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Pagan Pride Day festival
Organizer says goal was to make pagans feel safe and comfortable and to dispel some myths.
By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@www.timesleader.com
Staff Writer
WILKES-BARRE – Standing near Martz Pavilion in Kirby Park, Jay Fink lit afire two pieces of poi fruit attached to tethers and began spinning them through the air to the beat of music.
A fire spinner whose performance was modeled after the Maori poi dancers of New Zealand, Fink, 37, of York, was one of several artists who entertained attendees at the inaugural Pagan Pride Day festival on Sunday.
Fink spun several other items lit on fire and performed fire eating and fire breathing as well. “It’s a good form of exercise, and I use it for meditation purposes, too,” he said.
Folks who attended the festival got to experience some sights, such as Fink’s fire spinning and Annemarie McMahon’s belly dancing, that might seem out of the norm.
But the day was all about acceptance of the unusual, or, at least, what a majority of society might consider unusual.
“A lot of pagans tend to practice in a solitaire tradition instead of in groups called covens. They don’t know there are other pagans in their area (or) who to contact to do things together. This is kind of like a safe meeting ground because sometimes they feel prejudiced against because of their religion. They don’t like to tell other people that they are pagan or Wiccan because there are so many people that are not accepting when they hear stuff like that,” said festival organizer Jennifer Transue, of Beaumont, Wyoming County.
Transue’s husband, Samuel, said a goal of the festival was to make pagans feel safe and comfortable and dispel some myths.
“We don’t worship Satan. We don’t even believe in Satan. … We have codes of values and ethics. As a general rule, most pagans are pretty open to all different types of teachings,” he said.
Jennifer said paganism is an “earth-based religion. We believe in both god and goddess – male and female deities. There are many different types of paganism.”
“A lot of people are Wiccan, probably the majority,” Samuel said. “We have some people that are Asatru, which is German-based paganism. We have a lot of people who maybe aren’t necessarily religious, but they are into the metaphysical or tarot. They feel a spiritual side, but they’re not necessarily tied to one religion. Some people practice Santeria; we had a few here today.”
Jennifer said she and Samuel run an autumnal equinox festival in Milford each year. And while she was browsing the International Pagan Pride Day Web site, she had the idea for beginning a more local event.
“I felt compelled to get together the community in this area. We had tried before and were unsuccessful, but I felt there was a greater need to bring these people together. Because the pagans are so scattered about in this area and they feel like they’re alone, so I feel like I had a need to reach out and bring them together,” she said.
In addition to entertainment, there was a palmistry and rune-reading workshop and a few vendors. There was a Wiccan-style public ritual at 2 p.m.
“We invite the gods and goddesses to join us. We give respect to the elements. And we usually leave with an offering. The theme of this ritual was harvesting, so it was a ritual of giving thanks for the harvest of the year. Bread and cider were the symbolic offerings,” Samuel said.
The pagans also blessed their donations to the Noxen Food Pantry and the Indraloka Animal Sanctuary in Mehoopany.
Robert Waldbauer, 57, of Wilkes-Barre, said he volunteered at the festival because he’s pagan and enjoys such activities.
“It’s a great idea. It should have started here 15 years ago,” Waldbauer said. “It gives us a chance to show we’re not that different. We’re your neighbors. We’re here.”
Darla Sharp, 21, who attended with her fianc�e, Raymond Else, 22, both of Wilkes-Barre, said she expects the festival will keep growing each year.
“It’s a lot of really great fun. It’s just so nice to get together with some really good people. It’s good for the soul, you know?” Sharp said.