Happy Samhuinn!
October 31, 2017 1:00 PM Subscribe
The Samhuinn Fire Festival of 2015. Every year on October 31 the Beltane Fire Society (previously) celebrates the Celtic holiday Samhuinn (aka Samhain, aka Halloween) with a fire festival performance in Edinburgh’s Old Town.
There's a detailed schedule with links (not included here) under SHOW MORE:
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN?
00:00:30 Neid Fire
00:02:22 Procession Start
00:03:30 First glimpse of the Reds and Beasties
00:04:35 First glimpse of the White Hunt
00:04:43 First glimpse of the Winter Drummers
00:05:05 First glimpse of Winter Fire
00:05:40 Reds
00:11:20 Fire Arch
00:12:00 No Point
00:15:00 Court enters the Main Stage Area
00:15:15 Beasties enter the Main Stage Area
00:15:45 Blues on Stage
00:18:30 Reds on Stage
00:24:45 Beasties on Stage
00:26:50 Faces on Stage
00:29:15 Winter Fire Solo Battle with Summer King
00:30:15 White Hunt enter the Main Stage Area
00:30:40 Faerie Porters enter the Main Stage Area
00:31:15 Winter King prowling
00:32:45 Catsi
00:34:15 White Hunt surrounds the Reds
00:35:35 Reds are dispatched
00:39:40 More Winter Fire (Main Performance)
00:42:30 Winter Fire Teal Fire
00:44:45 Haka
00:46:50 Kings Do Battle
00:54:00 Cailleach
00:59:22 Winter King is crowned
01:02:00 End Sequence
The story follows the ideas of the overthrowing of Summer by Winter, with a stand-off between the Summer and Winter Kings. This is overseen by the Cailleach, a Celtic representation of the Goddess, or Divine Hag. The transformation from Summer to Winter is supported by the energies and interactions of the Summer and Winter courts – through performance, music and dance. The narrative focuses on this conflict and its resolution, but also focuses on the transition that many aspects of life take during the changing of the seasons.This is video of the full performance from two years ago (tonight's performance starts at 9:00 PM, about an hour from now.)
There's a detailed schedule with links (not included here) under SHOW MORE:
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN?
00:00:30 Neid Fire
00:02:22 Procession Start
00:03:30 First glimpse of the Reds and Beasties
00:04:35 First glimpse of the White Hunt
00:04:43 First glimpse of the Winter Drummers
00:05:05 First glimpse of Winter Fire
00:05:40 Reds
00:11:20 Fire Arch
00:12:00 No Point
00:15:00 Court enters the Main Stage Area
00:15:15 Beasties enter the Main Stage Area
00:15:45 Blues on Stage
00:18:30 Reds on Stage
00:24:45 Beasties on Stage
00:26:50 Faces on Stage
00:29:15 Winter Fire Solo Battle with Summer King
00:30:15 White Hunt enter the Main Stage Area
00:30:40 Faerie Porters enter the Main Stage Area
00:31:15 Winter King prowling
00:32:45 Catsi
00:34:15 White Hunt surrounds the Reds
00:35:35 Reds are dispatched
00:39:40 More Winter Fire (Main Performance)
00:42:30 Winter Fire Teal Fire
00:44:45 Haka
00:46:50 Kings Do Battle
00:54:00 Cailleach
00:59:22 Winter King is crowned
01:02:00 End Sequence
00:44:45 Haka
WHAT???? You mean, like the All Blacks do?
posted by orrnyereg at 1:43 PM on October 31, 2017
WHAT???? You mean, like the All Blacks do?
posted by orrnyereg at 1:43 PM on October 31, 2017
... Aaaand, right now my wife is up there preparing for her role in the performance!
She must be having a fun evening! What is her role?
posted by homunculus at 2:41 PM on October 31, 2017
She must be having a fun evening! What is her role?
posted by homunculus at 2:41 PM on October 31, 2017
Spent an evening in the pub yesterday with an old friend who's involved with this, doing the torches stuff iirc, so it's neat to see this on MeFi.
posted by MartinWisse at 3:42 PM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by MartinWisse at 3:42 PM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
I've just come back from watching this! I went to Beltane earlier in the year knowing effectively nothing about it other than that it involved fire performers, with a friend who like me had just moved to the city. We had a brilliantly weird, disorienting and dreamlike night, letting all the surprises, half-familiar legends and symbolism wash over us.
Tonight was a very different atmosphere - we waited by the main stage instead of watching the procession from the castle, so we were in a crowd in the middle of the city, not exploring a hillside park - but it was still a spectacular show and told a fantastic story.
Now the dark evenings are with us, I plan to dust off my fire toys for practice (I did a certain amount of fire staff, poi, and juggling some years ago) and try to get involved in the next performance.
posted by metaBugs at 5:59 PM on October 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
Tonight was a very different atmosphere - we waited by the main stage instead of watching the procession from the castle, so we were in a crowd in the middle of the city, not exploring a hillside park - but it was still a spectacular show and told a fantastic story.
Now the dark evenings are with us, I plan to dust off my fire toys for practice (I did a certain amount of fire staff, poi, and juggling some years ago) and try to get involved in the next performance.
posted by metaBugs at 5:59 PM on October 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
I need to see this. Bucket list.
posted by double bubble at 8:26 PM on October 31, 2017
posted by double bubble at 8:26 PM on October 31, 2017
Relatedly, I stumbled across this twitter thread yesterday, suggesting that the current interpretations of what Samhuinn represented are relatively recent inventions. Specifically, that the idea of a boundary between worlds which weakens in specific times and places is surprisingly modern, and has been applied to the tradition retroactively.
It's an area I know literally nothing about, so I'd be really interested if anyone knows anything more about the subject. Or perhaps I should head across to AskMe.
Regardless, I was gratified to see that the Beltane Fire Society are refreshingly candid about their performances and rituals being their own takes "inspired by" the legends and traditions, instead of claiming to be a revival or recreation of some historical truth. As well as giving them more artistic freedom, for me it injects a very real honesty and therefore power into the event, which would be lacking if they were trying to fudge a claim to authenticity. I mean, it's a great show and a fun night out, but as a sort of optimistic nihilist I'm very interested in the idea of invented spectacles and ceremonies that can have emotional power both despite and because the participants have simply agreed "this is important because we've decided we want it to be".
posted by metaBugs at 4:14 AM on November 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
It's an area I know literally nothing about, so I'd be really interested if anyone knows anything more about the subject. Or perhaps I should head across to AskMe.
Regardless, I was gratified to see that the Beltane Fire Society are refreshingly candid about their performances and rituals being their own takes "inspired by" the legends and traditions, instead of claiming to be a revival or recreation of some historical truth. As well as giving them more artistic freedom, for me it injects a very real honesty and therefore power into the event, which would be lacking if they were trying to fudge a claim to authenticity. I mean, it's a great show and a fun night out, but as a sort of optimistic nihilist I'm very interested in the idea of invented spectacles and ceremonies that can have emotional power both despite and because the participants have simply agreed "this is important because we've decided we want it to be".
posted by metaBugs at 4:14 AM on November 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
Due to the separation into different groups (reds, blues etc) I wouldn't be able to make statements about the whole, so just stray observations from a time when I knew lots of people in town due to the intermingling of the music, hippie, student, immigrant, drug scenes in what is a very small city. On the upside, whilst not 'authentic' or historical the symbolism seems to work anyway as far as I can tell. See also Jodorovsky's book 'Psychomagic' on modern shamanism and his 'theatre of panic'. On the low end of it, it often does get noticeably colder around 1st Nov and if you've attended the parade it's fun to think "Of course, I saw the winter king win last night..." On the high end, one friend who used to lead one of the teams claims going through the experience saved him years of therapy - I believe him. To oversimplify Jodorovsky, rituals work, even if you know they are made up. On the downside, my impression of some parts of it was they were too cultish for my taste (ridiculously impassioned speeches by leaders, them trying to take up all of participants' time, going away to spend lots of time only with the group, lots and lots of mindgames, toxic group dynamics, acid casualties) and sort of a siphon for the many sort of directionless people passing through there (but at least its not nazis). Also some of it was a hotbed for 'liberal male' sex pests leaving STDs and unwanted pregnancies in their wake.
posted by yoHighness at 4:53 AM on November 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by yoHighness at 4:53 AM on November 1, 2017 [3 favorites]
There's a great Twitter account that quotes entries from Dinneen's canonic Irish-English dictionary (first published 1904, expanded 1927) - they do a bunch of Halloween-related entries every year. At the time there were many traditions that have now died out. I meant to do a post on it but was busy.
If you look into a mirror at 12 o’clock on Halloween eating an apple, one’s spouse would look over ones shoulder + be reflected in the glass
People were blindfolded and the plate they picked determined their fate for the next year: Cleas na bhfochupán: Halloween Game with 3 Saucers. Soil (Death) / Water (Emigration) / Ring (Marriage)
Don't eat blackberries after Halloween because they're soiled by mischievous spirits Cac an Phúca: Ní itear sméara dubha ó thagas an Samhain, mar deirtear go salaíonn na púcaí iad.
The origin of pumpkin carving: móg, m., a turnip hollowed to take a candle an simulate a head, supported on a churn-dash, esp. on November Night (Oíche Shamhna)
Game where you peeled an apple to identify your future spouse: Cén t-ainm a bheas ar d'fhear céile? Ar do bhean chéile? Cluiche Oíche Shamhna ... úll! Baintear an craiceann, caitheann tú thar do ghualainn é, nod le hainm nó gairm do chéile le haithint ann.
posted by kersplunk at 12:51 PM on November 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
If you look into a mirror at 12 o’clock on Halloween eating an apple, one’s spouse would look over ones shoulder + be reflected in the glass
People were blindfolded and the plate they picked determined their fate for the next year: Cleas na bhfochupán: Halloween Game with 3 Saucers. Soil (Death) / Water (Emigration) / Ring (Marriage)
Don't eat blackberries after Halloween because they're soiled by mischievous spirits Cac an Phúca: Ní itear sméara dubha ó thagas an Samhain, mar deirtear go salaíonn na púcaí iad.
The origin of pumpkin carving: móg, m., a turnip hollowed to take a candle an simulate a head, supported on a churn-dash, esp. on November Night (Oíche Shamhna)
Game where you peeled an apple to identify your future spouse: Cén t-ainm a bheas ar d'fhear céile? Ar do bhean chéile? Cluiche Oíche Shamhna ... úll! Baintear an craiceann, caitheann tú thar do ghualainn é, nod le hainm nó gairm do chéile le haithint ann.
posted by kersplunk at 12:51 PM on November 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
First few photos of Samhuinn 2017
Second release of Samhuinn 2017 photos
Facebook gallery: Samhuinn Fire Festival 2017 #1
posted by homunculus at 10:05 AM on November 2, 2017
Second release of Samhuinn 2017 photos
Facebook gallery: Samhuinn Fire Festival 2017 #1
posted by homunculus at 10:05 AM on November 2, 2017
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(I don't take part. It's on a hillside, at night: I'm night-blind in one eye and have balance issues, which really don't help.)
posted by cstross at 1:21 PM on October 31, 2017 [7 favorites]