Nightnews-media XTRA :: Beltane Fire Society Presents SAMHUINN October
31st 2006

1 - SAMHUINN Afterclub Listing
2 - SAMHUINN Procession Press Release

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1 - SAMHUINN Afterclub Listing

SAMHUINN AFTERPARTY 31.10.06
11:30-3:00
Bongo Club
£8.00/£6.00 conc / £3.00 performers

ROOTS RISIN; powerful new high energy psychedelic dub/reggae band,
feat. former members of THe Ruffness and The Wierd Attractors.
HURACHE; Cross genre Hip-hop, Dn'B and conscious M.C.
PLANET MONKEY; Live instruMental psychedelic trance, Samhuinn winter
drummers.

Upstairs
Acoustic sets from some of Edinburghs finest,
Summer musicians,
Mind altering spoken word, Random music to make u wiggle! Full 3D U.V
enviroment(Planet Monkey crew) and beautiful Visuals (RaaH)

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2 - Procession Press Release

Beltane Fire Society Presents SAMHUINN October 31st 2006

Parade starting from the Edinburgh Castle at 9pm, moving down the
Mound, performance complete by 11pm.

After party and fundraiser at the Bongo Club, Holyrood Road 11:30pm- 3am

For further info, hi resolution pictures and photographer passes for
the event contact.

bfs.press@...

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BFS invites you to join us to celebrate Samhuinn

A night where the veil that splits both worlds grows thinner, a night
were spirits can touch the souls of the living. A night to reflect on
the year gone by, and to look forward to the one to come. Samhuinn
celebrates the Celtic new year, with a spectacular procession, and
visual pyrotechnic feast in the heart of Edinburgh.

So! Come join the Oak Lord for the carnival of summer's last dance -
accompanied by the last vibrant beats of the summer musicians, the
ethereal dance of summer nymphs and sylphs, fire performers and jesters.

Shudder from winter's fury, as the relentless force of drummers,
hunters, and wolves, sweep up the last of summer's light and unleash
the hollowing force of the Holly Lord.

Be one of the few to witness the true all power form of the Cailleach.

Beltane Fire Society take the blows of the Winter, setting a dramatic,
dark, and hunting performance that will evoke the last dance of the
Summer before the land takes its winter gown.

Background to Samhuinn

Samhuinn (Samhain) for ancient Celts was the time of the year to bring
the cattle in from summer pastures to lowland fields for protection.
Considering the signs of approaching winter, the trees were bare and
the land was barren, nature itself seemed to be dying.

Outside it is dark for most of the day and the weather is harsh and
unrelenting. Black energy grips the land and life struggles to survive
in small sanctuaries (Beltane, 2006).

Samhuinn is also the time when the rising of the Seven Sisters
(Pleiades) proclaims the triumph of darkness over light. Many ancient
cultures celebrated this changeover time from the old cycle to the
new. It is believed that peoples as diverse as the Polynesians,
ancient Egyptians and Greeks looked to the dawn sky for rising of
Pleiades marking the end of the old year.

Following the emergence of Edinburgh's well-known Beltane celebration
on Carlton Hill nearly twenty years ago, the Beltane Fire Society also
resurrected the celebration of Samhuinn. The aims of the Society's
events include the promotion of community development and cohesion as
well increasing public awareness of Celtic seasonal festivals. BFS
festivals format, including Samhuinn, is pyrotechnic wizardry in a
spectacular procession and outdoor theatre performance.

The Society

BFS events are a unique opportunity in today's fragmented Society for
the whole community of Edinburgh to join in a celebration of the
country's ancient heritage,

The Beltane Fire Society is managed by a voluntary committee, and all
the performers are volunteers.

The process of developing the events each year has also proven to be a
valuable catalyst for community development. All the performers are
voluntary, and many are previously inexperienced in performance
skills. They either join by word of mouth or by attending one of the
advertised open meetings held early in the year. Under the guidance of
professional performers and community artists, the volunteers are
trained in the technical aspects of event production, prop
construction, in character performance techniques, team building,
percussion skills and the safety considerations of outdoor events.
Many of the participants have since gone on to develop careers in
community education and performance art as a result of their
experiences with Beltane.

BFS events have gradually gained international renown. In 2005 Beltane
Fire Festival witnessed a major exposure to a wide audience when
featured in the National Geographic Magazine.

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For more information visit: http://www.beltane.org

Information for Spectators:

There is no charge to watch Samhuinn 2006, this is a free event!
Donations will be collected from the audience by costumed BFS members.

Come dressed warm, but also be creative. In Halloween/Samhuinn
inspired cloaks, masks and costumes you may survive better than the
`normal' folk.

The general public are invited to come enjoy the beginning of this
spectacle at the Castle Esplanade at 9pm, then to follow the parade to
the finale at the Mound/Galleries. The performance will finish around
11pm when revellers will be invited to journey with the performers to
the Bongo Club to dance the night away.

Discussion mailing list
http://vlists.pepperfish.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discussion-lists.beltane.o\
rg

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