PAGANS CLAIM MARRIAGE RITES

NELSPRUIT – The first legal marriage of the South African Pagan Council (SAPC) was solemnized between Athema Whitewolf and Lady Mauve Sunrise, on October 31, 2008.

The Pagan wedding ceremony (Handfasting) was held on Beltane Eve, in a beautiful temple on the outskirts of Nelspruit. The bride and groom dressed in traditional Pagan robes, said their vows before friends and family and had their hands fastened by the cord of commitment and devotion. To conclude the ceremony the couple “jumped the broom” to seal their union. Feasting and a drum circle followed the handfasting ritual.

The SAPC is a recognised religious organization and is authorized to appoint RMO’s (religious marriage officers), who are designated by Home affairs to solemnize marriages under the Civil Union Act. On 10 October 2008 the SAPC was also registered as a religion at SARS as a Section 21 NPO (under Section 30 of the Act). This historic registration marks the first official recognition of Paganism in Africa since pre-Christian times.

Paganism is defined by the SAPC as a polytheistic and pantheistic pre-Christian religion, generally nature-based, and as a syncretic or genuine revival of ethnic cultural belief.