*This report was originally written by Sorn. It has been reposted here in an effort to collect all our resources on our new site.
On Sunday, September 7, Keeper of Seasons Hall was an official participant in Albuquerque’s Pagan Pride Day for 2008, the Hall’s first such presence since 2005. As in the previous year, Pagan Pride Day was held at Bataan Memorial Park.
Much of our purpose in attending PPD was to provide information for Pagans and the public in general about Asatru and Keeper of Seasons Hall. We displayed and explained the significance of horns, idols, and a number of books important in learning Germanic lore. Our ritari, Erich, printed informative pamplets and copies of a recommended reading list, both of which members of the Hall gave to interested visitors. We answered the questions of curious folk and were able to learn something of the religious traditions of other PPD attendees as well.
The organizers of PPD also asked that non-profit groups “have some kind of festival/carnival type game that attracts folks to their booths.” Accordingly, we had a riddle game in our booth in which players could participate in Germanic-style riddling for prizes. In addition to smaller prizes like candy and fruit snacks, riddlers could win bumper stickers and buttons with lettering and artwork designed by Erich. The game with its prizes appeared to be a great success, drawing people (often repeatedly) with a wide variety of backgrounds and interests into the Hall’s booth for riddles and conversation.
Pagan Pride Day is a yearly event held worldwide. It seeks to promote a more positive image for various groups that can be described as Pagan (i.e. non-Abrahamic) through a combination of charitable activites (such as food drives), information presentation, and interaction between different religious groups. Keeper of Seasons Hall’s participation in PPD is intended not only to support this admirable goal but also to foster increased understanding and awareness of Asatru specifically; our religion is often woefully misunderstood, even by others whose own religions are largely inspired by European polytheist traditions.
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