What is the consequence of describing folk practice, seasonal celebrations, wassails for example as "strange" "wierd" "unusual"
"Pagan"

I propose that describing folk practice in this way keeps people from taking part and keeps them from adopting folk practices as part of their lifeway.

Do a google news search of contemporary events- one from hereford got to me. Strange wierd....

The use of these terms scares many and those attracted are going to be curiosity seekers rather than those wishing to adopt the normal, historic, folk, practices as part of their lifeways.

The result of this is that people stay away and those who come think of it as a freak show rather than cultural lifeway or some commercial event to watch performers.

Using the word pagan has a like influence. Yes there may possibly be maybe perhaps some shred of pagan remnants but it is never as big as has been made out to be and there is generally little evidence supporting pagan links at all. Generally just an assumption.

So when something is so described how is a good christian practicing home going to react- they will distance themselves. When things were not so defined ordinary people embraced the customs without so much stigma.

They have been doing it for centuries.

Its not something you watch someone else perform its something you do yourselves and you have to put it in the ordinary category and get it out of the categories of weird or exceptional strange and particularly pagan.

Conrad