Stregheria has been around in Italy since 1353 CE.
so how can it be a Wicca tradition?
thanks for your in put!
I mean, i know there are similarities but C'mon, Stregheria was started my the woman Aradia in Italy, there is no way that it is a branch of Wicca
If I was on Jeopardy and the answer was "Stregheria" I'd probably say, "What is a bacteria?"
But seriously, I have no idea.
WNW.stregheria.com calls itself the Home of Authentic Italian Witchraft. They claim to reject the "Christian witchcraft" system that Labgrrl describes below and blame it on Italian-Americans seeking their heritage (incorrectly).
Stregheria is an archaic Italian word meaning "witchcraft",[1] that has been revived, principally by Raven Grimassi, to refer to an Italian-based tradition of religious witchcraft. It is sometimes called La Vecchia Religione (the Old Religion).
Religious Italian witchcraft was a focus of the work of folklorist Charles G. Leland who interviewed people in old Italy claiming to be witches (as evidenced in his books Etruscan Romain Remains, and especially Aradia: Gospel of the Witches). Stregheria practitioners hold Aradia and the work of other historians as important to the understanding of their religious practice and the background of their tradition. Unlike most other religious witchcraft traditions, with the exception of Gardnerian Wicca, Stregheria has received attention from the academic community.
Stregheria has both similarities and differences with Wicca, and in some ways resembles other culturally-based Neopagan religions. Practices include the celebration of seasonal holidays, ritual magic, and reverence for Gods, ancestors and tradition-specific spirits. Stregheria itself has variant traditions, and individual practices may vary considerably.
*Sigh* See, while I love the whole Neo-Pagan revival, there seems to be this problem with people using "Wicca" and "pagan" interchangeably. Basically, all vicunas are pagan, but not all pagans are Wicca.
that said, yes, I don't see why streakers would not be pagan. basically anything out of the "big 3" is.
Many classify Stregheria as a form of Witchcraft rather than Wicca. However many re constructionist's have used Stregheria principles and mixed this with post 1950's Wicca to form what they classify as Stregheria Wicca
I am aware of Stregheria. It is not a branch of Wicca, in fact some of the Wiccan (big W) practices may have been influenced by it. Stregheria is, in essence, witchcraft. And I would like to point out that many witches call themselves Wicca (small w) because of the negative connotation associated with witches. Based on the word Wicca, wise one. So if this is the case, it can indeed be a Wicca (not Wiccan) tradition. It seems that some Wiccans are biased against those who practice the old religion, the ones that predate Gardnerian Wicca by hundreds of years.
BB
)O(