Classes, rituals and vendors aren't all that can be found at Auburn's Pagan Pride Day Sept. 28, 8 a.m.-sunset, at the Davis Arboretum-religious freedom and celebration are the reason for the day.
Pagan Pride Day is an international event originating in England, takes place in every major city between August and October as an open forum to gather and get to know the like-minded people in the community.
"Pagan is a broad, umbrella topic," said Angela Farmer, English professor and leader in the Auburn pagan community. "We teach each other about the differences, and we try to respect the differences in our religions."
Farmer said Pagan Pride Day welcomes people from other religious paths, and they don't discriminate as long as the person is tolerant of what they are doing.
"It is all about religious tolerance and respect," Farmer said. "A lot of time we have to live underground, so to speak. It is nice to have a place where it is safe enough for us to get together. It's a safer way of coming out among people who you know are not going to disparage you for your religious beliefs."
Classes and different rituals will be set up throughout the day, along with vendors selling things like jewelry, staves, magical implements and other homemade goods.
Farmer's group, Nine Worlds American Kindred Grove, will hold their own class and ritual as well.
The group will have also have a Reiki practitioner, which is an ancient Japanese form of healing similar to acupuncture and acupressure that focuses on energy blockages to help your body heal itself.
"It's the one day where you can just relax and be who you are among people who are like-minded," Farmer said. "You can express your religious beliefs without the fear of somebody who is going to tell you that you are going to hell."
The Auburn Pagan Pride Day has been held by the Church of the Spiral Tree for approximately ten years
Farmer said this will be the second time she will be attending the event.
Admission is free, but a donation for the East Alabama Food Bank is appreciated.
For more information about this year's Pagan Pride Day, visit SpiralTree.org.
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