I had just come off stage from my very first show as a female illusionist, having earned a whopping $2 in tips; not bad for starters.  I had recently started doing some soul searching-ways to learn and grow as an artist and entertainer, and had absolutely no previous knowledge of makeup, hair, fashion, and the like.  Due to circumstances beyond my control, all I had in the way of attire for the outing were a drab grey sweater vest, which I improvised by using as a blouse, a pair of men’s dress pants, a pair of black men’s loafers which I used as flats, and a God awful green wig that I had used for St. Patrick’s day.  

Luckily, a few months later, I walked into a pizza house in this little college town, and was greeted by an unfamiliar young man, who apparently had been informed of my endeavours; and thus began an 8 week period of “drag boot camp” under the new persona of “Amanda Savage” instead of “Sahara Dezert”.

Roughly two weeks went by and the “new” queen began to imerge.  I purchased a new wig, got a much needed hair cut, and had fallen head over heels in love with RuPaul’s Drag race, and most importantly, the man who is now the love of my life.  Also at this point I found myself on the cast of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”  as the inaugural production of the Appalachian Shakespeare Project at a small public liberal arts university where I had been studying for roughly two and a half years.  Ironically, but definately not by freak coincidence, I was cast to play a dual role as Francis Flute, a bellows mender, and Thisby, the lovely “trans” wife of Pyramus.  Mind you, the director and consultants wished to preserve the historic integrity of the work itself by experimentally casting me, a man, to do a partially feminine roll-and it was indeed very challenging but also very exciting as time went along.  I’ll never forget the rehearsal in which I did not necessarily need to show up to, “painted up” and in semi-professional business attire-wig and all- to give the director and staff a taste of the development of Thisby; needless to say, I had to tone her down, but only for time purposes.  Nonetheless, the director gave approval of the proposed “Thisby” but encouraged me to simplify the look but keep the passion behind the character; this was done with the help of my new friend and at the time drag mother whom I had befriended that day at the pizza parlor. 

Many Monday and Wednesday evenings were spent in his apartment, both of us painting up, and learning the ways of “queendome”.   I recall on one occasion, I skipped rehearsal (which the rehearsal was on a voluntary “show up” basis, due to inclement weather) to work specifically on the toned down version of Thisby, sending picture messages to the director for her critique.  By the end of the evening, my drag mother, the director, and myself, were all very pleased with what we had developed. 

Many extremely productive rehearsals came and went, and it was crunch time with the ASP.  The heat was sweltering, the cast and crew dying of thirst, heat exhaustion and the likes were the norm, causing many to come and go, tensions high but even higher was the morale and commoradory of the cast and crew.   The day before the first major performance, I was ready to go-lines, logistics, the whole lot.  By the fourth and final act, painted and ready to go on for my biggest part in the play, I recieved via text message the horrible news of my closest high school friend’s death to AIDS-I flipped my lid, literally abandoning the cast.  I sent a letter of apology to the director, but we had mutually agreed that I should call it quits with the project to focus on the situation at hand. 

I returned to campus the next day, the second performance, and to my surprise, still had the friendship and respect from the very concerned cast.  When the show was over, they came flocking to me in the crowd to give me a hug, statements of condolence, and ensure that all was well.  I assured them that all was fine, but to be sure to keep their eyes not on me but on the task at hand. Sure enough, the last performance was as fantastic as the first.

I was certain at this point that my drag mother was beginning to have many doubts about me, but nevertheless kept pushing me and encouraging me to keep on keeping on, and stay focused on my dreams and passions.  Problems began arising left and right with student loan bills stacking up, being on my personal cloud nine about my new relationship-the honey moon period of it, and the stress of a job at Subway which I absolutely despised.

Eventually, I returned all of the makeup and what not back to said drag mother, and our days as a “mother and daughter” team ceased.  Luckily, I still had my wig, evolving wardrobe, and dignity, and moved on, doing what I had been doing, only now with lower grade makeup, which to this day, due to a short budget, keeps my creativity and problem solving skills alive. 

To this day, I have not booked another show, however, have kept in practice, seeking employment, but keeping the bass in my walk.  I have learned not to be arrogant, and that it is perfectly okay to call upon experienced performers for assistance.  Furthermore, I have learned that there is no “I” in “team” and that no mistake is ever truly in vain; rather, they add to one’s body of knowledge, and to learn from our mistakes.

But when I moved to Florida after years of studying in the special education center, I noted a difference in the start of the school start date: in early August. Being the most southernmost state in the USA, it urges children to drop their remaining summer vacation plans, cut their summer camps short, and get out of Vacation Bible School early – to go to school in 90-plus degrees weather. Thank goodness it did not happen since years ago, schools have to abide by the law that they should not open their doors two weeks before Labor Day.

While Florida was formerly of the states that start school in midsummer, some others are starting it at an uncomfortably hot time. Kids have to take flights (or drives) back to their hometowns and gear up for a series of Math and English classes. Campers have to leave their cabins and woodlands early for the dreaded science classes. Parents have to cancel their remaining vacation plans – all because school will start as early as late July.

When school starts in the first few weeks of August or even the last few days of July, parents and kids feel that their destinations like the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World will close because they have to go to class.

So why are schools starting earlier, cutting the family vacations short? Well, Wilda A. Lahmann states that the school districts in the Northern states have a lot of snowfall, so they have to start early to get students started. Those in the South start school earlier traditionally because children have to help their families pick cotton under the hot, blazing sun. But machines mostly do the cotton picking, yet schoolchildren head to class in the middle of summer.

That brings us to another reason: standardized testing. Unless they went to summer school, credit recovery camp, or other educational activities, educators believe that they lose what they learned over the previous school years. Also, early school start dates mean ample time for teachers to better prepare their pupils for the statewide test and increase their scores.

But there are more disadvantages for earlier school start dates than advantages. One of the industries adversely affected is tourism – the practice of visiting prominent sites of the states. As a tourism capital, Florida gains a lot of revenue during the summer through its major attractions like its beaches and the Walt Disney World Resort.

Should the years-ago bill that dictates a later school start not have been passed, the state would lose money. It would seem as if Walt Disney World had put up a sign that said “Adults and homeschooled children only – see you on Winter Break.” An early school start date means fewer crowds in major sites to visit, but isn’t it unfair to children who have to go to school in the middle of summer who enjoy it too?

I applaud Florida for starting school a little bit later for the sake of the traditional summer ritual of going on vacation (or even on staycation), but some other states need more improvement. If early school dates keep getting earlier, we would might as well be like the Asian countries, which have much longer academic terms (200-plus days of school) than ours.

Let children enjoy their summers – going to theme parks, camping out, and swimming at the beach. School can wait until late August.

Great Sites that Want Later School Start Dates
Save Our Summers (Florida)
Georgians Need Summers
Save Alabama Summers
Save SC Summers
Save Tennessee Summers
Save Indiana Summers

image via wikipedia - Beltane

The first celebration is Beltane, which happens on May 1, symbolic of when the first vegetation awakes from its winter sleep. Next is Midsummer Day, which is held either on June 21 or June 24, followed by Lammas, August 1, when crops begin to ripen and vegetation declines.  Samhuinn is the fourth, which is celebrated on the last day of October, later known as Halloween, marking the time when the sun bids farewell.

image source

During the Beltane festival, farmers are usually so glad to get their stock out on the spring grass after a long, expensive winter that they have little incentive to celebrate; and modern developments like silage-making brought a different atmosphere to Midsummer’s Day.  As the roar of the engines stops after the first silage is cut, the peace is more than welcome. 

Lammas image source

On to Lammas, a time of year for nail-biting over the outcome of the harvest.  Will the yield of barley be good? Will the percentage of moisture be below twenty? Lammas night can hardly be the time for a festival when the harvest is anything but under lock and key.  This Quarter Day could be more a time of iron will. 

Samhuinn image source

Samhuinn was the night to extinguish the peat fire which had lasted all year and rekindle a new flame.  Should all of the oil-fired cookers go out at Halloween, hopefully it should be by accident rather than superstitious design.  The Samhuinn bonfire and other late October customs seem to have either been dropped or transferred to New Year.

It is a huge pole all dressed with birch leaves and wild flowers. One popular belief is that the tradition of raising a Maypole has its origins in Pre-Christian times and that the pole was actually a huge phallic fertility symbol meant to impregnate the earth.  

Today people gather round the Maypole, to watch traditional dancers dressed in folkloristic clothes perform. When the show is over the whole crowd starts to dance, usually accompanied by accordions and violins and a commentator who shouts out various moves when necessary. Old and young hop around the Midsummer Pole together, pretending to be crows, musicians and space rockets. But the all time favorite dance is the one where everyone suddenly turns into little frogs, singing cheerfully about the little creature without ears and tail while jumping and pointing to the missing ears and tail. If one is lucky, that masterpiece of choreography will be followed by the pig dance and the elephant dance…

Many a tourist have had difficulties in keeping a straight face watching  Swedish crowds croak and hop around like frogs. But hey, what does it matter… it is fun! Phallic symbol or not, to gather around the Maypole is a tradition few Swedes would like to miss out on.  

In fact, have you thought why people in different cultures celebrate natural phenomena? Some would say that these rituals are reminders of an ignorant “pagan” past. But are they; in fact, our attempts at finding answers to questions about our origin and destiny, and discover our role in the big picture of creation?

Midsummer or summer solstice is celebrated in many cultures as the longest day of the year. From Finland to Spain, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, midsummer is often associated with huge public bonfires. In many European countries, people gather when bonfires are lit at night. The fires are usually fed with old and unwanted wooden furniture, junk, and broken boats. The younger and more agile people jump over the fire while making wishes. 21st June is celebrated as midsummer in most countries since the Gregorian calendar reform, though 24th June is technically the longest day of the year. But, neo-pagans celebrate summer solstice on June 24th in places like Stonehenge in England and Newgrange in Ireland.

Over the centuries Christianity assimilated most “pagan” festivals into the Christian calendar of festivals. The rowdy Roman harvest festival at winter solstice became Christmas. According to the Catholic Encyclopaedia, 1911 edition, “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church…the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt, around AD 200 when it was celebrated on 20th May.” Midsummer also got assimilated into the Christian calendar. In England midsummer became “St. John’s Eve.” In many countries, it is “St John’s Day” or the Feast of John the Baptist. In Russia it is Ivan Kupala Day, in Poland it is Noc Kupały or Noc Świętojańska and so on.

The ancient Germanic, Slav and Celtic tribes in Europe celebrated Midsummer with communal bonfires. At midsummer night, the sun does not sink even at midnight in the northernmost areas of the Northern Hemisphere beyond the Arctic Circle. These areas had fire festivals, love magic, and divination at midsummer. Agile people jumped through the flames believing that the crops would grow as high as they could jump. Maidens tried to know about their future husband, and spirits and demons were banished through the magical powers of the bonfire.

Many Midsummer Night’s superstitions and customs are similar to those observed on Christmas Eve. A girl will supposedly marry the man who she will see in her dream walking along the straw placed across the bowl of water under her bed. In another version, the man will dry his face on the towel placed beside her bed. In one tradition, the future husband will come from the direction in which the girl notices the first bonfire on Midsummer Night. Dew collected during Midsummer is believed to have special healing powers. Young girls wash their faces with the dew to make themselves beautiful, older women to make themselves younger.

One of the magical elements in midsummer is a belief in the intersection of the visible and invisible worlds during that night. The modern Wiccans, like the ancient Celts, believe that at Litha or the Feast of the Faeries at twilight in midsummer, the gates between the visible and invisible worlds open and faeries enter our world to bring joy, love, prosperity and wisdom to people who welcome them.

Fire has been among humans since lower Palaeolithic times (2,5 million – 100,000 years ago). Our ancestors from pre-Homo Sapiens times seem to have given fire a ritual significance. At excavations in Gesher Benot Ya’aqov, Israel, there are traces of controlled fire about 800 000 years old. The link between fire and midsummer is also pretty old. There is evidence of Midsummer festivals in Newgrange in Ireland from around 3000 BC. There is further evidence of midsummer celebrations among the Essenes, a Jewish sect from 1st century A.D., the ancient Hopi and the Nachez people in the Americas as well as among the Chinese. For the Chinese the summer solstice ceremony is the birthday of the feminine force yin, when they celebrate the earth. At winter solstice, the Chinese celebrate the heavens, masculinity and the birth of the yang forces. Different peoples of North Africa, in Morocco and Algeria, especially the Berbers also celebrate midsummer even today.

In the Scandinavian country of Finland, midsummer is the main festival of the year. People start their summer holidays and go to their countryside cottages. People gather around the kokko or bonfires usually on the shore of a lake. It is a popular day for weddings and churches have to be booked months or years in advance. In earlier days, unmarried young girls went naked to the meadows the night before midsummer to collect seven different wild flowers, which they placed under their pillows. They hoped to dream of the man who would become their husband. Nowadays these rituals are not practised, but there are communal dances as also; unfortunately, excessive drinking, and drowning, and accidents.

Many of the early communal rituals have lost their significance in modern urban settings. Alienation or loneliness and depression have become extremely common afflictions for people in the affluent countries of the world. Counselling and medication are both fighting a desperate battle to help. Is this a sign that overtly rationalizing and standardizing human life impoverishes it and we fall ill? Nowadays many religions also have lost touch with the lives of millions of people. The ancient myths and symbols don’t speak to modern man. Should we blame modern man for this lack of communication or should religions update their myths and symbols?