pagan news stories on Newser

Pagan Prisoners: Let Us Wear Robes or Go 'Skyclad'

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:15:48 CDT

Pagans say they're fed up with prejudicial treatment in British prisons. Two in particular are complaining that prison rules won't let them pray as Pagans traditionally do—either wearing a druidic robe or going "skyclad" (known to the rest of us as naked). Other prisoners can wear scarves during prayer,...

Pagans, Hippies Celebrate Solstice at Stonehenge

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 08:15:18 CDT

More than 18,000 people gathered at Stonehenge to celebrate summer solstice, witnessing sunrise on the longest day of the year. The Telegraph ’s article on the event is full of fun little tidbits: The revelers are described as “an eclectic mix of sun worshippers, hippies, and pagans,” and a...

The Dark Past of Valentine's Day

Nick McMaster — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 14:57:38 CST

Valentine's Day may seem awash in saccharine, wine, and roses, but its origins are darker than its modern-day Hallmark reality—they lie partially in the pagan Roman celebration of Lupercalia, a fertility festival wherein bachelors sacrificed a goat and dog, ripped the skin off, and whipped women with them. Women...

Witches Furious With O'Donnell

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 02:20:00 CDT

Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell apparently didn't realize she was risking votes when she denounced her witchcraft-dabbling past as a brief fling with "questionable" people. Now witches are furious. "She is defaming Wiccans," High Priestess Selena Fox told the Huffington Post . "America needs to be a place where you can celebrate...

Pagans Flock to Stonehenge Solstice

Kevin Spak — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 07:13:00 CDT

Thousands of New Agers and neo-pagans danced and whooped in delight this morning as a bright early morning sun rose above the ancient stone circle Stonehenge, marking the summer solstice. About 20,000 alternative-minded revelers crowded the prehistoric site in southern England to see the 4:52am (11:52pm ET)...

Air Force Builds Wiccan Center; Someone Erects a Cross

Jane Yager — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:16:00 CST

The Air Force Academy's newly opened outdoor worship area for Wiccans was supposed to signal a new era of religious tolerance at an institution long plagued by complaints of Christian bias. Until, that is, a cross was planted in the middle of it two weeks ago. Now angry religious freedom...

Vatican Opens Ancient Pagan Tomb

Kevin Spak — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:11:21 CDT

After a year of restoration work, the Vatican has unveiled one of the most luxurious pagan tombs buried in the necropolis beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, the AP reports. Built by Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the second century, the once open-air tomb was buried by Emperor Constantine in the fourth century....

Solstice Shines at Stonehenge

Dustin Lushing — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 16:02:57 CDT

Spiritually inclined crowds converged on Stonehenge this morning to celebrate the summer solstice, greeting the dawn of the longest day of the year with dancing, drumming, and drinking. The mystical monument shone with floodlights and the glow of the rising sun as more than 20,000 druids, pagans, and other...