Pagan Pride Day UK
Pagan Pride Day UK 2004
was held at Silbury Hill, near Marlborough, Wiltshire on Sunday 19 September from 2pm through sunset.
Due to intermittent rain and a storm forecast, the event was shortened and the Equinox Harvest Ritual took place at 3.30pm instead of at sunset
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Pagan Pride Day UK 2003
Photos by Gareth John and Cerridwen Connelly
Pagan Pride Day UK 2003 was held at Avebury on The Autumnal Equinox: 21
September from 4pm through sunset. This was the third annual PPD-UK, and the
200-plus celebrants all had a grand day out in the warm early autumn
sunshine.
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Speakers at this year's event were: author Michael Dames, Avebury National
Trust Director Robert Mimmack, local Pagan Gordon Rimes, Cerridwen DragonOak
Connelly, and Reverend Richard Thomas: the Media Spokesperson for the Bishop
of Oxford.
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There were also acoustic musicians, drummers, a children's face-painter,
jugglers, and even an unscheduled hang-glider overhead. Rev. Richard, who is
Pagan-friendly and doing a thesis on contemporary Paganism in Britain, took
some tough questions from the crowd, several of which involved "The Burning
Times" and how the C of E church felt towards Pagans today. Although he may
not speak for ALL members of the clergy, this vicar is an openminded man
with the patience of a saint.
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Following the talks, we had our annual food-sharing picnic dinner featuring
some very tasty dishes indeed. Everyone was most respectful of being at a
sacred site, and our area of Avebury was left totally rubbish-free at the
end of the event.
Following dinner, we held our Charity Auction and raised £94 for The Merlin
Project: a Welsh organisation planning to re-open The GrowingSpace
Experiential Learning Centre at a new venue in Wales. The hit items were two
gorgeous low-numbered prints by Poppy Palin.
Then it was time for our Sunset Ritual, a TechnoPagan Druid Ritual led by
me, which was enjoyed by all, highlighted by the magnificent sunset in the
west, which this black and white photo does not fully express.
The Pagan Pride Project has been in existence since the mid-1990s. This year
Pagan Pride Day was celebrated in ten countries including Italy, Brazil,
Australia, the USA and Canada. Enjoy the pics and see you next year!
Pentacle Magazine and The Merlin Project are sponsors of Pagan Pride Day UK.
Want to help for PPD-UK 2004? Have questions? Contact RC for Western Europe "Dragon-Oak"
at
CLICK HERE for pics from Pagan Pride Day 2002