Festivals

This paper explores arts festivals in terms of their relationship to local economic development within the rural island region of Orkney in Scotland. Fourteen qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with arts festival organisers, tourism representatives and local volunteers during the summer festival season. The findings offer new insights into the factors affecting how arts festivals impact the local economy; the areas of the local economy that are affected by arts festivals; and the implications of funding from awarding bodies on the endogenous development of arts festivals. For instance, it is concluded that supporting the cultural values of locals is vital to the economic success of rural arts festivals through a strategic design in the combined integration of minimised paid staff and maximised volunteers. Furthermore, it is revealed how in certain cases the initial retention of funding may benefit start-up arts festivals in terms of strategic development of their...

The local festival dedicated to the Anniversary of the Vision of Agia (Saint) or Osia (venerable, blessed, saint) Pelagia is celebrated on the Greek island of Tinos and is dedicated to one of the most recent Orthodox saints, Agia Pelagia, a nun who was sanctified in 1971. After the great Greek War of Liberation (1821) broke out, the pious nun Pelagia had several mystical visions which lead to the finding of the miraculous icon of the Annunciation. According to the tradition, Pelagia repeatedly saw, in her visions, the Panagia (Virgin Mary), who ordered her to start digging to find her icon. In 1823, the icon was unearthed in the field where it had remained for about 850 years. “Pelagia’s Vision” is celebrated annually on 23 July. During the festival the church housing her skull next to her cell in the monastery of Kekhrovouno, where she had the visions, is particularly important.
Based on a presentation of this festival and some other relevant rituals from Greece where I have conducted fieldwork, the article will explore some aspects of the way myths are important when re-presenting the past in the Greek context both, earlier and today.

Keywords: Method, Myth/s, Gender, Greece, Festivals

Thèse de doctorat présentée le 17 Septembre 2001 à l'Ecole Pratique des Hautes, Paris-Sorbonne, sous la direction de Michel Graulich, Directeur d'Etudes. Le travail étudie la continuité mais aussi les ruptures et les innovations dans la vision du monde des Mixes du Sud de Mexique tel que l'on a pu observer dans ses mythes et rituels.

This article deals with an important festival in Tibet dedicated to the future Buddha Maitreya. It was held on three days in summer when three giant thangkas showing Buddhas Amitābha, Śākyamuni and Maitreya were put on public display. Introduced in the seventeenth century, it became a defining feature of the monastic life in the Dge lugs monastery of Bkra shis lhun po, the seat of the Panchen Lamas. It attained a supra-regional importance, which even extended to Mongolia. Based on a number of textual sources, this essay examines various aspects of this festival, how it was funded, who participated, and which rituals and ceremonies were conducted. It also analyses the history and iconography of the three giant textile thangkas by discussing in detail the contributions made during the reign of each respective Panchen Lama from the past to the present. In sum, the article argues that this festival has to be seen in the context of a special bond the Dge lugs school of Tibetan Buddhism maintained to have with the future Buddha Maitreya

En juin 1606, au palais ducal de Nancy, on s’activait pour les festivités des noces (remariage) du duc Henri de Bar avec une princesse italienne, Marguerite de Gonzague. Il s’agissait d’éblouir les invités ! On prépara un ballet de douze dames qui devaient descendre du « char de l’Amour » puis danser et chanter. Le char avait à franchir au maximum une vingtaine de mètres dans la salle d’apparat du premier étage du palais.

D’abord, on eut l’idée, comme on le faisait d’ordinaire pour de semblables occasions, de le mettre en mouvement à l’aide d’hommes dissimulés par en dessous, avec des animaux peints semblant le tirer. Or on changea soudain d’avis et l’on décida que ce char serait mû par un mécanisme invisible, tandis que des chanteurs déguisés en « esclaves » accompagneraient sa progression. Le vieux Jean du Vivier, un ingénieur venu exprès de Lyon, passa dix jours à mettre au point cette invention avec un serrurier ; le principe en était, selon sa facture, une vis sans fin avec de grandes roues de fer à pignons, autrement dit un système moteur à engrenages, dont il n’est pas possible toutefois de préciser le fonctionnement.
Dans ces quelques pages, je tente de démontrer que cet engin était un drone.

Though Gurus have been an integral part of ancient Hinduism, the celebration of a specific purnima in their honour in the month of Ashadha is a contribution of Buddhism and Jainism. Gurus and their ashramas or pathshalas have served as boarding schools or even for day-time education of students for the entire period of their childhood and early youth that covered the Brahmacharyya phase of their life, but there is no unanimity  on the exact date of entry. Those Gurus who taught specific skills, like Dronacharya did to the young Kauravas and Pandavas, did not mention any specific entry date for their academic year or semesters, while other adult- life spiritual Gurus were and are rather open ended on their admission policies. Buddhists, however, were quite clear  that Guru Punima marked the beginning of the season of Varsha or Vassa as it is called in  Pali, when both young and old monks had to leave human habitations and huddle together in distant caves and monasteries. Some courses were  open to other devotees who were interested in pursuing courses in theology, scholastic disciplines or even in pure meditative discipline for the benefits of naturopathPopularly known as the 'Rains Retreat', this full moon was the definitive day for the monsoons to have reached all parts of India, even though the coastal areas receive their rains earlier than others. It was the day for the flock of teachers and students to get together and begin the mandatory thirty-six week Trimester courses. Contemporary Jainism also began their Chaturmaas or four month period of piety and both religions continue to do so even today rather strictly. They believe that it was on this very purnima that Tirthankara Mahavira ordained his first disciple, Gautama Swami of Gandhara as his first disciple and this reminds us of the strong Buddhist tradition that a month after receiving his 'enlightenment', the Buddha delivered his first sermon to his five former companions, which is called the Dhamma-Cakkappavattana Sutta on the full moon day of Ashadah at Sarnath and that he spent the first four-month Vassa at Mula- gandha-kuti. It was the period for all followers of Buddhism and Jainism to give up meat, fish and certain other food items.....

In the spring of 1976, the World of Islam Festival opened in London, celebrated by royalty and diplomats from around the world. For three months, the city of London was filled with different exhibitions, performances, and lectures about the historical Islamic past in order to inspire Muslim-Christian unity in then present-day Britain. Archival documents, which have not yet been examined or cited in the existing literature, reveal that the authority to present Islam was held in the hands of former diplomats, and other private interests. The event was funded by what organizers called "Moslim governments" in conjunction with the British government, and other private investors. Although the festival had educational intentions, it was met with mixed reception, including intense criticism from Christian Evangelicals who saw the event as proselytizing Islam, and from British Muslims, who felt unrepresented. An event that was designed to promote unity ultimately created more divisions.
Utilizing the decolonial methodologies of Walter Mignolo and archival documents from the festival organizers, this paper examines how representations of a timeless, historic Middle East were crafted at the World of Islam Festival. This paper has several interrelated aims. First, utilizing archival material, it highlights what sorts of representations the organizers crafted and how, specifically using history and religion for contemporary goals. Specifically, what was the relationship between the organizers and Islam, and from where did they attempt to derive their authority? Second, this paper highlights how the World of Islam Festival was received by the public. Third, it considers how smaller galleries at this time, such as the Mathaf Gallery and the Long Gallery, both in London, presented contemporary art from the Arab World, a topic notably absent from the World of Islam Festival. This paper promotes further questions about how historical Islamic objects are currently used to "represent" the Middle East and for what purpose.

The Avignon Off and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival have a favourite Shakespearean play: Romeo and Juliet. Between 2011 and 2014, the play has been staged fourteen times at the Edinburgh Fringe and thirteen at the Avignon Off. This success can be owing to its status as a well-known love story, its popularity and its emblematic scenes. Among the abundance of productions, two main trends can be identified: whereas many of the productions at the Edinburgh Fringe are staged by amateur groups, professional companies re-write the play or use it as a point of departure at the Avignon Off. This chapter seeks to address how Romeo and Juliet allows for different approaches in these two alternative festivals and, at the same time, it looks for reasons that explain the popularity of the play in 21st-century popular culture.

The number of public events termed festival has dramatically increased in Slovenia during the last decade. We are witnessing a true festivalization of society. The article presents some ethnological, anthropological and humanistic theories on festivals. On the basis of ethnographic data the author also develops his thesis on festival production of locality. According to this premise, a segment of festival (hyper-)production can be linked to structures of local identification.

Az év végi ünnepi asztal rendszerint akaratlanul is alkalmat ad az áttekintésre, olykor pedig hosszabb időszakok átgondolására is. A fesztiválok esetében úgy tűnik az elmúlt huszonöt év lezárt egy időszakot, rendszerváltozás dinamizáló, kapunyitó hatása révén létrejöttek azok a fesztiválok melyek meghatározzák a fesztiválszezont és piacot. Ennek megvan a maga társadalmi és gazdasági magyarázata. Milliók szórakozása-Hová tart a magyar fesztiválpiac? 2015. január első napjaiban arra kért a PORTFOLIO.HU pénzügyi és gazdasági portál hogy röviden összegezzem merre tart a magyar fesztivál piac. A cikk 2015. január 7-én jelent meg, alább a rövidített változata olvasható, a teljes cikk itt olvasható (regisztráció után). Társadalmi szempontok A cikkben szó van arról, hogy az elmúlt huszonöt évben alaposan átalakult a magyarországi fesztiválok világa, a konformitás alakításában játszott társadalmi szerepük alapján négy főbb csoportba sorolhatók ezek az események:  A hagyományos (ellenkultúra kialakulásakor már létező) műfajokat bemutató, régi konform fesztiválok(pl.-Tavaszi Fesztivál, Szegedi Szabadtéri Játékok). Ezek szervezői főleg önkormányzati vagy helyi-közművelődési-intézményi kötődésűek, ezért a szervezők

Following the conclusion of the Mexican-American War and continuing through the first half of the twentieth century, the ethnically Mexican population in Texas suffered discrimination and ethno-racial segregation from the dominant, Anglo-Texan community. This systemic structure induced the Texas-Mexican community to create separate, Spanish-speaking social spaces. Tejano and conjunto musics were created in response to these inequitable policies. Separate performance outlets, with distinct priorities and procedures, maintained a musical community outside of mainstream recording practices. This Texas-Mexican musical community– separate and distinctive from the hegemonic industry– has been maintained in contemporary practices, as demonstrated by the absence of Texas-Mexican artists at the annual South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. From its beginnings in 1987, SXSW has drawn a diverse assortment of record labels, booking agents, promoters, managers, artists, and audiences. Although the festival started with a regional focus, billed as a means to bring together Texas music and the rest of the world, Tejanx participation is sparse, indicating a continuing separation between these two communities. Yet, SXSW has strategically attracted international artists and historically Black American genres. This paper uses numeric and ethnographic evidence to examine this selective absence of Tejano musics at SXSW.

As Valentine Day arrives on the 14th of February, controversies break out in India and passions run high, in more senses than one. But why is it so?  Who or what is this Valentine?  Is this Valentine just a heart and a symbol of love that purists are so bothered about, or is it a ‘western pollution’ of our culture? Maybe, it is just a marketing strategy of greeting card producers...

In this paper, we go through the history of the construction of tango as heritage. The period analyzed here begins in the late 90's and extends until 2010. We analyze the factors underlying the cultural policies that came to surface after the "turn" of tango as heritage in Buenos Aires, that is to say, after the activation and promotion of this popular genre on part of the political power (Morel 2009). Through a process analysis, we outline the official efforts behind this recognition. Simultaneously, we examine the impact of tourism as a decisive factor in the political-cultural approaches of the successive administrations. Our aim is especially focused on two main aspects: first, we highlight the heritage-driven policies that went along with the activation process of this genre, and, secondly, we note the consolidation of the cultural policies and actions which had to do, mainly, with the organization of tango events in relation to the promotion of tourism in the city. Under this framework, we explore the negotiations and disputes which, later on, led to the creation of the Buenos Aires Tango Festival and its institutionalization within the official cultural program.

In the 20th century, dozens of Shakespeare festivals flourished across the United States and Canada, giving rise to a phenomenon that now accounts for hundreds of festivals in the two countries. The Oregon Festival, the Stratford Ontario Festival and the Shakespeare in the Park (New York) can be considered the pioneers of this movement , influencing many other festivals. These festivals have generated theatrical events typified by their use of space, their outreach, target audiences and their approach to Shakespeare in performance. This article discusses Shakespeare festivals in North America using the cases of the Oregon, Stratford and Shakespeare in the Park festivals to elucidate how these and other contemporary festivals have generated their own formulae to stage Shakespeare's works. Resumen: Durante el siglo XX surge en Estados Unidos y Canadá un fenómeno teatral que pervive en nuestros días: los festivales de Shakes-peare, que ponen en escena cada verano las obras del dramaturgo in-glés. Los festivales de Oregón, Stratford Ontario y Shakespeare in the Park (Nueva York) fueron los pioneros de un movimiento conformado

For Jane Austen's heroines, a ball is a rare chance to mingle with the opposite sex. Austen, by incorporating many nations moving and the traditions related with it into her books, accomplishes three sorts of impacts: first, in reflecting reasonably the exercises and estimations of her country upper-class subculture, she empowers the reader to feel comfortable in her fiction; second, the move set, which unites such a significant number of and such changed individuals, accommodates Austen chances to move plot components, typically ones including affection, romance, and marriage game plans; third, the move setting gives various chances to her to characterize and accentuate the individual characteristics of a portion of her characters. A comprehension of the traditions and traditions of nation move and the eighteenth-century dance hall can open up subtleties of implications that would be lost to the uninitiated reader.

Festivals in the society or community work as a prism, reflecting various aspects of people’s life, from their faith, fear to their priorities. Thus, studying festivals become essential for gaining an in-depth understanding of any culture or society. This paper analyses the different festivals of both indigenous and non-indigenous communities in Arunachal Pradesh and also tries to understand the influence of non-indigenous religion in the festivals of Arunachal Pradesh.

El Festival del Huaso, organizado por la Municipalidad de Olmué, es una tradición ya de esta zona, catalogada hoy, como la capital del turismo de nuestra provincia. Los atractivos de los campos olmueínos, propiedad que alguna vez fue, en los tiempos de la colonia española, de la recordada Mariana Osorio, mujer del capitán Alonso de Riveros y por ende dueña por sucesión por causa de muerte de las haciendas de la Viña de la Mar y las tierras de Gulmué (Olmué). En esta zona y muy alejados los tiempos de doña Mariana, en 1970, se inaugura un espectáculo que reúne a los nuevos exponentes del folklore chileno, que se dan cita en este terruño de la Región de Valparaíso. El encuentro de cultores tradicionales fue un idea que un año antes había tenido el periodista Carlos Guzmán Organ, quien hacia el año 1969 se desempeñaba como Director de Turismo y Relaciones Públicas en la Municipalidad olmueína, este personaje presentó en aquella época un proyecto de festival, al alcalde don Hugo Quinteros con el fin de fomentar tanto la música folklórica como el turismo olmueíno. La iniciativa del periodista fue finalmente acogida y aprobada por la autoridad edilicia, siendo ratificada por acuerdos municipales sucesivos que entregaron a su ideólogo amplias atribuciones para organizar las primeras versiones de este certamen....

Мета роботи: проаналізувати історію та практику проведення фестивалю «Atlas Weekend», його культурну складову та організаційні відмінності від інших великих музичних фестивалів України. Методологія дослідження полягає у поєднанні біографічного й текстуального аналізу з методом включеного спостереження. Наукова новизна. Автором подана соціально-комунікаційна характеристика і розкриваються інформаційні
засади організації фестивалю «Atlas Weekend». Досліджено його історію та особливості художньої програми, у дослідженні використана сучасна музична термінологія. Висновки. У статті проведено аналіз розвитку найбільшого музичного фестивалю України. Досягнення фестивалю «Atlas Weekend», актуальні проблеми креативної індустрії в галузі музичної культури проаналызовані на основі Інтернет-простору і статей у спеціалізованих фахових виданнях.
Purpose of the article is to analyze the history and practice of the «Atlas Weekend» festival, its cultural component and organizational differences from other major music festivals in Ukraine. Methodology. The methodology of the study: is the combination of biographical and textual analysis with the method of included observation. Scientific novelty. The author presents the social and communication characteristics and discloses the information principles of the organization of the festival "Atlas Weekend". His history and peculiarities of the artistic program are investigated, modern musical terminology is used in the research. Conclusions. The article analyzes the development of the largest musical festival in Ukraine. The achievements of the «Atlas Weekend» festival, the actual problems of the creative industry in the field of musical culture, are analyzed on the basis of Internet space and articles in specialized editions. The whole European cultural industry is built on the demand of consumers, artificially created and imposed by Western tendencies. Ukrainian festivals, although trying to adapt to the European festival space and still remain too conservative for the European listener, and Western media have created the idea that Ukraine is not the best option for leisure. Such informational defamation has appeared on the side of the Western media, both during Euro 2012 and during the Eurovision 2017. The author presents the social and communication characteristics and discloses the information principles of the organization of the festival «Atlas Weekend». It explores its history and features with the use of modern musical terminology. The urgency of the study is due to the lack of sufficient information in Ukrainian scientific sources on the development of modern festival culture in Ukraine. We must admit that the masters of sciences are concentrated mainly at festivals of classical music, and do not explore poly-genres festivals at all.

Članak je fokusiran na pokladna događanja u Sloveniji vezana uz karnevalske likove, zvane kurenti ili koranti, te bajoslovna ili mitska bića Kurente iz pedesetih godina prošloga stoljeća. Analizira raznolike uporabe izraza kurentovanje, koje proizlaze iz povezanosti s tim likovima i koje su se od 1960. godine, ptujskim kurentovanjem, danas “najpopularnijom i najmasovnijom kulturnom i folklornom priredbom u Sloveniji i srednjoj Europi”, počele sve više i više gubiti. U prvim godinama nakon Drugoga svjetskog rata kurentovanje je, kako je ustvrdio Gačnik, moglo označavati ne samo cijelu praksu seoskog karnevala već je to bio i izraz koji se često koristio za opisivanje odgovarajućih društvenih oblika gradskog pokladnog događanja. Zbog česte, raznolike i izmijenjene uporabe izraza korant, kurent i Kurent i ostalih izraza koji iz njih nastaju, autorica smatra da o kurentomaniji kao načinu nacionalizacije pokladne kulture možemo govoriti već (barem) od pedesetih godina prošloga stoljeća. Nakon 1960. godine, kada se u Ptuju pojavio pokladni karneval pod imenom Kurentovanje, višeznačnica je postala jednoznačnicom. U uporabi nacionaliziranog pojma za pokladni karneval, koji je redefinirao ponajprije lokalne prakse, prepoznaje se prisvajanje, a s druge strane dodatno homogeniziranje pokladne kulture u Sloveniji. Naime, ako je ptujsko kurentovanje s jedne strane pokušalo revitalizirati nestajuću pokladnu praksu, s druge je strane, makar što se tiče imena, sva druga i drukčija dotadašnja kurentovanja potisnulo u pozadinu.

Events are becoming more complex as their range of functions grows, as meeting places, creative spaces, economic catalysts, social drivers, community builders, image makers, business forums and network nodes. Effective design can produce more successful business models that can help to sustain cultural and sporting activities even in difficult economic times. This process requires creative imagination, and a design methodology or in other words ‘imagineering’.

This book brings together a wide range of international experts in the fields of events, design and imagineering to examine the event design process. It explores the entire event experience from conception and production to consumption and co-creation. By doing so it offers insight into effective strategies for coping with the shift in value creation away from transactional economic value towards social and relational value which benefit a range of stakeholders from the community to policy makers. Mega-events, small community events, business events and festivals in eight different countries are examined providing an international view of social issues in event design.

A wide selection of current research perspectives is employed, integrating both theoretical and applied contributions. The multidisciplinary nature of the material means that it will appeal to a broad academic audience, such as art and design, cultural studies, tourism, events studies, sociology and hospitality.

The topic of this dissertation is the "fiesta de San Fermin," better known as Sanfermines or Sanfermin, which annually takes place from the 6th to the 14th of July in Pamplona, Spain in the province of Navarre. This work analyzes the internal dynamics of the fiesta from its origins in the twelfth century through it institutionalization in the fifteenth century, and its popularization in the twentieth century.  In particular, the thesis focusses on the period from 1930 to 1978, an era of turbulent political, social, economic and ideological transformations as well as dramatic modifications in public attitudes and behavior in Spain.  These years include the end of the Restoration, the Second Republic (1931-1936), the civil war (1936-1939),  General Franco's dictatorship (1939-1975), and the transition toward a parliamentary Monarchy. During these years Pamplona witnessed industrialization, rapid urban expansion, the development of new social classes and novel social attitudes, deep social and political polarization, and sharp ideological divisions, especially around the issue of the integration of the province of Navarre into the Basque country.
    The study combines historical and anthropological methods. Sanfermines is analyzed as a vivid text which interprets, depicts, and communicates the social, political, ideological, economic, and behavioral context of the city and its inhabitants.  The Pamplonese fiesta is utilized as a document by which the basic principles of Pamplona's society as well as its language, symbols, signs, rituals, and other festive expressions are deciphered. In this work, the fiesta is observed as a microcosm or allegory of an urban center in change. Sanfermines operates as a thermometer which measures the transformation of Pamplona and the relations between the individual and the community.
    This work demonstrates that the fiesta is a complex cultural phenomenon that is intrinsically interwoven within its historical context, which cannot be fully understood outside of it. The fiesta is found to generate its own morphology, with a particular form and structure.

""Was ein Kalender ist, weiß wohl jeder, aber wie umfassend und nachhaltig er unseren Alltag, unsere Zeitrhythmen, unser Denken und Fühlen prägt, ist kaum jemandem bewußt. Jörg Rüpke zeichnet die Geschichte des Kalenders von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart nach und präsentiert in unterhaltsamer Form ebenso überraschende wie faszinierende Erkenntnisse über diesen wirkungsmächtigen kulturellen Zeitgeber.

Im Anfang war der Kalender – und zwar in Gestalt des Mondkalenders. Er bot unseren Vorfahren die Möglichkeit, ihr durch den Ackerbau bestimmtes Jahr angemessen zu organisieren. Je weiter sich die Menschheitskultur entwickelte, um so mehr wuchs das Unbehagen an diesem Zeitgeber. Das Mondjahr mußte dem Sonnenjahr weichen, doch selbst dieses mußte noch nachjustiert werden. Feste wollten exakt im Jahreskreis fixiert, Gerichtstermine bestimmt, Zinstermine festgelegt sein. Nicht zuletzt die Religion verlangte nach zuverlässig bestimmbaren Daten, um den kultischen Verpflichtungen nachzukommen und die Götter nicht zu verstimmen. Herrschaft über die Zeit bedeutete zudem stets auch Herrschaft über die Menschen, ja sogar über ihr Bewußtsein – und das wurde den Mächtigen bald bewußt. So macht dieser Band auch deutlich, weshalb es wichtig war, dieses Instrument unter Kontrolle zu bekommen. ""

▶ The book presents the role of festivals in relation to the urban spaces
▶ Provides the overview of the origins, history, and the main factors of
festival development
▶ Presents the case study of the city of Lodz, Poland
▶ Provides a model for studying the role of festivals in the
development of the city space
▶ Multidisciplinary work, intended for a wider audience
▶ Comprehensive and multifaceted publication, which covers both
theoretical and practical issues regarding festival studies
This is a multi-disciplinary scientific monograph referring to urban geography, urban
regions management, event studies, tourism geography, cultural anthropology and
sociology. It covers issues which are typically related to the most popular type of
events: festivals. This book studies the origins, history, and the main factors of festival
development, as well as the concept of a festival in the context of various scientific
disciplines. It presents the existing festival typologies as well as the author's own
comprehensive typology. The theoretical part concerns the basic research methods and
approaches used in the analysis of these events, as well as their impacts on the urban
space in the physical (festival facilities), social (a place where people may pursue their
interests, meet with family and friends) and cultural aspect. The economic aspect of
festivals (generating jobs and income from tourism, using festivals for city branding,
etc.) is also discussed. The book presents practical examples in sub-chapters, references
to literature (further reading) and the case study of the influence of festivals on urban
space management and urban development, using the example of Łódź – a Polish postsocialist
city. It may also be treated as a supplementary course book for students of urban
geography, urban regions management, tourism, event management and, to a certain
extent, anthropology of culture and sociology. 

Chapter 3 presents empirically informed analyses of a number of new public
space projects initiated first as counter-projects and counter-spaces
by a variety of community and historic preservation society interests.
It demonstrates further that, Vancouver City Council (VCC) proved
receptive to the counter-projects and provided an overarching strategic
spatial framework within which the projects on the ground were
devised and implemented. This chapter also introduces the importance
of the social animation of public space, whether through politicised
collective action or ludic enjoyment. Changing representations of space
through time are shown to have implications for spatial practice on the ground, based on differences in the way social behaviour in public
space is understood and interpreted.

Session Ü. VALK, L. GUZY: Insecurities and uncertainties at the margins of institutionalised religions: ghosts, monsters, witchcraft and other dangerous matters

“Pagan” masks in contemporary European winter festivals, popular Frazerism, and the search for festive authenticity (and its heritagisation)

Many winter festivals and public rituals throughout Europe reveal an interesting characteristic: the usage of masks and costumes with monstrous and/or zoomorphic features. These events occur in contexts that are or were traditionally Christian (especially in Catholic areas), although they have also been undergoing significant secularisation in the last few decades. In spite of these Christian or secular frameworks, these rituals and the masked figures that characterise them are very often described as “pagan”, “Dionysian”, “pre-Christian”, “very ancient”, and the like.
This paper intends to highlight the symbolic sources of these phenomena and discuss what are or could be the historical factors that led to these rather striking and apparently incongruous forms of religious or pseudo-religious conceptualisations and practices as well as the social needs to which they seem to respond today. To achieve these heuristic goals, several concepts will be operationalised and discussed, such as “ritualisation”, “popular Frazerism”, and “heritagisation”, and others.

Festiwal Pieśni i Piosenki Religijnej Sacrosong (1969–1999) powstał w czasie, gdy stopniowo wchodziły w życie postanowienia Soboru Watykańskiego II, a wśród nich to dotyczące otwierania Kościoła katolickiego na nowe formy ewangelizacji. Równocześnie olbrzymią popularność w świecie zyskiwała muzyka rockandrollowa. Znalazła ona entuzjastów także wśród muzyków chrześcijańskich, którym rockowe brzmienia posłużyły do przekazywania treści religijnych. Lata 60. XX wieku to również czas, w którym znacząco wzrosło zainteresowanie gatunkiem piosenki, której w twórczości religijnej dały wyraz m.in. utwory francuskiego jezuity Aimé Duvala.
Pomimo trudnej sytuacji społeczno-politycznej PRL, zarówno moda na muzykę młodzieżową jak i na piosenkarstwo religijne bardzo szybko dotarły do grona zainteresowanych. Pierwszą sceną dla repertuaru religijnego w Polsce był festiwal Sacrosong, który w założeniach miał nie tylko sprzyjać powstawaniu i promocji nowych utworów w języku polskim, lecz również angażować w działalność religijną środowisko artystów i młodzież i w ten sposób przeciwdziałać ateizacji społeczeństwa.
W ciągu trzydziestu lat podczas ogólnopolskich Sacrosongów można było usłyszeć zarówno piosenki konkursowe, jak i pieśni, kantaty czy oratoria powstałe na zamówienie organizatorów. Wydarzeniom muzycznym towarzyszyły spektakle teatralne, wystawy, wieczory poezji, konferencje i dyskusje. W jury konkursu zasiadały takie osobistości, jak Wojciech Kilar czy Stefan Kisielewski, muzykę na zamówienie pisali m.in. Jerzy Bauer, Marian Sawa, a teksty – Roman Brandstaetter, Ernest Bryll czy ks. Jan Twardowski.
Artykuł porusza zagadnienia dotyczące historii Sacrosongów, repertuaru oraz społecznej i kulturotwórczej roli tego wydarzenia. Całości dopełniają refleksje związane z samym gatunkiem „głównej bohaterki” festiwalu – piosenki religijnej.

The ‘Sacrosong’ Festival of Religious Songs and Hymns (1969–1999) was established at a time when the resolutions of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican were gradually being implemented, including the decision to open the Catholic Church up to new forms of evangelisation. With rock music gaining huge popularity worldwide, it also found enthusiasts among Christian usicians, who employed rock to convey a religious message. The 1960s also saw increased interest in the song genre, represented in the field of sacred music by the French Jesuit Aimé Duval, among others. Despite the difficult social and political situation in communist Poland, the fashion for teenage music and religious songs soon reached that country’s youth. The Sacrosong festival
was Poland’s first platform for the presentation of religious repertoire. It was created not only to support the composition and promotion of new works sung in Polish, but also to involve artists and youngsters in religious life and thereby counteract the atheisation of Polish society. Over the thirty years of Sacrosong’s history as a nationwide festival, its repertoire included songs submitted for the festival’s competition, as well as songs, cantatas and oratorios commissioned by the organisers. Musical events were accompanied by theatre shows, exhibitions, poetry evenings, conferences and debates. The competition jury featured celebrities like Wojciech Kilar and Stefan Kisielewski, while the commissioned works were written by such artists as Jerzy Bauer and Marian Sawa (music), Roman Brandstaetter, Ernest Bryll and Revd Jan Twardowski (lyrics). This article discusses Sacrosong’s history and repertoire, as well as its social and cultural role. It also includes reflection on the genre of religious song as the ‘chief protagonist’ of the festival.