| Thousands of Calgarians are expected to gather on the evening of June 21 as a trance-inducing sound begins to emanate from the core of the city.
For most, it will be simply the sound of a party to mark the beginning of summer. For others, however, those rhythmic beats will stir imaginings of ancient celebrations and primordial feelings that continue to forge a spiritual bond with the land and the changing seasons.
The sounds will be the drumbeats of thousands of people taking part in Solstice Beat, a modern take on an ancient celebration of the longest day of the year and the start of summer – or, according to Solstice Beat producer Kevin McKendrick, a chance for a few laughs.
"(Solstice Beat is) a chance for Calgarians to rub shoulders with fellow Calgarians and drum away for two-and-a-half hours," McKendrick says.
Last year’s event drew more than 3,000 Calgarians to Olympic Plaza to participate in a drum circle, which marked the largest such gathering in the city's history.
The celebration of solstice spans cultures around the world and stretches back thousands of years – organizers are tapping into that history by bringing in performers representing North American aboriginal culture, South America, Africa, Asia, Middle East and the Caribbean. And no solstice presentation would be complete without a dash of paganism.
"It’s a very spiritual place," says McKendrick. "It’s our salute to the pagan drummer in all of us."
In fact, pagans have played more than a fleeting role in historical summer solstice celebrations. From the Latin word "paganus," pagan literally translates to country dweller. Those country pagans of pre-Christian times were inextricably linked to the land. They noted this special connection to the planet with elaborate festivals at the time of the summer solstice.
Even today, "urban pagans" living in a city of a million people continue to practise elements of those ancient traditions. According to Calgary pagan Ravendreamer, summer solstice is one of eight sun festivals of the year and remains a special day to pagans across the world.
"Many pagans, myself included, will wake up to see the sun rise on this day," he says. "It is one of those marker events in the year that provides a rhythm to your life. In that sense you can see a drumbeat as a metaphor for the progression of the seasons."
In the past, summer solstice was a sun or fire festival and one of the essentials of the celebration was a raging bonfire that celebrants would gather around to beat their drums. Although there is no plan to have a raging fire at Olympic Plaza, there are many ways summer solstice can be celebrated to reaffirm a connection to the earth’s rhythms, such as going camping or having a backyard barbecue with friends and family. For Ravendreamer, who follows Spira (a modern urban pagan path started in Alberta), celebrations begin as the light fades from the summer solstice sky.
"In our tradition, as the sun sets on the solstice we will have a ritual or celebration for the event," says Ravendreamer. "We see the universe as showing us its beauty on a constant basis. In ritual, we have a section called ‘appreciation’ where we get the chance to reflect this beauty back to the universe. We do this through song, dance, poetry or even drumming.
"Really, this is a time of the greatest light. From this point, the shadow grows day by day. It’s a point in our lives where we can reflect on what we have done that has come to fruition and to be thankful for our accomplishments. To the ancients, this would have been tied to the agricultural cycle…. This agricultural cycle is foreign to most of us in the modern world, but there are still plenty of goals that we individually work towards in the year that we can see come to fruition."
The summer solstice also has cultural importance to First Nations. A 24-hour drum circle led by buffalo frame drummers is planned as part of the summer solstice celebrations – beginning at sunrise, members of the circle will begin to drum, then move to the main site of Solstice Beat and eventually finish their journey where the Elbow and Bow rivers meet.
And by borrowing, renting or even making your own drum and then showing up at this free event, Calgarians have the opportunity to be part of the celebration. The drum circle begins at 7:30 p.m. and continues until the first light of summer finally begins to recede.
To get people in a percussive mood, the five-hour-long event includes performances by Rhythm Method, an all-female world-beat group that performs the percussive music and dance of West Africa; Hadia, a dancer and choreographer who has toured the world teaching and performing Flamenco and Middle Eastern dance; percussionists Brent Van Dusen and Jeff Fafard; and the Broken Knife Dance Troupe from the Tsuu T’ina Nation. |
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