‘Tis the Season

If you are going to be in Milford, New Hampshire on Saturday, you may wants to stop by the Second Annual Yule Festival:

On Saturday, members of the Spiral Scouts - a pagan-based youth organization based loosely on the Boy Scouts - will celebrate the winter solstice, or the yule, as it was known in Celtic circles, at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Elm Street.

Beginning at 9 am, the Second Annual Yule Festival will include crafts for children, music played on a Celtic harp, a drumming circle, a bake sale and lots of stories and songs.

Organizer Jess Baribault, state coordinator of the Spiral Scouts, said the event is open to everyone and will give people who have grown up fearing pagans a chance to experience their culture.

"With the spread of Christianity, paganism took on a negative connotation that has lasted up until now," Baribault said, "but I hope people are finally done burning witches." Baribault said pagan literally means "country dweller," someone who lives close to the land and honors the cycle of life.

Paganism is a spiritual belief system centered on a god and goddess who together create balance in life and nature. Just as Christianity has different subgroups like Catholic or Baptist, paganism has different subsets including wicca and druidism.

Then again, you may not.

Patrick Hynes