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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 20604
[Pagan]
Date Posted:
5/5/2009
4:48:55 pm EDT
Wvox Stats
Views: 7,125
RSS: 24,348
Comments: 4
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Modern-Day Pagans Trying To Revive Wiccan May Day Festivities
Author: Matthew McGrath Source: Asbury Park Press (NJ)
Title: MODERN-DAY PAGANS TRYING TO REVIVE WICCAN MAY DAY FESTIVITIES
May Day, or Beltane, an ancient Celtic festival of fertility revived by Wiccans and neopagans alike, sprang to life again on Saturday.
Members of the Sanctuary of Universal Life, a Wiccan church — danced around the holiday's chief symbol, the maypole, weaving bright ribbons into a braid around it. The ritual symbolized the marriage between Wicca's chief deities, an unnamed male and female god.
"Contemporary paganism is a recreation of very, very old, mostly European, customs that predate Christianity," said Nikki Bado-Fralick, director of religious studies at Iowa State University, during a telephone interview Friday. "Beltane is a celebration of spring. It's a wonderful time to celebrate renewed energy or renewed vitality."
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Community Thoughts: There are 4 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| The Burden Of Historical Accuracy | May 6th. at 9:31:38 am EDT
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Finn (San Marcos, Texas) - Email Me
I would feel better if they had done a bit more research. The title of the article is very misleading. Modern-day pagans cannot "revive" Wiccan May Day Festitivites because Wiccans are not an ancient faith. Moreover, the classic May Pole has nothing to do with the Wiccan Lord and Lady. Wiccans can try to steal it in the same way Christianity often adopts/steals older holidays and rituals, but that doesn't make it true.
The May Day Pole is descended from pagan Rome. It anything, it is a revival of pagan beliefs and rituals of that faith. It was imported into Gaul and the British Isles during the Roman conquest. The practice was kept even after the Romans abandoned their colonial holdings. The Celts had their own rituals, one of which was driving cattle through fires.
Whether the article is positive or negative spin, it remains just empty calories. I would rather have no press about us at all (good or bad) than have bad history propigated. The more we try to build our foundation on a swamp of misinformation, the worse our situation will be in the long run.
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| Trying? | May 6th. at 9:27:55 am EDT
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Joy (Largo, Florida) - Email Me
Has anyone succeeded?
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| Yet Another Small Step... | May 5th. at 10:13:52 pm EDT
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R. T. Hummingbird ( (when I'm home) Jenks, Oklahoma) - Email Me
This counts as another small step towards tolerance. While many on this site tend to object and disagree with media stories such as these, we, at the very least, have to acknowledge that media outlets such as these are making an attempt to promote understanding, acceptance and tolerance. This is not an easy road, and the end is nowhere near... but small steps such as these bring us closer than we were before.
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| Nice. | May 5th. at 7:17:06 pm EDT
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Rev. Amy Blackthorn, HPS, DD, Ph.D (Newark, Delaware) - Email Me - Web
At least they tried. I try not to hold comments like "unnamed male and female god" against the writers.
At least they seem to have tried.
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