Seasonal Rememorations
These festive events mark our seasons, remind us of the gifts of the earth and build communal memory. Drawing from the remarkable diversity of cultural practices that honor seasonal change, we look at the subversive storylines that live within various folk traditions: resistance, resurrection, return, and re-membering.
These events are hosted and curated by Holy Fool Arts, but co-created with the Dreaming Stone AEC community (meaning you). Each gathering includes performance – songs & reflections, time for sharing and “speaking from the heart” and unstructured time to enjoy food and drink and creative play.
Carnival / Mardi Gras / Feast of Fools
This Christian festival (fat Tuesday) that immediately precedes Lent, has ancient roots in pre-Christian festivals of Saturnalia and Bacchanalia. During Saturnalia all class distinctions were abolished, with slaves and their masters switching roles, and laws normally governing sensible behavior suspended. The topsy turvy embodiment of Carnival mirrors gospel themes found in Mary’s Magnificat, which shaped early christian festivities such as The Feast of Fools, which has almost been lost due to the suppression of the church.
May Day
By commemorating ancient spring festivals from european cultures we honor the wisdom of our ancestors and their connection to the land. This date was chosen as International Workers Day to both memorialize the Haymarket Riot and to affirm the resilient, resurgent movements for labor rights that are part of the fight for life. Also, this is the feast day for St Joseph the worker.
Summer Solstice
This is the longest day of the year, in the northern hemisphere, celebrated by countless cultures throughout time. Sometimes called midsummer, the Solstice celebrates the fullness of light as it marks the shift toward the waning light of winter. Also, this is the feast day for St John the Baptist.
All Souls / Dia de los Muertos
This tridium of holy days includes Halloween (All Hallows Eve), All Souls Day, and All Saints Day, and marks the time of year when the veil is thin and we remember the dead, the saints, and the ancestors. Mexican festivities during Dia de los Muertos, which include elaborately decorated ofrendas (altars), show us that life is richer when we honor the dead. The ancient rites of Samhain, occurring this time of year, mark the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter.