Pagan Pride Day: Earth-based religions celebrate unique identity (PHOTOS)
(RNS) It is difficult to estimate the size of the American neo-pagan community, which includes adherents to Wicca, Druidism and Asatru, among other polytheistic and Earth-based religions. Fearing reprisal for their beliefs, many people do not publicly identify as pagan. They remain, as the saying goes, “in the broom closet.”
Puppeteer Bob Barker, also known as "Dragon Bob," performs for children at Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (RNS) Founded in the 1990s, the Pagan Pride Project aims to “foster pride in Pagan identity,” according to the organization’s website. One manifestation of this is Pagan Pride Day, an event that neo-pagans in cities around the world celebrate every autumn, around the time of the equinox. Practitioners of a variety of pagan backgrounds gather for a day of workshops, public rituals, charity and entertainment.
Held in Waterfront Park along the Ohio River, the 2015 Pagan Pride Day event in Louisville drew about 650 people, said the event’s organizer, who uses the name of the Irish mythological hero Cu Chulainn.
It is difficult to estimate the size of the American neo-pagan community, which includes adherents to Wicca, Druidism and Asatru, among other polytheistic and Earth-based religions. Fearing reprisal for their beliefs, many people do not publicly identify as pagan. They remain, as some like to say, “in the broom closet.”
Religion New Service photos by Lauren Pond
Please click on any image below to view slideshow.
Gardnerian Wiccan priestess Debbie Hess, center, leads the opening ceremonial circle of Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. While Pagan Pride Day celebrated paganism of all varieties, the opening ceremony drew heavily on Wiccan influences. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
Gardnerian Wiccan priestess Debbie Hess uses fire to cleanse a circle of participants during the opening ceremony of Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. While Pagan Pride Day celebrated paganism of all varieties, the opening ceremony drew heavily on Wiccan influences. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
Heather Brandenburg pours sanctified juice for participants in the opening ceremonial circle of Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. While Pagan Pride Day celebrated paganism of all varieties, the opening ceremony drew heavily on Wiccan influences. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
Pagans participate in the opening ceremonial circle of Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. Gardnerian Wiccan priestess Debbie Hess, second from right, walks the perimeter of the circle with bowls of water and other elements to cleanse participants. While Pagan Pride Day celebrated paganism of all varieties, the opening ceremony drew heavily on Wiccan influences. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
Cu Chulainn, the coordinator of the Louisville Pagan Pride Day, anoints Gardnerian Wiccan priestess Debbie Hess during the opening ceremony of Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
Barbara Walker, a Wiccan, peruses the variety of vendor booths present at Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
Greco-Roman pagan Hattie Pfeiffer sells handmade totems at her vendor booth during Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. Pagan spiritual paraphernalia can often be prohibitively expensive, Pfeiffer said, so she makes her products affordable. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
Claudia, of Zingari Tribal Belly Dance, chats with customer Sofie Watson at her booth during Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. Claudia teaches belly dancing in the American Tribal Style, a relatively new, eclectic dance genre that draws on a variety of cultural influences. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
Puppeteer Bob Barker, also known as “Dragon Bob,” performs for children at Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
Puppeteer Bob Barker, also known as “Dragon Bob,” performs for children at Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
Vincent Troesch, 5, of Elizabethtown, Ky., poses for a portrait while attending Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. His mother said she had purchased the wizard costume for him at last year’s Pagan Pride Day. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
A Christian man, right, confronts participants during Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. The man, who arrived at the event site in the late afternoon, stayed until police were called. The incident was an anomaly, said coordinator Cu Chulainn, citing years of peaceful Pagan Pride Day events. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
A Christian man confronts participants during the Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. The man, who arrived at the event site in the late afternoon, argued with those in attendance until police were called. The incident was an anomaly, said coordinator Cu Chulainn, citing years of peaceful Pagan Pride Day events. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
Led by Cu Chulainn, the coordinator of the Louisville Pagan Pride Day, pagans begin a special ceremony honoring those who have served in the armed forces. Getting paganism recognized in the U.S. military has been a long, difficult process, according to those in attendance. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
With their Wiccan pentacles gleaming in the sunlight, Wiccan Rev. David Sassman and Stacey Eaton salute the American flag during a special ceremony honoring pagans who have served in the armed forces. Getting paganism recognized in the U.S. military has been a long, difficult process, according to Sassman, who served for eight years in the Air Force. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
Wiccan Rev. David Sassman and another man embrace during a special ceremony that honored pagans who have served in the armed forces, at Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky. Getting paganism recognized in the U.S. military has been a long, difficult process, according to Sassman, who served for eight years in the Air Force. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
Marie Geever, of Living Rainbow Tribal Dance, performed during Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. Geever teaches belly dancing in the American Tribal Style, a relatively new, eclectic dance genre that draws on a variety of cultural influences. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
Lenay Clayton, of Evansville, Ind., participates in an impromptu belly dance lesson with Marie Geever, right, during Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. Geever, of the Living Rainbow Tribal Dance studio, teaches belly dancing in the American Tribal Style, a relatively new, eclectic dance genre that draws on a variety of cultural influences. Religion News Service photo by Lauren Pond
Donna Archer pushes her three chihuahuas — Pinky, Diva and Tika — through the “Hedwig’s Corner” vendor booth during Pagan Pride Day in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2015. Religion News Service photo by Lauern Pond
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