Meeting Freya and the Cailleich, celebrating life and death: Rites of passage beyond Dutch contemporary pagan community

Rites of passage, being significant markers in a human life time, have, due to processes of secularization been diminished in Dutch society. This article investigates how different contemporary Pagan movements have affected modern civil society in the Netherlands in finding new expressions of celebrating rites of passage. Contemporary Pagans have, since the movement's emergence, been conscious about cycles of change and accordingly of the importance of rites of passage. The most important Pagan "liturgy" of the seasonal calendar of the Wheel of the Year incorporates in its symbolism changes in the human life cycle. The relationship between the Wheel of the Year and rites of passage will thus be discussed for five Dutch Pagan traditions, examining how Dutch contemporary Pagans have inspired non-Pagans in celebrating their rites of passage. © Equinox Publishing Ltd 2014