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Tuesday, 27 March 2007 14:19 |
By ELIZABETH MEADS
Tinkling bells and swirling skirts welcomed spring on March 20 in the Sunshine Meadow at the Botanical Gardens in Asheville.
An event sponsored by Earth Celebrations drew about 60 people to mark the spring equinox with participatory song, spoken word, dance, ritual and shared silence.
Interpreting the dateís equal times of daylight and darkness as a symbol for the balance of light and dark, the Earth Celebrations organizers asked the participants to examine their own sense of balance.
Before entering into the meadow, the participants were met at a bridge and ritually cleansed with smoke from burning incense, including sage and cedar.
Upon
entering the meadow, one could hear the sounds of drums, woodwinds and
the low melody of a shruti box ringing through the air. The shruti box
is an Indian instrument typically played with the musicianís feet,
according to event organizer Mary Stair.
In the middle of
the meadow, an altar was set up with several gifts, including flowers,
four eggs, water and several different kinds of incense.
The participants
held hands in a circle as the event began. Launching the event were 10
UNC Asheville belly dancers, led by UNCAís Nancy Hayes, also known as
Murina. The belly dancers danced to traditional Indian music, in a
circle around the altar. Completing the dance, the dancers joined the
rest of the participants in joining hands in the circle.
Everyone was asked to take turns and introduce themselves by saying ìMy name is ... and I step into the circle.î
After the
introductions, Stair asked the group to think about what each
individual would like to bring into balance. She asked the participants
to share this with one another, then led a song asking the group what
their individual needs are. Some responses included, ìI need to play
more,î ìI need more abundance,î ìI need to nurture myselfî and ìI need
to dance more.î
Jay Joslin,
introduced as a word artist, performed spoken word for the crowd,
proclaiming that ìthe clockworks of the soul have just been reset.î He
continued, ìWe are together the flowers of a new spring.î
Earth
Celebrations officiants performed a ritual invoking each of the four
elements. Air, fire, water and earth were each represented by a person
in costume who gave a small speech.
The crowd was
encouraged to dance as the music began again. Brightly colored clothing
flashed around the meadow as the celebration reached its climax. People
could be seen spinning, belly dancing, laughing, and waving their arms
to the music.
Singers then
presented several songs in many different languages, including Spanish,
French and Japanese. The crowd grew slighty smaller as the weather
became more overcast and it began to drizzle.
Stair concluded the event by extending an invitation and call for volunteers to the groupís Summer Solstice Celebration in June.
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