Nature, rituals, misconceptions and community: we hear from the organisers of Nottingham Pagan Market

You have the Beltane Market coming up on Saturday 26 April. For anyone unaware of the festival Beltane, can you tell us a bit about it?

Esme: Beltane is traditionally held in late April or early May and is rooted in what we know today as ‘May Day’. There are many old practices tied to agriculture and the land, but most are related to fertility, as the land awakens and begins to show budding new life. Today, we get a Bank Holiday and a reason to celebrate the start of the summer months, but those old traditions still poke through in symbols such as the maypole, the bale fire, welcoming the sun …not to mention the saucy side of Beltane!

Can you give us a brief rundown of what Paganism is for anyone who doesn’t know?

Esme: Basically, Paganism can be defined as an indigenous nature-based spirituality of any culture. Today, Paganism in the UK is centred around a divine connection to nature, sacred ritual practices, and community. Many people may have heard of Wicca; a survival/revival tradition which is about a hundred years old, but there are many spiritual paths and magical practices that come under the umbrella term, Pagan.

Dee: For Christians in Roman times, and for centuries afterwards, Pagans would have been people with older belief systems centred on pantheons of gods and goddesses. People who engaged in the old Greek, Roman, and Egyptian religions were called Pagans. Africans and Europeans who followed tribal belief systems were Pagans. People who practised Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, and other Eastern religions were, and are, also considered Pagans.

How did this change to seeing a revival of interest in recent centuries?

Dee: Around the time of the Renaissance - four hundred years ago - more people began to learn about the old Greek, Roman, and Egyptian religions. That knowledge became part of an emergent, more sophisticated Western culture, with art and literature that was rich in Pagan themes, although the culture remained Christian. 

By the nineteenth century, many people from Christian backgrounds were looking for an alternative to traditional Christian worldviews, so neo-Paganism started to take shape. This isn’t just one belief system - it’s everything from Wicca, the practice of modern witchcraft, to Odinists and Hellenists renewing the worship of the old pantheons. 

Esme: In the 1930s, Gerald Gardiner had the biggest impact on the modern revival of Paganism and Witchcraft with his collection of reworked traditions and mythology that we now recognise as Wicca.  This was then built upon by witches such as Doreen Valiente, Janet & Stewart Farrah, Lois Bourne, Patricia Crowther, John Bellham-Payne and many more. 

During the 80s and 90s there was a break away from the rigidity and secrecy of Wicca into other spiritual paths and pantheons, that were less about the ‘mysteries’ and more about spirituality and lifestyle. This is what is now being encouraged into this next generation, that Paganism is meant to be the embodiment of free will, and creating one’s own unique blended faith is celebrated; not blindly following, but evolving.

There is a strong respect for nature within Paganism, what do you think it can teach us about how modern society can work with nature?

Esme: If I could distill it down to one thing, it would be that the reason most Pagans share such an affinity with nature is because we see ourselves as nature. Where we come from and what we will return to, is all around us, has always been, and will always be, part of us. There is no separation between the atoms that make up a human and those that make up a tree, or a building, or a bird. 

Dee: I hope this doesn’t come across as too serious, but I think the Abrahamic religions, especially Christianity, have played a role in where we find ourselves today in terms of our relationship with the planet. There has been an attitude of dominance and an insistence on never-ending growth: ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth’ -  that may have sounded like a good plan 2000 years ago, but we’ve taken it too far.

Also perhaps the most harmful message in Abrahamic religions is that the material world is corrupt and ultimately it doesn’t matter, because it’s the world that we will go to after death that is consequential.

Whether your outlook is Pagan or not, we are one species among many and our actions are leading to mass extinctions. We are part of an interdependent web of planet-wide ecosystems and we have upset the balance.

Do people generally have a lot of misconceptions about Paganism?

Esme: Generally, yes, although I think less than even ten years ago. I'd like to say that it is because of the spread of the movement, and the general culture of acceptance that our society is moving towards, but I imagine it's just as much to do with TV and pop culture, no longer depicting the "witch" always as the villain. 

Dee: Well, if someone’s only information about Paganism is coming from Sabrina the Teenage Witch or The Wicker Man (both great pieces of entertainment!) then we might have an issue. No, Pagans do not go around making human sacrifices. At least not as far as I know (laughs).

There seems to be a strong element of mindful ritual in Paganism - something I think has been lost a little for many agnostics and atheists. What does this practice involve and how does it benefit your daily life?

Esme: Ritual can be as simple as making a pot of tea, or watering your plants, it doesn't have to be complicated or grandiose. Where most Pagan group rituals centre around the marking of the seasons and feeling connected to nature, they include visually symbolic actions to convey the intent of the ritual, and bring the right energy to the rite, personal rituals can be whatever you need them to be.

When you are mindful about the little things, it filters down into your life. Like, buying local organic seasonal vegetables, or making gifts for loved ones. In any spirituality, ritual teaches discipline that can be applied however you need it. If you do small daily rituals, you are taking time for yourself, steadying your mind and fixing your purpose. 

How big is the Pagan community in Nottingham, and how would you recommend people get involved? Do you have regular meet-ups and what would they entail?

Esme: The Pagan community here is definitely in the thousands, though I couldn't give you an exact number. What I can attest to is that at the last Pagan Pride UK festival held in 2018, we had 4500 people from all over the UK, and even visitors from Europe and across the globe, which is a sight to behold - I can tell you!

There are a few well established 'moots' in Nottingham, which are gatherings that involve socializing, eating, and sharing information. I'd recommend anyone searching for a community  start with Nottingham Pagan Network (you can find them on Facebook). They hold their own monthly gathering and can point folks in the direction of other interest groups.

Tell us some of the highlights of previous Pagan markets…

Dee: The highlight of every Pagan Market we’ve organised has been the sense of community. MinorOak started doing Pagan Markets because Ni Claydon, who was our Artist-in-Residence, suggested that we put on an event for Pagans. Even the first one, which took place inside MinorOak with just eleven makers in 2019, was a real joy to host. So many people asked when we were going to do another one. And the market was well supported by an absolutely lovely group of people, so of course we wanted to do it again. 

Covid hit in 2020 and the Pagan Market moved into the Avenues. That’s when the vision we still have started to take shape. We had Pagan Markets in the autumns of 2021 and 2022 and the spring of 2023, each bigger and better attended than the last. In Autumn 2023, Esme, the founder of Pagan Pride, became the Pagan organiser. Esme’s hard work, knowledge, and creativity have boosted the market to a new level; it has more than doubled in size in the past year and we have more going on than ever before.

What have you got planned for the day this year?

Esme: We have expanded so much since last Beltane by bringing in the new performance spaces at ‘The Steps’ (Freckingham St.) and the Sneinton Market Square last Samhain.  Opening up these spaces means we can offer a more diverse program of entertainment and showcase more performers.

We’ve got live music, storytelling bards, talks and workshops from local authors and practitioners, dancers, Nottingham Shakespeare Co, mummers, Schuggies Ceilidh, and Drakonica’s ritual fire show to close - as well as Robin Hood! It’s going to be packed.

Each year, we have more and more artists and performers wanting to be involved - this is the most exciting part for me. That people from within the Pagan community want to contribute to their own community, to be seen, to feel part of something bigger, and I welcome them all.  There’s nothing worse than feeling cut off or alone from lack of community.

So to the Pagans and Heathens of Nottingham and beyond: we are here, we see you, your spiritual path and lifestyle are valid, and you are always welcome in our spaces.

Dee: There will be over eighty traders with everything from profiteroles to skull candles, from handmade jewellery to spell boxes, and from crystals to mushroom growing kits. 

The Pagan Market is a place where people can make connections, experience art, music, and theatre, hear stories, explore myth, nature, and spirituality, find beautiful, meaningful things, and collect memories. Imagine the sound of drums drawing closer; a scene from Shakespeare taking shape around you; a dance with fire; a haunting song; a flute in the distance; a chance to drink something brewed a few meters away and then dance in the afternoon.

There are many paths through the Avenues, and when they’re seeded with interesting people, things, and happenings, with places to rest and talk and superb food and drink from our local businesses - places like Neon Raptor, Blend, Luisa’s Vegan Chocolate, Breadmill Bakery, and Redsmith Gin - they lend themselves to hours of discovery and delight. And they provide a place for Pagans to meet and connect and be entirely themselves.

Nottingham Pagan Market takes place on Saturday 26 April in Sneinton Market Avenues. 

[instagram] @Nottingham_Pagan_Market