Alban Hefin 2023

June 24,  1:00pm – 6:00pm

Pakim Pond Picnic Area, Brendan Byrne State Forest
Shinn’s Road, Woodland Township, NJ

Alban Hefin is the longest day of the year, when the sun is at its greatest strength. It’s the time to celebrate life at its most intense; darkness has been vanquished, at least until noon passes, and we are all at our zenith.

We’ll gather in the park for a picnic, including a chili contest and a cornbread contest (We hope to see your entries! Vegetarian and GF recipes are appreciated but certainly not required.) Ritual will focus on honoring the sun and fueling our coming summer.

Alban Hefin is also Red Oak Grove’s birthday — In addition to ritual and the cooking contests, we’ll have cake and party games, to celebrate 26 years of worship and community.

Register here: https://forms.gle/rxcmja4MiUqSkVpE9

Guests pay $10
Cyfaill/Tylwyth members pay $5
Children under 17 are free!

Updates and discussion: https://www.facebook.com/events/790147022498608

Alban Eilir 2023

Mar. 18 – 19, 6:00pm – 12:00pm

Private home in Wildwood, NJ; RSVP for the address

Alban Eilir is a festival of the dawning spring and all the new beginnings it brings with it. It’s the time to start new work— Soil has to be tilled so that we can later plant, the days are getting warmer, and snow is becoming much less likely.

We get together the night before ritual for an evening of laughter, music, and companionship — what we call “our very own little Irish pub,” including a finger-food cooking contest, sing-alongs, and trivia night and other games.

You’re welcome to attend just for ritual, but be warned that will be a little early, by pagan standard time! Our main ritual, which focuses on cleansing and going into the new spring with open hearts and open minds, will start at 8am on Sunday. We’ll gather on the beach for worship and to greet the rising sun.

Hope to see you there!

Register here: https://forms.gle/FiTB8ML3iH4WdunN6

Guests pay $40
Cyfaill/Tylwyth members pay $20
Children under 17 are free!

Updates and discussion: https://fb.me/e/2jmOVo7Rn

Canol Gaeaf 2023

Feb. 5, 11:00am – 5:00pm

Private home in Philadelphia; RSVP for the address

It’s time for Brigid’s Day and the Middle of Winter!

Art by Brenna Hartnett.

Join us to honor our goddess of poetry, craft, and healing and celebrate the coming of spring, still distant but finally on the horizon.

Our Canol Gaeaf celebration is a potluck brunch, with main ritual at 12pm. Feel free to bring whatever foods you’d like, but we will be giving out a prize for the best Brigid-inspired dish!

What makes a food “Brigid inspired?” Could be lot of things — She’s traditionally connected to dairy products (milk, butter, cheese,) as well as blackberries, beer, eggs, and oats. Or maybe your food is red, like her hair. As long as you can explain how your food is connected to Brigid, we’re happy to accept it.

(Vegetarian and/or gluten-free food is preferred but certainly not required!)

For our crafty guests, we’ll also have the supplies and time to weave Brigid’s crosses. Traditionally, these were hung over doorways for protection and good luck, and we’re excited to send you home with one (or more) of your own!

Attendance at this event is FREE, but we will be collecting donations for Planned Parenthood in honor of Brigid’s role as a goddess of midwifery.

Register here: https://forms.gle/gQJ8qPeCRmUhQmfD7

Updates and discussion: https://www.facebook.com/events/1940391252827205

Alban Arthan 2022

Dec. 16 7:00pm – Dec. 18 11:00am

YMCA of the Pines
1303 Stokes Rd, Medford, NJ

It’s time for Red Oak Grove’s famous Winter Solstice celebration!

Alban Arthan is the Welsh Pagan/Druid name for the Winter Solstice, when the day is shortest and the night longest. To encourage the Sun to return, we will light 8 candles at sunset, blowing out one each hour until midnight, when we’ll be shrouded in darkness. During this time, we’ll turn off all the lights and electronics in order to truly feel how long and dark the night can be. Then we’ll re-light one candle each hour until dawn arrives, and then toast the sunrise with mimosas!

Our Mari Lwyd performance at Alban Arthan 2019.

But just because our phones aren’t on doesn’t mean we aren’t having fun! During the solstice vigil, we’ll have carol sing-alongs, feasts, a bardic competition, a gift game, and more!

Join us for a ritual so nice, it was written up in the New York Times.

Register here: https://forms.gle/rz5HkNhyYpScmDRp6

Guests pay $55
Cyfaill members pay $45
Tylwyth members pay $35
Children 10-17 pay $25
Children under 10 are free!
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/redoakgrove

Updates and discussion: https://www.facebook.com/events/478043917666611

Calan Gaeaf 2022

Nov. 4 6:00pm – Nov. 6 11:00am

YMCA of the Pines
1303 Stokes Rd, Medford, NJ

Join Red Oak Grove as we celebrate another turning of the wheel! Calan Gaeaf is Welsh for the Beginning of Winter, and it’s the Welsh Pagan name for Samhain. During this time, halfway through astronomical fall, the veil between worlds is thin and we take the time to honor and connect with our ancestors.

Call them Beloved, Mighty, or Ancient, be they ancestors of blood or spirit, those who have gone before have an undeniable impact on our lives. During our Calan Gaeaf weekend, we will build an altar to them, invite them to dine with us during a Dumb Supper, and spend time with them during our ritual.

And of course it isn’t a ROG Calan Gaeaf without some spooks! We’ll have a scary story contest and a pumpkin carving contest!

Guest Registration: https://forms.gle/Q49gahRxUpkQjeu67

Member Registration: https://forms.gle/G2FgLzGQ1Fj6wBXD7

Guests pay $55, Cyfaill/Friends pay $45, and Tylwyth/Family pay $35 for the full weekend. Children 10-17 are $25, and children 9 and under are free! If you’d like to attend just during the day, contact us directly for discount ticket options.

Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/redoakgrove

Updates and discussion: https://www.facebook.com/events/453907719998478