This year I will be drumming at a Solstice Feast!

ahem :puffpiece:

A feast for Solstice! It will take place in a hall of about a hundred and fifty guests. There will be wenches (an equal opportunity position), a whole roast "happy" pig (the only meat on the menu, selected from a farm that treats its animals properly... a toast to the pig, thanking him for his contribution will also be made..) dancing, singing, feasting and merriment! Small presents will be exchanged! Old friends will meet, mulled wine and beer will flow freely and bands will play!

I will be drumming with a group of approx 15 compatriots, 5 or so bass drum players, 4 or so snare players and 6 or so tom players, all drummers from the other pagan festivals in which I participate as a performer. These festivals are organized by the Beltane Fire Society, and Edinburgh organization dedicating to reviving, celebrating and to a large extent mutating the lost traditions of the Scotland. We also celebrate Samhuinn (Halloween) and Beltane (Easter. Beltane is the biggest by far. If you get a chance you MUST come and see this ceremony. Night before 1st May, Calton Hill, Edinburgh http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltane_Fire_Festival It's LOADS of fun...).

The whole thing will cost approximately £8:00 (discounting any drum maintenance expenses. There's a good chance I'll puncture the skin either on the night or during one of the practices. We drum *very* hard.)

I will get *very* drunk. :beer:

I will also go home to see my family for Christmas. The fire will be warm, the table set, the presents under the tree and mince pies will have been baked. I will watch my nephews open their presents, squealing and casting paper about the living room. I will share a bottle of brandy with my father over the course of the evenings and a long conversation about the family with my mother, receiving information about all my relatives. Both my sisters and my brother will be there, my brother in law and my younger sister's new beau (whom we all think she should keep). Dad will demand that we sing Christmas carols in close part harmony. I will sing tenor, too quiet as usual. Probably Stephen (younger sister's beau) will join in, it will be his first Christmas with us, but he is an excellent singer and loves our family, who are all musical types, as he is...

There will be turkey and brussel sprouts and a Christmas cake and dates and chocolate everywhere (my parents are well off and they like to do Christmas properly, my Dad more than ever as he gets older. He used to hate Christmas).

I intend to take my copy of "Mirrormask", ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirrormask ) Dave McKean's masterpiece, home to watch with everyone on Boxing Day, as it is a tradition in our family to sit down and watch a fantasy movie of some sort. Often it is I who brings home the movie. I brought home "Spirited Away" last year and everyone loved it, never having seen it. It'll be either that or "Howl's Moving Castle. My brother refuses to watch anime, however, so perhaps not. (He does impressions of Japanese anime characters spouting typical anime dialogue, his lips quivering in slow motion, expanding his eyes by stretching his eyelids with his thumbs and forefingers).

I probably won't go to church with the rest of my family, even though I used to love the church service on Christmas Eve (I used to sing in the church choir when I was a lad, also I was an altar boy...) as that seems a bit hypocritical. Although, not everyone would think it was hypocritical... and as I get older, despite my avowed atheism, I see more and more value firstly in ceremony and festival for it's own sake, and secondly, the message of Christianity. IF the message of Christianity really IS peace, love and goodwill towards my fellow beings then I wonder if probably I *should* go, whether I believe in the Creator or not. There's a small part of me that thinks that even though I don't believe on God, I *do* believe in Christianity. The proper version, ya know? The divine version. Not the ego-based Christmas-as-fortress version (which doesn't exist in the UK, really).

In the past I have sung carols in cathedrals for Christmas, listening to the choir, my own voice in there somethere but lost in the long chords, rising to fill the air with a glorious sonic radiance...

So. I might go this year.

Anyway, besides all that, all this will cost considerably more than £8:00.

Is this a problem? Not for me. I LOVE Christmas shopping! I love all the present wrapping!

I celebrate BOTH festivals, Solstice AND Christmas. They're DIFFERENT FESTIVALS.

Just because they happen at the same time of year doesn't mean they celebrate the same thing. Not to me, anyway...

So how come the Right doesn't see this?

Why are they trying to turn the only festival they celebrate that openly wishes goodwill on other people into a fortress? Why are they poisoning their own festival? It's the only time they ever get to have a good time. But they don't want to have a good time. They want to have a war. Why?

Could it be because they *have* no capacity for goodwill towards their fellow beings?

He'd join you:)

And Hanuka, and Kwanza, the lot.

I've always just seen this season as "Festival Season". Probably because Scotland also has massive Hogmanay parties at New Year, 6 days after Xmas... cha ching! It all adds up to a thin, low-fat-yoghurty, cottage cheesy sort of January...

We need another festival in January in my opinion. One that's fun that doesn't cost any money...

or Imbolc/Imbolg (some call it groundhog day!). The cross-quarter holidays don't get enough play, imho.

Usually we do it on February 1st. It's allegedly the "Birth of the Sun"... ( I think they make a lot of stuff up )

ROBBIE BURNS DAY. I am sure he'd love to join you in spirit.....

....and so would I.

I keep forgetting that one... Remiss of me! :-)

Yule log too. Maybe hanging some mistletoe hoping to get a smooch.

SO may comeover after Boxing Day...

I love this time of the year because there are so many days of celebration. We start with hubby's birthday on the 19 and party on from there. We end it all with my birthday on January 8 then go into hybernation until Valentines Day.

Yesterday I bought a case of different wines. Today I'm decorating. Lots of concerts and fairs to attend, cookies and fudge to make, and presents to buy. We have FUN!


SO Happy SOLTIHANNUCHRISKWANSNEWYEAR! :party:

Mz Pip
:dem:

I think not. Sounds like fun.

:-)

;)

I wish I could be there to celebrate with you. As it is, I will be celebrating with my wonderful family, and having a good time. It just seems that we need more celebrations, and more appreciation of each other's festivals, and more enjoyment of all of each other's traditions.

have fun!