Religion

At the religion carnival, a lot of different religions and practices were on display. There were death rituals, one that stuck out was where the people were left out to be eaten by birds. The other death ritual was one that we learned in class. It was the Hindu practice of open cremation of the deceased. One religion that caught my eye was Paganism. Paganism itself is more of a broad term. There are several religions within this category. Some of the practices are Polytheism, Druidry, Neo-Wicca, Witchcraft & Magic, Satanism, and Reconstructionist traditions. On display was a set-off area that said “silent after this point.” Inside was a mock Samhain. Samhain is one type of death ritual that some practices under Paganism do. The set up was of a dinner table with black candles, plates, cups, silverware ect. The color black was the focus of the table but it wasn’t used to represent sadness. The color is mean to invite the deceased to “join” the others at the table. This ritual also contains a lot of sweets. Participants believe that the dead like sweets and are more likely to joins with sweets present. Although this is a ritual for the dead, it is not looked at as a sad event. Relatives & friends are celebrating the deceased’ s lives. Samhain is also looked at as a holiday and usually occurs at the end of the harvest season. Paganism was one of the many religions at the fair, and this tradition ceremony was very interesting. Overall I found the fair fun and informative, and I enjoyed the free snacks.