Save the Date!

Frederick’s second annual Pagan Pride Day will be held on Saturday, September 17, 2016 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick. People of all ages and spiritual backgrounds are welcome. The event will include information booths, workshops, live music, vendors and other activities celebrating the Autumn Equinox, a time of thanksgiving in many Pagan traditions. An item of non-perishable food will be accepted as admission and donated to The Foodbank Program operated by the Frederick Community Action Agency.

Frederick’s very first Pagan Pride Day in September of 2015 drew over 336 people during the course of the day and raised 331 pounds of food for The Foodbank Program.

The International Pagan Pride Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of prejudice and religious discrimination through education, activism, charity and community. Pagan Pride celebrations are held annually around the world within two weeks of the Autumn Equinox. In 2013, there were 98 Pagan Pride events across the USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Rome and Austria. 2013 event attendance was 65,717: an increase in attendance by over 20,000 when compared to 2012. The events collected a total of 39,962.80 pounds of nonperishable food.

The food drive gives participants a way to share with those who are less fortunate while making a positive statement about Paganism. For decades Pagans have been wrongly accused of practicing devil-worship and performing “black magic.” In reality most Pagans enjoy a religion emphasizing respect for nature, humanity, and oneself. Modern Paganism, or Neo-Paganism, is a growing religious movement based on combinations of ancient polytheism, modern eco-spirituality, and reverence for the Divine as both masculine and feminine.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick is located at 4880 Elmer Derr Road. Frederick Pagan Pride is hosted by Frederick CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans). For more information about the event or about Pagan religions, email Irene Glasse at frederickpaganpride@gmail.com. Additional information regarding Pagan Pride Day is located at https://www.facebook.com/FrederickPaganPride.

The combined 331 pounds of food donated to The Foodbank Program through Frederick Pagan Pride Day

THANK YOU to everyone who came out and made our VERY FIRST Frederick Pagan Pride Day such an extraordinary, magickal, beautiful event. Over the course of the day, 336 people passed through the door to learn, share, connect and celebrate with us. We collected a little over 331 pounds of food for The Foodbank Program. We have a LOT to be proud of, and a LOT to be grateful for. If you have photos from Pride, please email them to us at frederickpaganpride@gmail.com and we’ll share them here and on our facebook page (credit given, of course).

Community celebrations like Frederick Pagan Pride do not happen by accident. They are the work of a team of dedicated volunteers who put in many long hours in service to their Tribe. I would like to thank the members and board of Frederick CUUPS for the extraordinary amounts of love, energy, devotion and WORK they contributed. Many of us were there late on Friday night and early Saturday morning. Many of us were there dawn to dusk on Saturday. ALL of us brought the very best of ourselves to the table for the time we spent at FPPD. These gifts of service are beyond price, and are the only thing that makes days like yesterday happen at all.

Opening Ritual, led by The Universal Temple of Spirits

I would also like to thank our ritual leaders, workshop presenters and entertainment. They provide the content that fills the container we build to hold our community, and the richness and depth they all brought to Pagan Pride was simply amazing. What a beautiful variety of rituals! What wonderful workshops! The variety of Paths under the Pagan tent is part of what makes us so unique, so beautiful, so free. And yesterday was an amazing showcase of that vibrant, diverse world we share.

Deep gratitude to our vendors as well. The shopping was truly epic–we are all so grateful to have such wonderful artisans grace our event!

Most of all, I would like to thank YOU. Thank you for attending. Thank you for donating food to the local community. Thank you for telling people about us. Thank you for sharing graphics, posts and photos. Thank you for believing in us, and for helping to foster community in a thousand large and small ways. You are why we do this, and we are so grateful that you shared in our vision of community with such enthusiasm.

We are already excited about Frederick Pagan Pride 2016.  If you are interested in getting involved, email us at frederickpaganpride@gmail.com.

After reviewing several advance weather models, it looks like rain is a definite for this upcoming Saturday.  Never fear!  We’re simply taking Frederick Pagan Pride Day inside the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick instead of on the grounds.  So come on out and show your PRIDE!  The festival starts at 10 am!