May Day pictures, belatedly
May. 20th, 2012 07:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pegkerrMay Day was late this year, due to the rain date cancellation, and I am even later posting my pictures. But here they are. I no longer have my parade book so cannot give you much commentary on the intended meaning behind many of the characters, some of them very strange, that marched in the parade. But as Terry Garey once remarked (and this sort of a hazy paraphrase based on my memory of an email she sent out about the parade once years ago), it all sort of boils down to the same thing every year: good conquers evil because it's nicer.
The parade and ceremony seemed so much more successful to me this year than last year, mostly because of the weather. Whereas last year it felt we were unable to banish the gloom from the park, this year's weather was warm and marveleous. It almost felt that all our work was done before the parade even started. We found a good spot near our usual location, at the point where the parade turns from Bloomington Avenue to head for Powderhorn park. Here's Fiona with a couple of her friends (Delia had wandered off to meet up with several of her own friends).
Pictures follow. Lots of pictures.
I loved the big cranes.
With my interest in the heart of flesh/heart of stone theme, I was happy to see the heart here.
Sloths appeared in the parade to remind us to slow down and smell the flowers.
Sometimes the sloths even lay down in the middle of the street to take quick naps.
Yes, at the May Day parade we have violins in the marching band.
All the floats in the parade are human powered (note the solar panel):
Community May poles:
Part of the South American dancer contingent (Ecuador, I think?) The street smells sweet in their wake from the incense smudge pots the dancers carry:
One of the four horses representing the four winds, I think.
More marchers:
The May Day parade keeps community front and center. One of the things they do is to carry plants in the parade which are given away free to people afterward.
One of the "plant arks":
Marching bees:
This may be my favorite picture of the day. It says it all:
One thing I enjoy about the parade each year is that it's so colorful:
And sometimes just sorta inexplicable. I have no idea what this guy was trying to represent.
After the parade ended
We headed to the park to picnic and watch the ceremony. Here's the sun, preparing to be rowed across the lake:
And when the sun finally arrives on the opposite shore...
The Tree of Life miraculously rises up, as She does every year, to bless the community:
Happy May Day!
The parade and ceremony seemed so much more successful to me this year than last year, mostly because of the weather. Whereas last year it felt we were unable to banish the gloom from the park, this year's weather was warm and marveleous. It almost felt that all our work was done before the parade even started. We found a good spot near our usual location, at the point where the parade turns from Bloomington Avenue to head for Powderhorn park. Here's Fiona with a couple of her friends (Delia had wandered off to meet up with several of her own friends).
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Pictures follow. Lots of pictures.
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| The Tree of Life, shrouded, is carried in the parade by its solemn attendants |
I loved the big cranes.
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| Giant cranes on stilts |
With my interest in the heart of flesh/heart of stone theme, I was happy to see the heart here.
 |
| Giant heart, with heartbeat (drumbeat) following |
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| Stiltwalkers appeared throughout the parade. Always traditional. |
Sloths appeared in the parade to remind us to slow down and smell the flowers.
 |
| Sloths |
 |
 |
Sometimes the sloths even lay down in the middle of the street to take quick naps.
 |
Yes, at the May Day parade we have violins in the marching band.
 |
All the floats in the parade are human powered (note the solar panel):
 |
Community May poles:
 |
Part of the South American dancer contingent (Ecuador, I think?) The street smells sweet in their wake from the incense smudge pots the dancers carry:
 |
One of the four horses representing the four winds, I think.
 |
More marchers:
 |
| 2012 |
The May Day parade keeps community front and center. One of the things they do is to carry plants in the parade which are given away free to people afterward.
 |
One of the "plant arks":
 |
Marching bees:
 |
This may be my favorite picture of the day. It says it all:
 |
One thing I enjoy about the parade each year is that it's so colorful:
 |
 |
| 2012 |
 |
And sometimes just sorta inexplicable. I have no idea what this guy was trying to represent.
 |
After the parade ended
 |
We headed to the park to picnic and watch the ceremony. Here's the sun, preparing to be rowed across the lake:
 |
And when the sun finally arrives on the opposite shore...
 |
The Tree of Life miraculously rises up, as She does every year, to bless the community:
 |
Happy May Day!
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