LEICESTER: The Beltane Spring Fayre Group is organising an educational
and celebratory May fair.
Earth-based traditional, pagan, New Age, and alternative spiritualities
will be represented with the aim of furthering understanding
and
co-operation between pagan communities and the diverse spiritual
communities of Leicester.
The fair will beheld outdoors at Castle Gardens, on Saturday, April 30,
in association with Leicester Pagan Alliance.
There will be educational stalls and workshops on topics as diverse as
the environment, restoration, and recycling, Druidry and Celtic myth,
African spiritualities and Hindu beliefs.
The Castle Motte will be the sacred space, a site for a meditative
labyrinth, a teepee, and a marquee for storytelling and workshops
during the day, and for a celebratory Rite of Spring in the evening.
For details of the event, part of the Leicester for Me festival, call
Lesley Vann on 0116 270 4765.
LEICESTER
MERCURY
TUESDAY,
19 APRIL, 2005
COMMUNITY
NEWS
Pagans
to host city
May fair celebration
LEICESTER:
A May fair is to
be held at Castle Gardens on Saturday. from noon until 5pm.
The free event, being staged by Beltane Spring Fayre Group, will draw
on many different cultural traditions and include maypole dancing,
Indian bhangra dancing, singers and a Mayday pageant with a May Queen
and Green Man. plus a fancy dress competition for the worst witch and
best ogre. There will be workshops on earth-based traditional and new
age spirituality.
Harkesh and Friends start the show at noon with a mix of music in
Hindi, Punjabi, French, Hebrew, and Yiddish. Local poets Bubbles Singh,
Madhu Chapaneri, Dilip Gajjar, Bedar Lajpuri, Dahyabhai Prajapah and
Bhavanbhai Patel will perform their works in English, Gujarati and
Punjabi.
The marriage rite of the May Queen and Green Man will close the day's
events.
LEICESTER
MERCURY
MONDAY,
MAY 2, 2005
Sun
shines on May Day celebration of Englishness and multi-culturalism
A
CELEBRATION was held in the city this weekend to mark May Day.
The May Fair attracted 1,500 visitors to Castle Gardens on Saturday,
and they were bathed in sunshine as they watched maypole dancing, a
fancy dress contest and bhangra dancing.
Other attractions included a May Day pageant with a May Queen and Green
Man, and workshops on new age spirituality.
Tony Modinos, who helped organise the event, said: "It was about
celebrating English traditions, and including Leicester's
multi-cultural community in this.
"It attracted a lot of interest and we're hoping to make it an annual
event."
Stalls at the fair sold food, books and tarot cards with pressure
groups such as Friends of the Earth and No Sweat setting out their
stalls.
There were also poetry readings in English, Gujarati and Punjabi.
The event was organised by the Beltane Spring Fayre Group and the
Leicester Pagan Alliance.
May Day is Beltane, which means "day of fire," and is an ancient Pagan
festival. Bel was the Celtic God of the sun.
May Day also marks the seasonal change from winter to summer.
PICTURES:
MATT SHORT /LEICESTER MERCURY
LEFT
PICTURE: FUN: Ben and Annie Hollis at the Castle Gardens May Fair
RIGHT
PICTURE: TRADITIONAL TALES: Susan Lane with a dragon at the fair
