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Forgive me for explaining in really general terms, but it's usually a good place to start... definitely ask more questions if something strikes your curiosity.

Paganism in general is an earth-based religion, centering around belief in both a Goddess and a God (or pantheons thereof). I say it's "earth-based" because our celebrations follow the Wheel of the Year: the seasons, equinoxes and solstices, celebrating the planting, the harvest, and the natural cycle of living things.

There are many different subsets of Paganism, just like there are many different flavors of Christianity. Wiccans are probably the most commonly recognized by non-pagans, but they are far from being the only type. Some of us refer to ourselves as pagans, others as Wiccans (or whatever their belief system of choice), still others reclaim the title Witch, which is what I prefer.

A coven is most comparable to a church congregation - a like-minded group of pagans/Witches who meet for worship on a regular basis.

Yule (since that's what's been mentioned here) is "the time of greatest darkness and the longest night of the year. The Winter Solstice had been associated with the birth of a "Divine King" long before the rise of Christianity. Since the Sun is considered to represent the Male Divinity in many Pagan Traditions, this time is celebrated as the "return of the Sun God" where He is reborn of the Goddess." (Forgive the quoting, but www.witchvox.com explains it more concisely than I would!)

All in all, there are eight holidays around the Wheel of the Year; you can read bits about them all here.

Hope that helped a little.

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