Dionysia in the Desert postponed

The Dionysia in the Desert Festival in Tucson that I blogged about before, which had been planned for December of 2011, appears to have been postponed until May 1st, although the date still seems tentative.  I will definitely try to attend, work schedule permitting!

Dionysia in the Desert

 It was pointed out to me that the First Annual Dionysia in the Desert Street Festival is planned for this December in Tucson, Arizona!  

 

"The goal of the event is to highlight the local Arizona economy through artists, performers, vendors, and sponsors from all over the state of Arizona while as they help raise funds that will support community developed and managed education programs that serve as supplemental alternatives to the current programs whose funds are drastically being depleted by our state leadership."

And from their Facebook event page:  "Come join us in this effort as we re-create the atmosphere of ancient Greece and Rome with a modern day feel and decompress our modern day cares and worries away with four stages, street shows, interactive art, a barter and trading village, beer and wine from our own brewers and vintner, and much much more!"

It is a fundraiser event put on by an organization called The Foundation of L.I.F.E. (Limitless Ideas for a Free Environment).  I'm not familiar with them, but it appears to be a worthwhile organization.  Their website defines them as a "charitable, educational, non-profit foundation...with the purpose of teaching people to love themselves, to love others, and to love the planet.  It represents Arizona citizens who are concerned with the direction that the economic and political structure in the U.S. has taken in terms of limiting the ideas, liberties, and freedoms of individuals, which has resulted in the abuse of human rights throughout the world and in the abuse of global resources."  They also add that they support not only local interests of Arizonans, but also "the interests of 'Gaia'".

Tucson isn't too far from me, and I'd love to go down there to show my support, but due to holiday plans with my family, I won't be able to unless they change their tentative date.  Nevertheless, very cool to see something this big being planned in the name of Dionysos!   Hopefully it will be successful enough to become an annual event.

Spring & Synchronous Celebrations

The Wild Hunt has posted a blog today about the misconception in the pagan community that St. Patrick drove the pagans out of Ireland.  I must admit, I held to this belief from wherever I heard it in my spiritually-formative years, and am embarrassed I hadn't questioned it until now.  I could never really get my ire up about St. Patrick's Day anyway, though, because it is so obviously NOT a celebration of the saint nowadays.  It's a celebration of the Irish culture and most of all, drunkenness.  Which makes it more Dionysian than Christian in my book!

I played fiddle in a Celtic band the last couple St. Patrick's Days.  That and my studies of Irish music give me some mixed feelings about the day.  On one hand, I have a soft spot for the culture and traditional music.  On the other hand, St. Patrick's Day was insane and exhausting.  I'm rather relieved to be gig-free today.  I hoping to go dancing somewhere in the evening, somewhere that will not be decked in shamrocks and playing jigs, but somewhere where we can have a casual good time in honor of the Liberalia AND my devotional day to Dionysos.

We are also smack in the middle of the week long City Dionysia as celebrated in Athens, which I didn't realize until last week.  So with little notice but much enthusiasm, Saturday we will be having a few friends over for a film and food festival.  A good friend and fellow Dionysian is planning to make all sorts of Greek and decadent foods.  My partner and I are going to attempt a baklava pie, amongst other things.  I am looking forward to it!

I have been rather distracted the last month, spiritually speaking.  I am really feeling the spring itch to clean, re-organize and refocus.  Even though it's not the equinox yet, it's already spring by my personal reckoning, as of March 9th.  That was the first day I could smell the orange blossoms!