Festivals that History has Left Behind

Article by Alex Martin. Edited by Claire Stratton. Additional Research by Ellie Veryard.

Festivals, rituals, fairs, carnivals, ceremonies, events, gatherings and good old fashioned piss-ups are both lots of fun and historically interesting. More often than not, regular themes can be found; music, common interest, mind altering substances etc. Many that have existed for years are still going strong, whilst some others have fallen by the way side into obscurity or worse non-existence. In this article I have compiled some of the stranger and more interesting festivals that are not as popular as they once were.

Compitalia

A festival thought to be older than Rome itself. Sacrifices would be made to the household God Lares Compitales at any place where two roads met, as Lares Compitales was, among other things, god of crossroads. People also would hang woollen dolls of themselves, along with an idol of the God Mania in the hope that the woollen figures would placate the deities thus ensuring the safety of the lives of the people inside the house. Even those who could not afford to make the figures used woollen balls with differing colours, in order to distinguish genders.

Viking Burial

What makes humans unique is a matter of debate. Most of our actions have some sort of comparison in the animal kingdom; otters use tools, monkeys communicate with sound Neanderthals painted on caves. However death rites and rituals appear to belong just to Homo Sapiens. Undoubtedly one of the most spectacular must have been the Viking Burial. The ritual was never exactly the same, but usually involved a boat, fire, booze, animal sacrifice and booze. The rite was usually reserved for a male warrior or lord who was buried with his weapons and supplies for the afterlife. One account of a funeral includes the tale of a Viking slave girl who volunteered to go with her master into the next life; this act included drinking for the 7 days the body was prepared and having sex with most of the free men on the expedition so they could show how much they loved their deceased master. And just in case this isn’t festive enough, seven days after the cremation and burial there was the ritual of the seven day ale, which included more drinking.

Pow-wow

A traditional Native American dance festival, which derives its name from a word meaning ‘spiritual leader.’ Originally used as a way for tribes to come together, to discuss local politics and initiate new leaders. However, it has now morphed into an all purpose method of preserving a rapidly waning culture.

Woodstock

Billed as 3 days of music and peace, that took place in upstate New York on dairy farm in 1968, fuelled by music, hallucinogens and free love. Now a staple piece of stock footage used in any sixties nostalgia themed T.V. show. Whilst The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin were part of the legendary line up, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, the Doors, The Byrds, Joni Mitchell and Led Zeppelin declined their invitations to perform. Known more now by its memory and iconic imagery than the actual events of the time, it was resurrected four times without great critical acclaim.

National Virgin Competitions

3 weeks after his coronation to the throne of Russia the young Tsar Ivan the Terrible declared he needed a wife. Modern day courting involves trips to the cinema with a potential match, or some drunken dancing around in a noisy night club. In 1547, virgins of respectable birth over the age of twelve and less than 3 weeks travelling distance away were brought to the Kremlin and paraded around for the young monarch’s examination. It is said that between 500 and 1500 young women turned up for the privilege of being ogled by a teenager. Ivan picked the young Anastasia Zakharina. Other Russian monarchs such as Alexis Romanov, Peter the Great’s Father, chose their spouses this way. The marriage between Ivan and Anastasia lasted 13 years until Anastasia fell victim to an illness (although some suspected, including Ivan, that it was poisoning).

Atamalqualiztli

An Aztec festival held every eight years where meals were limited to one midday portion of Tamales, (a dough based dish dipped in water) per day. The belief was that a minimal amount of food would allow existing supplies of food to be revitalised. Anyone not participating or who would cheat on their diet was thought to contract leprosy. In order to stop the spread, of what was thought to be a highly infectious disease, harsh punishments were put in place.

There will never be another Woodstock in my lifetime, no comely Viking slave girl will insist on her suicide because of my death, and I know that chowing down during Atamalqualiztli will not give me leprosy. But these caveats to culture either good or bad give us clues to the contours of the limits of human action. And in a world where information can be exchanged verified or debunked at a rapid rate, where Christmas is celebrated by almost all secularists, the local flavour to festivals is diminishing. We as historians can, nay must, stand in front of this tide of change and yell stop, if not to resurrect these long gone festivals but to admire and appreciate their eccentricity and raucousness. So at some point today whilst you are planning the joys of Christmas presents and food, as well as the tribulations of family rows and the expense, sit back and raise a glass to all the weird ways we used to celebrate.

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