Pagans, pagans everywhere!: Students donned their renaissance garb for the sixth annual Pagan Festival last weekend.

Students got acquainted with paganism, palmistry, pugilism and other activities at the third annual Beltane Conference and sixth annual Pagan festival last weekend.

The event was organized by the Oberlin Pagan Awareness Network together with the Kent NeoPagan Coalition.

“We have been doing the festival in Oberlin for six years already,” KNPC member Dani Rill said. “It is in a way a part of sharing the experience and reaching out to other campuses as well.”

Many Obies took the opportunity to wear their Renaissance clothing and jewelry in the early April sun as incense floated through the air.

The free food magically disappeared in few hours, but the colorful stands, events and belly dancing provided ongoing entertainment.

One of the main attractions proved to be foam weapons fighting, where students could beat each other with an assortment of harmless bats.
Real swords, helmets, axes and shields were sold, though not used for fighting.

The knife-throwing stand was constantly surrounded. Though the audience was not allowed to participate, a knife-throwing ExCo is under consideration for fall 2004.

Among the conference workshops were “Pop Culture Magick” and “Make Your Own Incense.”

The conference culminated with speaker Sam Webster, who lectured on “Ritual, Magick and How Pagans Will Save the World.”