Northern Virginia Pagan Pride Day

About NOVA PPD

Pagan Pride Day is an event that is held in many cities and areas all over the world. These events are always free open to the public. The goal of this event is to bring non-pagans together with pagans to educate people about paganism in hopes of reducing prejudice against our culture. It also aims to bring together pagans with other pagans in the area to strengthen our community. The 2011 Northern Virginia Pagan Pride Day will serve the Virginia counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Fauquier, and Stafford.

The Pagan Pride Project is a non-profit organization with the goal of promoting the pagan identity through education, activism, charity, and community. This organization works on the international, national, regional, and local levels, and is the eleventh year.

The Pagan Pride Project attempts to define paganism:

Practicing religion that focuses on earth based spirituality; and/or
Focusing religious or spiritual attention primarily on the Divine Feminine; and/or
Honoring, revering, or worshiping a Deity or Deities found in pre-Christian, classical, aboriginal, or tribal mythology; and/or
Practicing religion or spirituality based upon shamanism, shamanic, or magical practices; and/or
Creating new religion based on past Pagan religions and/or futuristic views of society, community, and/or ecology.

For more information about the Pagan Pride Project: http://www.paganpride.org
http://paganpride.org

Consession stand will be open on site. You can also bring your own picnic lunch to the park. Grills and picnic tables on site.

The cornerstone of Pagan Pride Day is a public religious ceremony so that the community can come together to celebrate the Autumnal Equinox. Eplagarðr Kindred is hosting this year's harvest ritual.

We invite local groups from all over the area to represent their groups and share information about themselves with the community. Click here to view a complete list of community groups that will be present at the festival.

All you have to do is show up. Everyone gets one raffle ticket upon arrival. Community members have donated several items to be given away as door prizes each hour in a show of appreciate for your community support.

Gryffindor Vs. Slytherin!

The Hogwarts Houses of Griffyndor and Slytherin are battling it out on the volleyball court, of all places! Two teams of 6 will square off in a friendly, witchy competition. Experience is helpful, but not necessary.

Sign up before the event is preferred to save a spot on a team (no Sorting Hat). Tournament will take place at 11:15am at the festival, so be sure to arrive by 11:00am, or you could end up in detention!

Click here to sign up for the tournament!

Attendees are encouraged to bring a food donation* for a local non-profit organization. We seek to share our abundant harvest with those in need. Donations from the 2011 event will go to support Northern Virginia Family Service in Manassas, VA.

*Wishlist: canned vegetables, pasta and spaghetti, pasta sauce, canned meats, canned tomatoes and tomato sauce, cereal, and canned fruit.

Not only do we seek to educate the public about what paganism is, we also seek to educate ourselves. Click here for a complete list of workshops.

Local artisans are invited to sell their wares at the festival. Click here to view a complete list of vendors.

Kids activities include a coloring station, faerie walk (at 12pm), and a kids ritual (at 2pm).

Faerie Walk (12:00pm): We will blow bubbles while touring the path around the park. We'll visit several of the faerie residences that we'll find along the way.

Kids Ritual (2:00pm) : We will make kids wands and the children will do a rotia; tp bless each other.