Pagans celebrate the coming of summer with Beltane Ritual
Samir Abdel-Aziz
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: News
by SAMIR ABDEL-AZIZ
The Parthenon
The Marshall University Pagan Association combined different traditions Monday to celebrate the ritual of Beltane, which marks the beginning of summer.
"Beltane is a Celtic festival of early summer," said George Fain, president of the Marshall Pagans and sophomore sociology major from Welch, W.Va.
"We celebrate the new crops coming in, celebrating initiation and fertility. It is a sharing of Appalachian traditions. West Virginia is among the most Appalachian of the states. A lot of the traditions that were here tonight were celebrated here not even a hundred years ago."
The ritual is the basis of a lot of traditions in other countries. While Beltane is a Celtic ritual, the Marshall Pagans combined Appalachian Native American, Paganism and Christian traditions, Fain said.
The ritual was held on Buskirk Field. It began at 8:30 p.m. and lasted for twenty minutes.
Over 20 people participated in the ritual. Some members formed a circle, while others played tribal drums.
Priests, portrayed by students, cut the circle to have a sacred space.
A priestess performed a baptism by sprinkling water to make the circle sacred followed by Fain performing a Cherokee prayer in English.
The Marshall Pagans performed the Beltane ritual, which invites the gods and goddesses the students believe in.
The ritual included the green pole ceremony, which represents the welcoming of new crops, and a day of reconciliation for feuding neighbors. It encourages the corn to grow, Fain said.
Following a closing prayer, the Marshall Pagans passed bread and grape juice.
In the spirit of tolerance, the Beltane ritual featured Christian participators.
"My whole thing is tolerance," said Sarah Lane, freshman art major from Charleston, W.Va., and Marshall Pagan. "The ritual incorporates different religions. I think it's beautiful because you don't see a lot of tolerance. You don't see a lot of people willing to accept another's faith within their own. People meet Paganism with a lot of intolerance in general. Religions tend to clash and it doesn't need to."
Lane's role in the ritual was to carry a chalice to every member of the ritual.
"For me it was showing Christians can be tolerant of other people's religions because a lot of Christians are not," said Nikki Melton, junior English major from Elkview, W. Va., who represented Mother Earth in the ritual. "I think we can all work well together, despite our differences."
Samir Abdel-Aziz can be contacted at abdelaziz1@marshall.edu.
The Parthenon
The Marshall University Pagan Association combined different traditions Monday to celebrate the ritual of Beltane, which marks the beginning of summer.
"Beltane is a Celtic festival of early summer," said George Fain, president of the Marshall Pagans and sophomore sociology major from Welch, W.Va.
"We celebrate the new crops coming in, celebrating initiation and fertility. It is a sharing of Appalachian traditions. West Virginia is among the most Appalachian of the states. A lot of the traditions that were here tonight were celebrated here not even a hundred years ago."
The ritual is the basis of a lot of traditions in other countries. While Beltane is a Celtic ritual, the Marshall Pagans combined Appalachian Native American, Paganism and Christian traditions, Fain said.
The ritual was held on Buskirk Field. It began at 8:30 p.m. and lasted for twenty minutes.
Over 20 people participated in the ritual. Some members formed a circle, while others played tribal drums.
Priests, portrayed by students, cut the circle to have a sacred space.
A priestess performed a baptism by sprinkling water to make the circle sacred followed by Fain performing a Cherokee prayer in English.
The Marshall Pagans performed the Beltane ritual, which invites the gods and goddesses the students believe in.
The ritual included the green pole ceremony, which represents the welcoming of new crops, and a day of reconciliation for feuding neighbors. It encourages the corn to grow, Fain said.
Following a closing prayer, the Marshall Pagans passed bread and grape juice.
In the spirit of tolerance, the Beltane ritual featured Christian participators.
"My whole thing is tolerance," said Sarah Lane, freshman art major from Charleston, W.Va., and Marshall Pagan. "The ritual incorporates different religions. I think it's beautiful because you don't see a lot of tolerance. You don't see a lot of people willing to accept another's faith within their own. People meet Paganism with a lot of intolerance in general. Religions tend to clash and it doesn't need to."
Lane's role in the ritual was to carry a chalice to every member of the ritual.
"For me it was showing Christians can be tolerant of other people's religions because a lot of Christians are not," said Nikki Melton, junior English major from Elkview, W. Va., who represented Mother Earth in the ritual. "I think we can all work well together, despite our differences."
Samir Abdel-Aziz can be contacted at abdelaziz1@marshall.edu.
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