Beltane 2008 News Edinburgh

Contents

#1 - Beltane Fire Festival 2008 :: Press Release: Keep the Fires Burning!
#2 - The Beltane Community Calendar 2008
#3 - Stewards Wanted

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#1 - Beltane Fire Festival 2008
Press Release: Keep the Fires Burning!

Wednesday 30th April, Calton Hill, Edinburgh
Procession from 9pm - 1am
Family Event from 6.30pm - 8.30pm
Advance tickets for this year's festival now available
Priced £5.00
Buy online via http://www.beltane.org
Or in person at The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh, EH1 2NE - Tel: 0131 473 2000

A limited number of tickets will be available on the night. These tickets will
cost £7.00 and will only be available from Calton Hill’s Carriage Drive
entrance.

Avoid the queues: Advance purchase strongly recommended

Note that due to the nature of the event, disabled access is by arrangement
only. Please email access@... for further information

If you wish to write a feature article, or to request further information, high
resolution pictures or press passes, contact Beltane Fire Society Press Officer,
Robyn Hambrook via press@... or on 07875 615973

NB Our registration deadline for press passes is 5pm on Friday 18th April.

Robyn Hambrook BFS Press Officer
Robyn Hambrook <robyn@...>

The Event

On the eve of May the Beltane Fire Society celebrates the coming of summer with
Edinburgh's 21st annual Beltane Fire Festival. Having built an internationally
renowned reputation for community theatre and performance art, 2008 brings new
events, fresh ideas and expertise to another spectacular celebration in the
heart of the city.

A crowd of 12,000 will gather on Calton Hill to witness our revival of the
ancient Celtic fertility festival. The festival celebrates the end of winter
with drumming, revelry and fire performance accompanying a fantastical
procession led by the May Queen and her Court. This culminates in a magical
atmosphere of celebration that has been building in anticipation of the new life
the summer season will bring.

New for 2008: Beltane for the whole family

In 2008 we will be launching our first 'Family Parade', a family-friendly event
to take place prior to the main performance on 30th April. Starting at 6pm there
will be a Children's Procession, arts workshops, storytelling and music situated
in a small area of the hill, behind the Acropolis.

This project has been developed by the Beltane Fire Society to make the event
more widely accessible and to allow families to celebrate the festival in a
safe, fun and informative way.

Beltane welcomes back Lindsay John

20 years after the first Beltane Fire Festival, the Society has invited back the
original choreographer to work with the festival participants. Lindsay John is
working with the Beltane performers to provide artistic direction, movement
training and choreographic and costume development.

Lindsay John is a dance and performance artist, who takes inspiration from
modern Japanese dance, Butoh and the use of costume in performance. He was
instrumental in shaping, through costume and movement, the Beltane Fire Festival
at the very beginning, collaborating with Angus Farquhar, then of radical music
group Test Department (whose Scottish wing later became NVA) to create the first
Beltane event in 1988. Over subsequent years he helped to develop the characters
of the White Women and Red Men that still form the basis of the performance.

Did you know?

The Beltane Fire Festival involves approximately 380 performers, 10000 man hours
and 21 years of accumulated traditions.

Performers spend an accumulated £20,000 of their own money on costumes,
rehearsal space and other costs that arise to put on the event.

33% of the audience comes from outside Edinburgh.
45% of visitors come to Edinburgh specifically for the festival.

Spectators from outside of Edinburgh spend £500,000 during their stay.

Images and video of the festival have been used by BBC, Channel 4, National
Geographic, Scotsman, Sky, Visit Scotland.

The Story

The sacred Neid Fire is lit on the Acropolis from the flame sparked by a bow
drill. From this Neid Fire torches are lit to reveal the May Queen, the mother
aspect of the Celtic triple goddess – Maiden, Mother, Crone – who is Queen
of the Summer.

Leading the Horned God and flanked by her proud White Warrior Women and the
mighty Processional Drummers, the May Queen’s way is guided by the Blue Men,
druidic spirit guides who are the guardians of the ritual.

The procession passes anti-clockwise around Calton Hill, the May Queen awakening
the elements of Air, Earth, Water and Fire so they may join her Court. Before
the procession is complete, though, the Court is ambushed by the Red Men and
their Beastie Drummers - spirits from the underworld who embody chaos, mischief
and lust.

Their advance is blocked by the truth, law and order of their opposites, the
White Warrior Women, and, safe now, the procession continues to its climax.

The Horned God, his lust stirred by the lascivious Red Men, now dares to touch
the May Queen. He is stripped of his winter coat in punishment but is to be
reborn as the Green Man, the first new growth of the Summer, and then crowned by
the May Queen.

Together they light a sacred fire from the original Neid flame, a fire that in
ancient times was believed to purify cattle and villagers alike in preparation
fir the new season.

Our modern festival culminates with the reconciliation of order and chaos as Red
entice White to join them in dance.

The Society

Beltane Fire Society is managed by a voluntary committee, with all 300 or so
performers being volunteers who give a substantial amount of time to, and on the
whole self-fund, their rehearsals, costumes and props.

The cost of producing and insuring the festival was once covered by voluntary
donations and fundraising events such as a post-festival club. In recent years
rising costs have unfortunately necessitated ticketing so that we may safeguard
the future of this unique event.

Ticketing nevertheless does not fund the event entirely, and as we currently
receive no public funding, we must still pursue fundraising. We remain a
not-for-profit organisation.

For more information go to: http://www.beltane.org

Robyn Hambrook BFS Press Officer
Robyn Hambrook <robyn@...>

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#2 - The Beltane Community Calendar 2008

Features 16 events

Confirmation of venues, see discussion mailing list
http://lists.beltane.org/listinfo.cgi/discussion-beltane.org

Introduction: All events are aimed primarily at people involved in the Beltane
community but of course they are totally open to anyone and everyone, whether
they've been involved or not. Please do come along to as many events as you can
and help support the vibrancy surrounding the incredible festival. Please also
encourage as many other people to come along as possible.

Finally, as explained on the program, all events are free. However, we are
asking for a small donation at each event to help cover the costs of venue hire
and printing. Any surplus donations will of course go to BFS.

So here it is. The final rundown for this year’s Beltane Community Calendar.
Happy Beltane!
Andrew

NB: I’m still waiting for confirmation on a few venues however I felt it was
important to get the information out as it stands. Stay tuned for updates. I
will post a revised version of this document in due course. Thanks for your
patience.

BEFORE BELTANE

Beltane Performers Open Mic Night
Tues 15th April - Forest Café - 9pm till close
A chilled-out evening with friends before the final 2 weeks of craziness. Bring
your own bottle, songs, instruments, stories, poems and miscellaneous
entertainments. The night be opened by the Forest Choir to get those singing
muscles loosened up. Projections courtesy of Photopoint.

Workshop/Talk – Fire Festivals as Rites of Passage
Wed 16th April – Venue tbc – 7:30 till 9pm
An exploration of Beltane, and fire festivals in general, as rites of passage;
transformatory experiences for those who take part with a clear build up, a
focal event and assimilation afterwards. An opportunity to come together and
share personal understandings of Beltane as a dynamic catalyst for change in
your life.

Elemental Clubnight
Fri 18th April – details tbc

All Beltane Carnival Busks
Sat 19th and Sat 26th April – The Mound, Princes St – 1pm onwards
Come one, come all. Bring all your hippy skills, all your exuberance and energy
and wear the most brightly coloured things in your wardrobe. Summer is coming so
lets dance till we drop for the great Edinburgh public. Two amazing publicity
and fund-raising events for our incredible festival. Come and help make them
happen. Bring friends and family. Tickets for Beltane will be on sale.

Beltane Masquerade Ceilidh
Sat 19th – Steiner School, 60 Spylaw Rd - 7pm till 1am
A collaboration between BFS and Edinburgh’s Ceilidh Collective. Music from the
Cosmic Ceilidh Band and guest appearance from the Beastie drummers and the
Forest Choir. Wear a mask to impress. Organic bar and raffle + MC Gandalf.
Tickets £10/£6.50 concession or advance (from Susie’s Diner) £9/£5

An Evening In The Otherworld – Storytelling and more with Alasdair and friends
Fri 25th – Venue tbc – 7:30 till 9pm
An evening of storytelling and music. Be transported into another realm on the
threads of ancient tales to help set the scene for the coming magic of Beltane
night.

AFTER BELTANE

The Beltane BBQ
Thur 1st May – Carlton Hill – 2pm onwards
Perhaps the most exciting event happening this year! You enjoyed last night so
much you just can’t stay away. Join us back on the hill for a sumptuous BBQ
feast. Veggie friendly options. Excellent banter guaranteed. You may also be
offered the chance to help tidy up! It just doesn’t get any better!

Stitch ‘n Bitch
Fri 2nd May – Meadows (Forest café if bad weather) – 3pm onwards
Now that you’ve had time to recover a little, come and join us in the summer
sunshine (fingers crossed) for a catch-up gossip and a spot of crocheting. Some
wool and hooks will be provided. Can’t crochet? This is the perfect
opportunity to learn.

The Labyrinth
Fri 2nd May – Bristo Hall (above Forest Café) – 2pm til 5pm setup. 5pm –
9pm open
A labyrinth to walk and reflect. A space for personal grounding after the
intensity of Beltane. Focus, internalize or release. Come at 2pm to help create
the labyrinth itself. Bring objects of personal significance. Opening ceremony
at 5pm. The labyrinth will be open for anyone to walk until the space is closed
at 9pm.

Guided Walk - Native Herb Lore
Sat 3rd May – Meet Forest Café (destination tbc) – 12noon to leave at 12:30
(by bus) Join Matt Richardson for a walk in the woods and learn how to identify
and use a variety of native Scottish plants. If circumstances allow there will
be a cooking session after the walk to prepare and eat some of the herbs
gathered on the walk.

Red Men Present: An Intro to Acro
Sun 4th May – The Meadows – 3pm onwards
Join the red men and learn how to do all that impressive acrobalance. Climb on
each other with style and poise and impress your friends. Everyone from total
beginners to advanced are welcome.

Workshop/Talk - Ritual Space
Sun 4th May – GRV (tbc) – 7:30pm till 9:30
What is a ritual? In what ways is Beltane a ritual? What does it mean to set up
a ritual space? Come and hear various speakers and get involved in what is sure
to be an interesting and thought provoking discussion concerning these and many
other questions. The workshop also offers an opportunity to plan a post-Beltane
ritual to take place the following Sunday evening.

Workshop/Skill Share – Fire Raising
Tues 6th May – Meadows (by jawbone walk) – 8:30 till 10:30
Ever wondered how those shadowy characters on the acropolis make the neid fire
spring out of nothing? Well now is your chance to find out. Learn the finer
points of kindling and bow drills and make fire without the use of matches or a
lighter.

Forum - Beltane and the Environment
Sat 10th May – Venue tbc – 7pm till 9pm
This is a space for the open discussion of how issues of the environment relate
to Beltane and how Beltane relates to issues of the environment. A broad range
of approaches, topics and opinions is hugely encouraged. Topics may include: the
environmental impact of Beltane and the spiritual connections of Beltane to the
environment. We will hear from organisers of Green Point from 2008 and 2007
before opening up the floor to facilitated debate.

Roslin Glen Litter Pick-nic
Sun 11th May – Meet in Roslin Chapel Carpark – 2pm
Come for a walk through this stunning woodland glen. Unfortunately rubbish has
become more common in the glen recently, so help give something back by coming
along and clearing it up a bit. Bring a binbag and litter picker if you have
one. Also bring tasty food to share – we’ll have a big picnic at the end.

Please note. With the exception of the Ceilidh and Elemental Clubnight, all
events are free. However, we do request a small donation at each event (whatever
you can afford) to cover expenses of venue hire and printing. Any surplus
donations will of course go to BFS. Thanks

Contact: Andrew Tovey <awtovey@...>

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#3 - BFS Stewards Wanted

BFS NEEDS SOME HELPERS :: Stewards needed
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Nightnews_Omega/message/467
Full details at the above link and the archive below

Join the BFS discussion list here
http://lists.beltane.org/listinfo.cgi/discussion-beltane.org

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