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Pagan Family Connection Samhain – 10/22/2017

Join the Pagan Family Connection Families as we Celebrate Samhain!

Sunday October 22, 1 – 3 PM: Family Samhain Celebration
At: Brigham Hill Community Farm, 37 Wheeler Road, North Grafton 01536
Fee: $5 per craft item. Adults are welcome to make crafts too.

The PFC honors the Sabbats with mythology, stories, games, snacks, a craft and a child friendly ritual. While we endeavor to come up with crafts for little hands and all abilities, all parents are expected to work along with their child during the craft.

Parents must stay with their kids. If your child has specific food allergies, please bring your own snack. All are welcome – not only those with kids!

In keeping with the theme of Norse mythology for 2017, we will celebrate a Winter Nights ritual. We shall annouce (and toast) our accomplishments for the year. Big or small – if you are proud of what you have done or are working on, we will raise a cup of herbal tea to you! The ritual ties in what we did at Imbolc (The Charming of the Plow) as well as our Lammas ritual (FreyrFest), all while honoring the Disir.

Our craft is brought to us by the suggestion of some of the children in the group. We will be making more God and Goddess figures (with their familiars). In spring we made Ostara and her hare wood figures. Our craft for Samhain will be to choose from several different Gods and Goddesses and their familiars. Photos of examples for inspiration will be coming soon!

Directions: Brigham Hill Community Farm, Grafton

admin SEF Events

Tween & Teen Esbat Group – 10/14/17


The Tween and Teen Esbat group will meet for our public ritual on Saturday 14th October at 6pm. $5 suggested donation

A small pot luck will follow ritual. Because we meet at a traditional dinner time, making sure you and your kids have a little snack before you arrive is a good idea. Please no soda, nuts, peanuts, or candy. Bring a cold dish or something in a crock pot.

This public event is open to families with children aged 10 to 18 who are interested in taking part in rituals. Many of the tweens who participate take turns as the high priest or priestess of the evening, working with one of the adults running the group.

admin Pagan Family Connection, SEF Events, Tweens & Teens

Fall Contra Dance Featuring Dudley Laufman – 10/6/2017


Fall Contra Dance
Date: Friday, October 6, 2017
$5 entrance fee

The Society of Elder Faiths, along with the Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson, is hosting its first Contra Dance!  The dance is being held at the Unitarian Church.  Click here for directions.

A Saturday evening of dancing featuring the fantastic live music of the Contra Banditos (one of our favorite coffehouse acts!) with caller Dudley Laufman.

No experience necessary – all dances will be taught and called. Families are welcome, no partner needed! 

Doors open at 7pm
Dance begins at 8pm

Ice water and snacks/treats will be available at no charge during the intermission.

admin Pagan Family Connection, SEF Events, Tweens & Teens

Pagan Family Annual Apple Picking at Tougas Farms – 9/17/2017

apple-picking-tips-harvest
Join the Pagan Families for an afternoon of apple picking and fun at Tougas Farm in Northborough, MA on Sunday 17 September at 1 pm.

This is not a ritual and craft day. This is a time to hang out and pick fruit and go on a tractor ride together. We end our afternoon by watching the kids on the playground and chatting.

We don’t use any signage to indicate who we are, as this is a busy public place. So if this is your first time joining the Pagan Families for an event, please message us here.

Click here for the Tougas Farms Website

admin SEF Events, Tweens & Teens

Tween & Teen Esbat Group – 9/9/2017


The Tween and Teen Esbat group will meet for our public ritual on Saturday 9th of September at 6pm. $5 suggested donation

A small pot luck will follow ritual. Because we meet at a traditional dinner time, making sure you and your kids have a little snack before you arrive is a good idea. Please no soda, nuts, peanuts, or candy. Bring a cold dish or something in a crock pot.

This public event is open to families with children aged 10 to 18 who are interested in taking part in rituals. Many of the tweens who participate take turns as the high priest or priestess of the evening, working with one of the adults running the group.

admin Pagan Family Connection, SEF Events, Tweens & Teens

Annual Lammas Faire for All Ages – 7/30/17

Sunday July 30,  12 – 5 PM:
Lammas Faire for All Ages

At:     Hopkinton State Park
Split Rock Group Picnic Site
164 Cedar Street, Hopkinton, MA 01748
(Click here for directions)
Fee: NO SEF FEE!!  Pay only park entrance fee – $8 (MA Vehicles); $10 (Out of State Vehicles)
  • Doors open at noon
  • Bake-off begins at 1pm
  • Games begin at 2:30pm
  • Ritual at approx. 4pm
  • 10 X 10 vendor spaces are available for $20 each.  Vendors will need to provide their own tables and pop-ups and each will need to donate a raffle item.  (If you are interested in being a vendor for the Faire, please contact Kara at: karareneelmt@gmail.com).
Games! Vendors! Arts & Crafts! Bake-Off!
Bring your own picnic or grill-able lunch.
(No Alcohol at this venue.)

Our Site includes:

  • Pavilion 24’x52’
  • 25 picnic tables, 1 large charcoal grill (must provide own grill tools and charcoal)
  • One acre recreation field
  • Running water at site ; No electric service
  • Restrooms on site
  • Parking for up to 100 autos
The new site in Hopkinton, and the Norse theme of the SEF this year, gives us a wonderful opportunity to play fairly authentic pagan games.  Saga literature is full of references to sporting games (leikar).  The Games were important social events for the community, some lasting days, and took place whenever people came together for feasts, assemblies, or religious festivals.  Sometimes, people were called together for leikmot (games meeting) for the sole purpose of play.
Sufficient references survive for us to recreate many traditional games (minus the bloodshed).  These games range from word games to a variation of the tug of war, offering everyone the opportunity to compete. If we have sufficient participation, we will return to having teams this year. so bring your friends.

—> Rules for the 2017 Lammas Bake-Off:

1. This year’s Bake Off Theme: Vegetable Quick Breads!  You decide which vegetable or vegetables will be the main ingredient(s) in you quick bread!

The item must be presented in the form of bread or muffins.  They cannot contain yeast or chocolate.

2. All entries must be made from scratch.

3. Entrants must bring enough to have about 40 samples
(not full servings, just a taste – think sample tables).

4. All entries must be accompanied by a full list of ingredients.

5. The winner will be announced during the Closing Circle.

Let the baking begin! Judges for the contest will be those attending the Faire; it will cost $1 to sample and vote. If you are interested in baking, or have questions, please email us: SEF@ElderFaiths.org.

admin SEF Events, Tweens & Teens

Tween & Teen Esbat Group – 6/10/2017

The Tween and Teen Esbat group will meet for our public ritual on Saturday 10 June at 6pm. $5 suggested donation

A small pot luck will follow ritual. Because we meet at a traditional dinner time, making sure you and your kids have a little snack before you arrive is a good idea. Please no soda, nuts, peanuts, or candy. Bring a cold dish or something in a crock pot.

This public event is open to families with children aged 10 to 18 who are interested in taking part in rituals. Many of the tweens who participate take turns as the high priest or priestess of the evening, working with one of the adults running the group.

admin SEF Events, Tweens & Teens

Tween & Teen Esbat Group – 5/13/2017

The Tween and Teen Esbat group will meet for our public ritual on Saturday 13 May at 6pm. $5 suggested donation

A small pot luck will follow ritual. Because we meet at a traditional dinner time, making sure you and your kids have a little snack before you arrive is a good idea. Please no soda, nuts, peanuts, or candy. Bring a cold dish or something in a crock pot.

This public event is open to families with children aged 10 to 18 who are interested in taking part in rituals. Many of the tweens who participate take turns as the high priest or priestess of the evening, working with one of the adults running the group.

admin Pagan Family Connection, Sabbats, SEF Events, Tweens & Teens

Beltain Celebration for All Ages – Saturday, April 29, 2017

Saturday April 29, 1 PM: Beltain Celebration for All Ages
At:     Community Harvest Farm, N. Grafton, MA
            37 Wheeler Road
            N. Grafton, MA  01536

Fee:  Suggested Donation: SEF Members $5 / Nonmembers $10

Join us in our return to the

Community Harvest Farm as we celebrate Beltain! 

Join us as we celebrate the frivolity of Spring and the coming of Summer.

The age old dance between Pan, Herne, Cernunnos, the Green Man. He is the God of the Forest.  Beltain is the day he will chase and capture the maiden.

She is the Queen of the May, Aphrodite, Venus, Cerridwen.  She is the Goddess of fields and flowers, she is Mother Earth herself.

As seeds spring forth
and grass grows green
and winds blow gently
and the rivers flow
and the sun shines down
upon our land,
we will offer thanks to the great earth mother
and her gifts of life each spring.

Doors open at 1pm.  There will be a craft for the kids (of any age).  Ritual begins at 2pm immediately followed by the maypole dance and potluck feast.

Be sure to tell your friends and all bring a dish to share.

Click here for directions

 

admin SEF Events, Tweens & Teens

Tween & Teen Esbat Group – 4/8/2017

The Tween and Teen Esbat group will meet for our public ritual on Saturday 8 April at 6pm. $5 suggested donation

A small pot luck will follow ritual. Because we meet at a traditional dinner time, making sure you and your kids have a little snack before you arrive is a good idea. Please no soda, nuts, peanuts, or candy. Bring a cold dish or something in a crock pot.

This public event is open to families with children aged 10 to 18 who are interested in taking part in rituals. Many of the tweens who participate take turns as the high priest or priestess of the evening, working with one of the adults running the group.