A Tract of Land Named The Inner Playa Where The Affluent Meet
Collections. Cacophony. Culture jamming. In 2018, the theme presentation is iRobot. From Baker Beach to Black Rock City (BRC), welcome to the creation of Burning Man.
“The late summer event is described as an experiment in community and art, influenced by ten main principles: radical inclusion, self-reliance, and self-expression, as well as community cooperation, civic responsibility, gifting, decommodification, participation, immediacy, and leaving no trace.” The 10 principals are encouraged by the other groups.
The idea first came into being 32 years ago in 1986 on Baker Beach in San Francisco. It is held annually, going from the last Sunday in August to the first Monday in September.
Anything goes at Burning Man (aka “the Man”); a symbolic ritual burning of a large wooden effigy that occurs on the Saturday evening of the big event.
Have you seen The Wicker Man (1973)? What about the Green Man thing?
The time of year coincides with the summer solstice or Midsummer, which usually involves celebration and bonfires. The similarity is clearly visible.
After all, one of the roots of the annual event began as a bonfire ritual on the summer solstice.
Did the ancient Celts practice human sacrifice? “Archaeological evidence from Ireland does indicate that human sacrifice was practiced in times pre-dating contact with Rome.”
“The main evidence for this practice is Julius Caesar’s Commentary on the Gallic war, which modern scholarship has linked to an earlier writer, Poseidonius (The Ancient World of the Celts: An Illustrated Account).”
Nevertheless, Burning Man has become sort of a stomping ground for the affluent and well connected. The who’s who will certainly amaze the onlooking spectator.
