Peace Park plays host to Pagan Pride Day

Educators, singers and a 'kilted caveman' unite for the Mid-Missouri Pagan Pride Day festival in Peace Park.

By Kyle Daly

Published Sept. 25, 2007

The sound of beating drums and the smell of grilled hamburgers enticed the senses of all who came to Peace Park on Sunday afternoon during Columbia's fifth Pagan Pride Day festival.

Offering live music and dancing, special guest speakers and meditation workshops, the festival attracted not only Columbia residents but also students from MU.

The event, which was co-sponsored by the MU Office of Multicultural Affairs, promoted religious tolerance.

"Our big theme is religious tolerance for all religions," event coordinator Rose Wise said. "It's really an effort to bring the community together and provide education."

Hearthfires, the Mid-Missouri Pagan Spiritual Alliance and the Ozark Avalon Church of Nature also sponsored the event.

More than 35 vendors lined both sides of Elm Street, selling various Pagan-themed items including books, garments, swords and CDs.

The festival was open to all people, not just Pagans.

Some who came were unfamiliar with the nature-based Neopagan religions.

MU freshmen Stacy Thompson and Michelle Boehm happened to be passing by Elm Street and said they wanted to investigate the festivities.

"We were just walking around, having lunch, and we decided to come here," said Thompson.

Thompson said although she didn't know what Paganism is, she would like to learn more about it.

River Higginbotham, one of the special guest speakers at the event and co-author of the books Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions and Pagan Spirituality, gave his definition of the word.

"Paganism is a modern religious movement where people are inspired in their spirituality by traditions from all across the ages and all across the globe (including) indigenous traditions ... and even more contemporary indigenous religions like Hinduism, Confucianism and Buddhism," he said. "They are all elements that people in the Neopagan movement take to form their spirituality, and many of them blend it together and create practices that are open-minded and complementary amongst the various sources that they find meaningful to them and their spiritual life."

According to ReligiousTolerance.org, Wicca is one of the most popular Neopagan religions.

"Wicca is not witchcraft," said Dan Rath, a participant in the festival. "It is an earth-centered religion, which worships many gods and goddesses in many forms. It is centered more upon improving yourself. It's meant for self-empowerment."

Both spectators and participants of the festival's various activities were able to see many other examples of blended traditions.

One example of stood out above the rest. Seated inside a small white tent halfway down the street of vendors, Rath, who was wearing a Scottish kilt, had to explain to various people the sign posted on his tent's entrance, which read "Clan of the Kilted Caveman."

"I have an extensive line of Scottish heritage," Rath said. "And when I was looking for a ritual garb as a Wicca, that side of me came out and wanted to be honored, and so, therefore, I am kilted. The caveman comes because in my younger days I used to go cave exploring until the knees and back gave out, but I am still cave-y to many people, and therefore, I am the Kilted Caveman."

Of the various activities and events that were featured at the festival, the music and live dancing seemed to attract the largest audience.

"We watched the belly dancers," Thompson said. "That was really interesting."

But the main headline of the day was a redheaded non-Pagan singer and songwriter known as Celia.

According to the artist's Web site, Celia is described as a cross between an earthy Enya, Tori Amos and Gilda Radner.

"I do folk, Celtic singer/songwriter material," Celia said.

Celia began her singing career in 2000 with the release of her album, Irish Tales.

But she wasn't truly recognized by the Pagan community until the release of a well-received single "Symbol" on her newest record Red, Alabaster and Blue.

"I started performing at Pagan events primarily because I wrote a song about a story that I heard," Celia said.

Celia said a Wiccan soldier was killed in Afghanistan who requested a pentacle on his grave marker.

The pentacle was a symbol of his faith.

Veterans Affairs denied denied the request.

"And I was stunned, Celia said. "What country am I living in? You know, freedom of religion, what happened to that? So I wrote this song. I had no idea how topical it was at the time. I just thought it was story that needed to be told, so they (the Pagan community) kind of adopted it as the anthem to the pentacle request."

Celia said she does not consider herself to be a follower of Paganism.

"I don't call myself Wiccan. I don't call myself Pagan. I don't call myself anything," she said. "I kind of take from all different traditions and make it my own, but the Pagan and Wicca community has definitely embraced me."

Columbia was one of many cities around the U.S. to hold a Pagan Pride Day festival on Sunday afternoon.

According to the Pagan Pride Project Web site, other cities included Los Angeles, Atlanta and Indianapolis.

According to the Pluralism Project Web site, a site designed by Harvard University as a statistical database of religious diversity in the United States, close to 800,000 pagans inhabited the nation in 2000.

With more and more pagan events being put on each year, the number today could be well over one million.

Last year, the Pagan Pride Day festival was unable to take place in Columbia.

"We had some confusion with the group that was going to coordinate it and getting use of the park," Wise said.

Wise said she is determined to never let such a thing happen again.

"We are going to be very vigilant about making sure that there is a Pagan Pride Day from here on out," she said.