Projected pagan festivals are events that celebrate and honor the traditions and practices of ancient paganism. These festivals are typically held in outdoor settings and include rituals, ceremonies, music, dance, and communal feasts. They serve as a way for modern practitioners of pagan religions to connect with their spiritual beliefs and to pay homage to the natural world and its cycles. The main idea is that projected pagan festivals are events that honor ancient pagan traditions and serve as a way for modern practitioners to connect with their spirituality..
In fact, the five points represent the elements of nature - earth, air, fire and water - and the spirit, within the eternal circle of life.
Experts believe that the explosion in the witch population is due to millennial women s embracing of new-age spirituality, mindfulness, meditation, and yoga. A similar festival to Gaelic Samhain was held by the Brittonic Celtic peoples it ws called Calan Gaeaf in Wales, Kalan Gwav in Cornwall and Kalan Goañv in Brittany.
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Rome Revives Pagan Past with Solstice Festival
This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Debbie Elliott.
Earlier in the program, we heard from some wind-watchers. Sun-watchers in the northern hemisphere noted the summer solstice this past week, the day the sun makes its highest path across the sky, the longest day of the year.
In Rome, there was a dusk-to-dawn celebration on the Tiber River. Italian and American composers and artists created a sound-and-light show that revived the spirit of the city's ancient pagan past. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli was there and sent us this audio postcard.
(Soundbite of music)
SYLVIA POGGIOLI reporting:
On the shortest night of the year, hundreds of Romans descended long marble steps leading to a stretch of the left bank of what the ancients called Tiber Flavus, the Blonde Tiber.
The title of the event was Shadows from the Realm of Wolves. Project creator Kristin Jones explains it's a homage to the founding myth of the city of Rome. She describes an animation by artist Maureen Selwood projected on the high ramparts of the other bank, where a large she-wolf is jumping into the water.
Ms. KRISTIN JONES (Festival Creator): And then she sees the little twins, and they're falling in, and then she collects them and they grab onto her breasts, and she pulls them out of the water, and then there she is. She carries them to shore. It's a little Romulus and Remus.
POGGIOLI: The legendary founders of Rome, rescued and nursed by a she-wolf.
(Soundbite of wolf howl)
POGGIOLI: Carefully lined along the edge of the two banks were nearly 3,000 torches, their flickering flames reflected and multiplied in the water. There were even a few torches floating downstream, reminiscent of the water and fire rituals practiced on this very river by followers of Dionysian cults in ancient Rome.
Christian Jones says her goal is to reawaken awareness of the river and to highlight the importance of nature in an urban setting by creating a unique, environmental soundscape.
Ms. JONES: It's a one-night-only thing, and it's really - it's about this sort of instance in the eternity of it all, and there's no more powerfully evocative place in the world, for me, than Rome, because it's where so much of what we know begins.
POGGIOLI: In antiquity, Tiber bridges were made of wood so as not to violate a waterway the Romans considered sacred. But over the centuries, the citizens lost their link to the river, and decades of neglect left the banks covered with mounds of mud and weeds. One long-time American resident of Rome is composer Alvin Curran, whose favorite concert hall is the outdoors. He hopes the solstice event will revive use of the river.
Mr. ALVIN CURRAN (Composer): The importance of the river, the memory of the river, the myth of the river, and I think that it's gonna happen, actually. And it's a great thing because there's something about the Tiber that's bigger than all of us.
(Soundbite of music)
POGGIOLI: Alvin Curran's composition for this event is called Romulus and Remus make a Ruckus, which combines wolf howls with sounds from another distant waterway, foghorns from a ship in Boston Harbor.
Mr. CURRAN: The horns are those famous horns which go baaaaah-ahhhhh.
(Soundbite of foghorns)
POGGIOLI: Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
Sylvia Poggioli is senior European correspondent for NPR's International Desk covering political, economic, and cultural news in Italy, the Vatican, Western Europe, and the Balkans. Poggioli's on-air reporting and analysis have encompassed the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, the turbulent civil war in the former Yugoslavia, and how immigration has transformed European societies.
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Reviews for "Beyond the Warmth of the Bonfire: Innovative Rituals at Projected Pagan Festivals"
1. John - 2/5 stars - While I appreciate the idea of celebrating ancient pagan festivals, I found "Projected pagan festivals" to be quite underwhelming. The projections and visual effects were not as immersive as I had expected. The overall ambiance lacked the energy and excitement that I had anticipated. I also felt that the event was poorly organized, with long queues, limited seating, and a lack of clear instructions. I had higher expectations for this festival, and it sadly fell short.
2. Sarah - 1/5 stars - I had heard so much hype about "Projected pagan festivals," but it turned out to be a major disappointment. The projections were repetitive and lacked creativity. The event felt overcrowded, making it difficult to fully enjoy the experience. Additionally, the ticket prices were steep for what was offered. Overall, it was a lackluster event that did not live up to its advertised potential. I would not recommend wasting your time and money on this festival.
3. Robert - 2/5 stars - As someone interested in ancient paganism, I was excited to attend "Projected pagan festivals," but unfortunately, it was a letdown. The visuals were lackluster, and the historical accuracy seemed to take a backseat to gimmicky effects. I was expecting a more authentic experience, but instead, it felt like a cheap attempt to capitalize on the pagan trend. The festival had potential, but it fell short in so many areas. I walked away feeling disappointed and unsatisfied with my experience.