Pagan party

If you’re feeling witchy this Halloween weekend, check out the Montreal Witches Masquerade Ball, happening Friday in NDG’s Rosedale-Queen Mary United Church (6870 Terrebonne). The ball is organized by the Montreal Pagan Resource Centre, which connects members of Montreal’s pagan community.

The event kicks off at 6 p.m. with a Samhain (pronounced “saw-wan”) ritual that will honour loved ones who have passed away in the last year. The ritual is free and for adults only. The ball starts at 8 p.m., featuring a DJ and an outdoor Celtic labyrinth and is open to all.

Hobbes, the president of the Pagan Resource Centre who only goes by one name, promises plenty of “rug-cutting and shin-digging,” and says organizers anticipate a heavy turnout from local pagans and the general public.

“A lot of peoples put on costumes, but fail to realize they are in a costume year-round, and Halloween is when they actually take their costume off and get to be themselves,” says Kevin-John Chaplin, a volunteer at the centre.

Profits will go to the Centre, a volunteer-based drop-in located inside Mélange Magique, a pagan bookstore.

The ball is alcohol-free and open to all ages. Tickets are $12 at the door. For more info visit paganuniverse.com/mprc/.

ELISABETH FAURE