This is Cultural Appropriation
The version of the wheel of the year we see today was popularised by Wicca which was founded by Gerald Gardener. Who was an English man.
Ireland was very badly oppressed by English colonialism. The British slaughtered a lot of Irish people while they were being overtaken. And they are also the reason so many people starved in the famine. The British are also the reason Ireland converted to christianity instead of paganism.
This wheel is a jumbled up mess of a variety of European holidays all merged into one and labelled “Wicca”. This is appropriation as its unacknowledged where all these came from.
Not all European countries are the same and these colonial countries are not entitled to claiming the traditions they colonised.
In Ireland May Day/Bealtaine was still celebrated in certain counties until the last century.
But people are still misusing it and mispronouncing it. Pronouncing Samhain “Sam hain” instead of “sow wen”, unaware that it is the Irish word for November. And that Bealtaine is the word for May. In a language still used.
English colonialism is the reason we starved The reason we stopped speaking our language as widely. And a religion popularised by an English man is now using our words without directly crediting the cultures.
And now its further reinforced by the way that people are taking these words out of context. Mixing them up with other European words. Without giving credit to any of the countries they came from.
Its like how people will take chakras from hinduism and sage from native americans and throw some jesus in and just call it “new age spirituality”
(Native people have it even worse than the situation with Irish culture. Native Americans are going through so much shit. Cause people use spirituality as an excuse to just take shit)
You can’t use things without acknowledging the fact that they are from specific cultures.
This is a more Irish accurate wheel of the years. Please acknowledge the cultures you got these words from.
I have more info on the holidays on my page.
Lora o brien is another good native resource.
Please share this with anyone who uses the wheel of the year.
Other European countries feel free to share a your countries more culturally accurate wheel of the year.