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Upcoming Events
A General Overview of Who We Are
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PaCO holds several events in each semester. Among the biggest are the major pagan holidays, for which we usually hold a large gathering with plenty of food (including vegetarian options), music, a bonfire (dependent upon getting a fire permit), and various activities. We also have many smaller activities during the semester. In the past, we have held candle-making sessions, craft nights, magick study workshops, Japanese tea ceremonies, Full Moon rituals, movie nights, and general parties. Any rituals held are always optional to members, and are done only by the request of those who wish to participate in them; non-participating observers are welcome. To keep up to date with our Events, Activities, and Announcements, |
 Ladies of the 1998 PaCO trip to King Richard's Faire. |
 Zeus wins a drink from the Yard by solving the riddle. |
Upcoming Events/Activities
There are no events scheduled at this time. Please look for us at UMaine's Summer Orientation! [Check Calendar]
 A PaCO candle making session. |
 Candles made at a PaCO candle making night. |
Annual Holidays (The Wheel of the Year)
Samhain (October 31)
Samhain (All Hallows Eve) is the third harvest festival, and the Celtic new year. It is a time when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest, and a time to remember those who have passed, and to share tales.
Often observed with a meal at which an extra plate is set for ancestors, which would be left outside afterwards.
The Maypole, decorated at Beltane (May 1) is fed into the bonfire at Samhain, at the opposite end of the year.
Samhain is generally one of our biggest events, most often celebrated with a large bonfire and cookout, with costumes encouraged. It's also the best time of year to hold a Divination Fair. At Samhain, one tradition we have enjoyed is to take a small, burnable object, or a piece of paper or piece of bark with something written on it that we wish to leave behind in our lives as we move on to the next year, and toss it into the fire at Samhain. One year without a fire permit, we celebrated with a gathering at Estabrooke Hall where we cooked a big meal, shared tales, and afterwards, held a ritual for those who wished to participate.
Zeus as Spawn at the Samhain bonfire, 1999, with his giant bicycle-parts hotdog roaster. |
Fun with pumpkins, Samhain Divination Fair, 2007. |
Yule (December 21)
Yule is the Winter Solstice, the middle of winter, when the longest night occurs, promising that as the nights grow shorter, spring will come. It is a time to make merry, and share stories, skills, and traditions. Traditionally, Yule trees are decorated, presents exchanged, and a Yule Log lit from sunset to sunrise.We hold Yule celebrations, although what we do at Yule has varied. Some years, we have held a large Yule bonfire and cookout. We have often gathered at Estabrooke Hall, where we have food, perhaps cooking a meal together, music, and various activities, such as any of several games.
Imbolc (February 2)
Imbolc (also known as Candlemas) is known as the Time of the New Milk, and is the first of the Spring Festivals. It lies roughly in the middle of the dark half of the year, and at this time herd animals have given birth to their first offspring of the year, and new milk is available. Other animals emerge from their dens to test the weather, and see that spring is coming, and in many places the first crocus flowers have begun to spring up. Fresh greens begin to come up and become available, and starving was no longer a worry. Candles and fires are lit to represent the return of warmth and the growing power of the sun. Young girls would traditionally create dolls of oat or wheat straw to represent the Goddess in her Maiden form, and carry them door to door in baskets to collect gifts to honor the Goddess. Bread and cheese would be left in freshly ploughed fields as offerings for nature spirits.Oestara (March 21)
Oestara is the Spring Equinox, when day and night reach balance before the days grow longer, the season of rebirth approaches, and the plants and animals begin to awaken. It is the second of the Spring Festivals.Much like Beltane, Oestara celebrates the gift of fertility. Traditionally, people painted eggs and gave them out as gifts, expressing their wish that their loved ones should enjoy the blessings of fertility. Red was a popular color for gift eggs, and can still be seen today in traditional Easter breads. On this day, sweets were enjoyed, as well as being left as gifts for the Faerie folk. Often treats were made in the shapes of animals whose traits people wished for themselves. The rabbit was most commonly honored on this day of fertility.
 Maypole setup at Beltane 1998. |
Beltane is one of our biggest events. Each year, we gather to hold a large bonfire and cookout for a day of celebration, food, friends, and music. The Beltane celebration generally occurs from about noon to midnight or so, on either a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday as close to May 1 as possible. Exact details will be decided each year and posted around that time.
Beltane 2002. |
Beltane 2007. |
Beltane 1999. |
Midsummer (June 21)
Midsummer is the Summer Solstice, the longest day and the shortest night of the year. It marks the turning point from the Light half of the year to the Dark half, as all nights will grow longer and colder from this point on. Fires were lit both as a tribute to the Sun and as a contribution of energy to keep the Sun's fire burning longer. Vigils would be held throughout the night. Wheels representing the Sun were traditionally set on fire and rolled downhill at Summer Solstice, showing the decline of the Sun's rays in the months to come. It was said that if the Wheel kept burning all the way down, there would be an abundant harvest, but if the fire went out, the crops would fail. Another custom is the "burning boat" or "candle boat", in which paper boats are filled with flowers, set on fire, and sailed off on the ocean or river to carry prayers to the Goddess.
Lughnassadh (August 1)
Lughnassadh is named for the Irish sun god Lugh, and is known as the Festival of Bread. It is the first of the harvest festivals, focusing on the harvest of grains such as wheat, corn, and barley, and all the food that can be made from them. Late harvesting vegetables and fruits such as berries are also prominent. The Goddess is honored as the Queen of Abundance, a new mother who has given birth to the bounty, and the God is honored as the Father of Prosperity. It is considered a time of thanksgiving, and the first grains are cut and stored for the dark winter to come. Corn dollies were traditionally made as altar centerpieces or fertility amulets. Common activities were weaving things of wheat, stringing Indian corn as decorations, and pouring sand candles (candles made in a mold made by making a hole in sand) to honor the God and Goddess of the sea. Sharing food was considered an absolute must, and visiting fields, orchards, and lakes was encouraged as a way to relax and open oneself to the change of the Season and its energies.
Mabon (September 21)
Mabon is the Autumn Equinox, when day and night reach balance before the nights grow longer, and the season of death approaches. It is a time of harvest, of thanksgiving and joy, and also of leave-taking and sorrow. We reflect on the balance in our own lives.
We give thanks for what we have reaped and gathered in the year, and we prepare for the coming dark. The Green Man (the god of the forest) is honored by offering libations to the trees. Food and drink are shared with the gods by being poured to the ground, left to the plants and animals.
Maypole at the Ren Faire themed Student Orgs. Fair, 1998.