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Julian Cope presents Head Heritage

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Ritual
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morfe
morfe
2992 posts

Re: Ritual
Jan 12, 2006, 17:56
"Do any surviving folk festivals have real meaning?"

To some, yes, to others, not so. A flat statement is a flat statement, and as such, demonstrably false.

In reality folk festivals have all kinds of 'real' meanings, even if industrial life and consumerism has culled much of this and only the customs remain.

You have already stated that you envied people with real meaning in their lives, so it would be contradictory to then say that there IS no real meaning in folk festivals.

Let's take an example that you may deride, as it is a contemporary take on a few old festivals, like .

I go to the Green Man festival most years, not the 'music' one, but the Clun festival that celebrates the arrival of the summer season.

There are many traditional, even ancient elements to this festival, there is a play, on the bridge, where the verdant and jolly Green man, replete with Horns and green leafy garb, challenges the Frost on the old bridge in the village centre. He makes way for the Queen Of The May, a picture of youth, a girl of the village, another symbol of young life, fertility, etc.

The remainder of the day is spent in celebration, that is eating, drinking, playing music, games, crafts (especially 'earth' crafts, self-reliance, wood turning etc.

It would be false of me to state that every single attendee and participant is fully cognitive of the 'meaning' of this festival, but many are, and after talking to a fair few, and after seeing the smiling faces of the families who attend, it would be desperately false of me to say that there is no real 'meaning' there. The gaggle of children that follow the 'Green man' around the old castle mound, festooned with hawthorn, carrying branches etc are laughing, and feel important to be supporting the perambulatory display. Surely they are finding meaning in their celebration of the coming of summer, their smiles mean a lot to me, and the fact that they know who the May Queen is. Traditional festivals have always included symbols such as this, I guess for the very reason that it symbols of representation are much more subtle, yet maybe stronger than words can convey.

It seems to me that the only enemy of celebration and 'meaning', are those among us who deny it exists, or that the seasons are anything at all to be happy about :-(
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