House of Danu featured at the 15th Annual Pantheacon

The extraordinary gathering of pagans known as PantheaCon will take place at the San Jose Double Tree Hotel over President’s Day weekend, February 13-16, 2009. www.pantheacon.com/09/index.php   This year’s theme is gods and goddesses.  Over 3,000 participants are expected for a weekend of seminars on pagan traditions, hospitality suites, live music, a grand costume ball, and numerous demonstration rituals.

Over the past four years, members of OBOD have presided over a Druid Ritual with Danse Macabre.  This year, the House of Danu has been selected to preside.  Druids perform with Danse Macabre at Renaissance Faires in California, and Dia de Los Muertos in San Francisco, so we call upon our friends to play music for our procession and spiral danse. Our intent is to demonstrate how performing arts can be used in Druid ritual.

It is our custom to have participants prepare props for the procession: banners, garlands, masks.  Last year, we painted the bodies of 4 people who represented Air, Fire, Water, and Earth during the procession.  Representatives of the 7 Groves and Seed Groups will meet in January to plan our ritual this year.  It is our custom that it ends in a spiral danse.

The “Druid Ritual with Danse Macabre,” is scheduled for Sunday, February 15, 2009, 7:00P.M. in the Oak room at the Double Tree Hotel.  You are all encouraged to come to this convention for the entire weekend, or can elect to come just on Sunday to participate in our ritual. 

Though the Double Tree Hotel is completely booked, there are pour-over hotels nearby with rooms at the convention discount rate with shuttles to the Double Tree.  Over the years, participants have commented that our ritual was the highlight of their experience at PantheaCon.