entered, and I hope you enjoyed writing your entries, as that is the real point of my contests.
Well done to everyone! Blessed Be, Mirry
Contest Winners
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The moon,1by xXMetroHollywoodXx 100 words, 7 comments, on Oct 10 10:38 AM 2008. In Holiday, Poem, Samhain
Gold trophy winner
• Commented on by judge. [remove] -
Coming up to the driveway of my late family’s mansion, I still hear the sirens of the ambulanceby DarkOneShadow 2300 words, 2 comments, on Oct 17 2:55 PM 2008. In Contest, Fantasy, First person, Inspirational
Silver trophy winner
• Commented on by judge. [remove] -
I have been told that darkness is only the absence of light, that darkness truly does not exist. Whether this is true or not I can not judg• Commented on by judge. [remove]
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• Commented on by judge. [remove]
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based on a memory of moving to a new house.by Kylia Skydancer 200 words, 14 comments, on Oct 26 6:13 PM 2008
Honorable winner• Commented on by judge. [remove]
Bronze trophy winner
Entries [5]
1 - 5 of 5
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Comments
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"Samhain" is actually pronounced "Saw-win" according to the ancient Celtic.
I don't know why, but Celtic is pronounced strangely. *Shrugs* I'm good at Celtic, and I'm sure you are too, but we might have heard differently on pronounciations. But that's how I've always heard it from the Irish people, and they know Celtic better than anyone. lol
Cool looking contest. I'm interested in joining. I'll let you know if I get any ideas. -
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I'm not being funny, but I'm half Irish, and it's basically the same pronounciation. Different areas of Ireland will pronouce it slightly differently, ('Sow-en', 'Saw-win', 'Sah-win', 'Sow-ween'.....etc.)
And I hope you enter, looking forward to your entry!
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Sorry, I had morning fog. I think "Sawhain" threw me off from the "Samhain", so I started the "W" as an "M". My bad. lol I'm half Irish too.
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Don't worry about it, my bad.
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I am full Irish and in Ireland we call it All Hallows...however the Pagans do call is Samhain throughout the world... so all tis well.
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I said celtic Irish, not Irish lol(Not wanting to offend anyone!)
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Ha...not a worry at all. Good luck with the contest.
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This contest caught my eye once I saw the word "Sawain", because it looks almost the same as the way I spell Halloween, "Samhain." I'm Wiccan as well. ^^
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Nice to meet a fellow Wiccan! It IS meant to be 'Samhain', I've just come back from work, and so my boyfriend typed it up for me, and spelled it wrong!!! I've corrected it now like.
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I know lots of people spell it differently, just as many pronounce it differently in different areas -- I hadn't known it was a mistake, since I've seen variations of the spelling.
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Phew!" Got away with it!
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just going to point out misserus proof reader, typo on the word realise (sorry, I couldnt help it) anyway, you tell them! I mean seriously.. Idk why it gets all taht devil worshipping crap.. Im not sure right this second on what I am going to write, but I'll work on it, sounds fun
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I think some people make a crossing of wiccan with Satanism, because there is an Satanist occult group that has similar rituals to wiccans. I suppose that is easy to mix up. *Shrugs*
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well...
I suppose that before someone should assume somethign like that, they should learn the facts, becasue it causes hurt feelings because of peopel misunderstanding something that they think is wrong but isnt really.. quite stupid on their own parts, for they will never meet or know some really good people because of what they want to think about them *shrugs* -
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Well, either people are going to have to learn everything about everyone's religion, or everyone is just going to stop being so sensitive. The fact is, I doubt most people will care to learn about other religions, but so it's best to learn to not be sensitive, nod your nod and say "if you feel that way..." Trust me, I've had to do that to people who are illiterate of my religion. It's really all you can do. *Sighs*
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Well.. People of "my" religion (which by the way is so close to being abandoned, it isnt funny) are always judging the others and it is wrong, especially since it says /in/ the religion that judging is wrong and such.. Idk, it justs really ticks me off when someone goes out to hurt someone based on their beliefs *shakes head*
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I know the feeling. Religious intolerance
is a killer.
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Look christians (not to offen anyone but this is my view) are not the brightest when it comes to details, I have told this to tons of people and here I go again, Halloween is and has always been Samhain, Constintine born and raised pagan, converted to christianity not because he believed it was all right but because he saw the rise of the religion above paganism and didn't want to risk the pagan ways dieing out, thus he incorperated pagan holidays into christianity...and they are practiced to this day, Easter with the eggs and rabbits, that's a wiccan thing having to do with fertility, and Samhain everyone here should know....and Christmas, has a lot to do with The winter Solstic....now I'm going to stop ranting...but if anyone would like to talk about this IM me because there is a lot more to the story.....
Blessed Be
Lauren
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I know just how you feel Lauren.......sometimes, if you got me started ranting I'd never stop! What annoys me most is that Wiccans happily accept that other religions exist around us, understanding that each person has to find their own path, but Christians will happily tell you why their God has to be better (well, not all Christians, I admit. My boyfriend is Christian and doesn't push his views on people. )
Also, if you try explaining to some people how some holidays are directly taken from pagan holidays.....whooo! Don't get me started! Like another one of my friends, upon being told that Christmas Day directly takes elements from the festivel of Yule, said there was no way it could be-as it was a whole three days before! Grrrr!
But I try not to get upset by it, I've partly started this contest as I hope it will educate some people in what Wicca and other Pagan religions really are.
Miranda x -
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Yeah...but oh my god you would love my teacher....she started telling the whole class that christmas was based around yule I could have hugged her...she is totally awesome......anyway..I'm going tohave to finish this story if I ever plan on enter this oen.....laters
Blessed Be
Lauren
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She does sound really cool Lucky me, I got to go to a Church of England school-Christianity forcibily rammed down my throat-which even the Christian kids didn't like!
And yes! Go finish it! Now!
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sux 2 b u.....but anyway...I'm going I'm going....
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Hehehe. You're not alone in that. You get athiest teachings rammed down your throat at public schools.
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A mix of cultures could have implored thus to cross with Christmas with Yuletide. Christmas has been celebrated practically the same since the time of Saint Nicholas, though with some new traditions being added along the way. Some wiccan converts might have added some similar feats into the tradition, but I wouldn't go so far as to say Christians stole the traditions as their own.
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I can't I agree with that. Constantine did not make up Easter or Christmas; they are both feasts, one being the Resurrection of Christ, the second being the Birth of Christ, respectively. So technically these feasts have nothing to do with wiccan Sabbats and Solstices. Halloween is considered All Hallow's Eve, being the Eve of All Saints. Call it coincidence, if you wish, but Constantine had no power (nor did he enforce it thus) over the feasts of Christianity.
Just adding my piece to the conversation. Have fun.
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I didn't say that he made them up, I'm saying that he put a lot of effort into combining them with the wiccan relgion but anyway you are allowed you're opinion, so you never no, they way I see it we find out when we get there.
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I'm not really sure if he made effort to ccross them over or whatever. There is really no evidence for it that is conclusive. I won't deny the possibility, but it could just be some religions see fit to have special feasts fro different seasons and times of year.
lol. Yes, I suppose we'll never know in life, huh?
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Hehe! It's true, I'm a terrible proofreader sometimes-although I should have checked it properly, but I didn't type it up lol
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Sounds like a nice contest. halloween or Samhain is my favortive holiday. In fact, my cat's real name is Halloween although my parents are pegan so he got the name "Sammy" from Samhain.
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My personal favorite always has been Christmas. All nice and merry.
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Gotta love Christmas! I wish I could put my tree up now.....but then I'd get bored of it.
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Awww! Sounds very cute! I quite like Samhain too as I think of it as my new year, and also cos it's the only time of year I can wear a witch's hat and not get strange looks lol!
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lol....very true
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Also any mention of 'devil-worshipping', and you're out. Any intelligent person will realise if Wiccans don't believe in God, we also don't believe in the Devil. That is a CHRISTIAN constuct. We have our own Gods and Goddesses, thank you very much!
I could hug you wait I think I will
....see I knew I loved being around other wiccans....I love this it is totally awesome......Ok...now if I find time I will enter promise....but....I don't know if or when that will be...Pre AP highschool student with too much stuff to do...so....anyway....I hope you get some great entries....
Blessed Be
Lauren
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Hug away! I would love it if you are able to enter, I hope you can! I'm thinking of extending the date to the 31st anyway when I can, make it more cliche lol!
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I like cliche....lol....it's fun
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lol. Lauren, you need to chill with the periods. It looks awkward.
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Oh...lol opps I did it again *breaks into the Brittany Spears chorus* ok now then wow it feels weird not doing that, but no that's just how I space my thoughts out because other wise for comments you get this a bunch of run on sentences.
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Haha. I'm not trying to be mean, it just looks a little weird. Ignore me if I seem too rash.
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I use a lot of... as well and have been told...not to do it so much. As you can see...I do not always listen...
*wicked smile*
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Im going to have to see if time allows me to write up entry...
But I doubt that it will happen cause I've got finals coming up for the state soon -
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Aww.....I hope you do have time, I would love to see your entry!
Also, good luck for your finals! I hope you do well
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Wiccan is very interesting.
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Can I make a story about All Hallows eve, a fictional story about a character's preceived views about it. I have a story concept and it's about his ancestors and his ability to reach them during All Hallows' Eve... do you approve?
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Of course! This contest is for you to do it in any way that is good for you
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Great Contest i hope more people enter.
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