Happy Vernal Equinox Day!! It is, in my opinion, a highly overlooked event, as the lives of our ancient civilization literally revolved around this day to start planting their crops and thus maintain their human existence. It signifies the passage of winter into spring, a veritable rebirth of the earth, and also precursor to what has recently become my favorite holiday, Easter. There is newfound hope and beauty in the blossoming of trees (hay fever aside...), the blue skies and green grass from the cold, bleak landscape that has symbolized for me the cresting of many such moments in my life. Plus, I just really love the smell.The Vernal Equinox has been associated with many man-built symbols of its significance, one being the Great Sphinx of Egypt, built to face the rising sun of that one day. The Kukulcán Pyramid of the Mayan culture is flanked with serpents, the light of the Equinox casting diamond-esque shadows down the sides of "El Castillo" only twice a year.
Last April (2006) found me in England (and Europe) for the very first time. A maiden visit is not complete with homage to Stonehenge and the subsequent wonder of its mysterious history. It was one of the most peaceful moments of my trip (albeit incredibly windy) and I returned with a greater appreciation for all things British...which now leads me to the approaching April of this year and a newfound determination to "travel everywhere dangerous and cool", as advised by an old YW counselor of yore.
To commemorate said Equinox, our own always-amazingly-cool wmchicago is reliving a supposed Utah State University tradition of burning something symbolic for the upcoming season; fake money for prosperity, old mementos to let go, food for health, plastic cars for sweet rides, voodoo dolls for... (okay I'm starting to make things up now) and I will contribute a map of all the places I want to go, the first being Greece (gyros unite!), followed by Australia (the whoooole continent), Venice and Vienna (for the classical music lover in me), Egypt (the original Alexandria), Jerusalem, the Amazon rainforest...
So my question of the day to you is: where have you always wanted to travel? I know some have previously been posted (my kengling is so much smarter than I, I not even knowing what Victoria Falls is) and potentially already shared (hermitages, anyone?) but I want to know where you have always wanted to go... it might make my map before tonight's incendiary!
22 comments:
A Pagan Ritual at it's finest! Though this year's bonfire will not be conducted at midnight in the notorious Green Canyon of Cache Valley, but in an everday, residential East Coast townhouse fireplace in the evening. (Hey, in the United States this year, the vernal equinox "arrives" sometime in the evening.) There WILL be multi-colored flames and burnings of all sorts;) And, while no voodoo dolls have ever entered the picture, there WAS a doll's hand ... But, sadly, a scrumptious dutch oven dessert will not accompany this event either. (Forlorn shake of a head).
As for my exotic wishlist, where do I begin? Backpacking ALL of Eastern Europe, BANFF, China, Alaska, Med coast, Ecuador, Chile, Patagonia ...
It arrives at 8:33, to be exact. Let the colored log burning begin!
Shoot. Wait. According to this, it arrives at 12:07 am tomorrow morning. Oh well. Let the colored log burning begin!
meh....
The pagan rituals I really go for tend to be fertility rites. Gimme a call if you ever decide to construct a grove dedicated to the worship of Ashteroth or some similar deity.
AK-
The vernal equinox is at 12:07 Britian time, but 8:33 for EST time...maybe?
Grridd-
And, people wonder what "SG" stands for? That should be obivious after this comment.
It's funny ... I was JUST thinking this morning that I wanted to start saving up to travel to Greece — my motherland that I have yet to discover. While over there, I'd love to see Turkey too.
Gosh, where DON'T I want to go?!? Every time I meet someone from a new place, I want to see their homeland. My biggest problem is that every time I go somewhere new, I just want to go back. My list is long...Thailand, Singapore, Egypt, Machu Picchu, Paris, Greece (yep), Fiji, Alaska, Jerusalem, Australia, New Zealand...and on and on. But at the top, hands down, is Italy. Hopefully by the end of the summer, I can cross that one off my list...
Snoop Dogg's house.
I’d like to go to every country, but here’s the top of my list: Lalibela Ethiopia, Machu Picchu, Bishkek Kyrgyzstan, and Petra Jordan. Next on the list are Greenland/Iceland, Brazil, Italy, India, Tibet/Ladakh, Greece/Turkey, the Mayan ruins and Iran (in no particular order).
You may wonder why anyone would want to go to Bishkek. Years ago when I read that Bishkek was the Kyrgyz work for a churn to make fermented mare’s milk (the national drink), I decided then and there that’s a place I had to visit, regardless of what else the city had to offer. Not too many capital cities have their names derive from a type of churn.
And I support Dude in visiting Snoop Dogg’s house, but only if he rolls up listening to Coolio.
I always wanted to go to London-- and I finally got to go there on my honeymoon. It was so great I just want to go back even more.
Other than that, I really want to go to Wegmans.
Who doesn't want to go to Greece? That's on the top of my list along with Thailand and New Zealand.
Oh...and you'd better not go to Vienna without me.
Wegmans... how could I forget Wegmans?!
My question is, is a "bishkek" referring ONLY specifically to the churn used to make kumis (which, by the way, you failed to mention it has an alcoholic content, thus wildly increasing its appeal across Asian countries) or any churn in general? This is a vitally important fact.
And Griddd... May Day doth cometh...
too many places to see. does everywhere work? india, thailand/cambodia, more of africa...the list goes on. anyways, it's the festival of colors at the hare krishna temple tomorrow. there will be a burning of an effigy and the tradition of throwing colored powder at each other. it will be my celebration of the vernal equinox.
Hmm. I think the European countries have been mentioned enough so I would like to explore some American soil. I'm curious to visit the beautiful island Nantucket, Charleston, South Carolina, Asheville, NC home of the biggest Vanderbilt Mansion. It is really quite something. One other place I would love to go is Prince Edward Island in Canada where I believe Anne of Green Gables was filmed.
Jen R.
I've actually always wanted to go to Stonehenge myself. But recently I've become fond of the idea of traveling to Guam. That or Nebraska.
ber, I am so glad you're patroning the Hare Krisha temple in my absence. The one time I went it was so cold and windy we nearly didn't make it up the hill, but the llamas were worth it, even if I ruined my Birkenstocks that day.
Mrs. R. I would love to go down South with you and get some rull live BBQ with Paula Deen! You in?
And Handsome Rob I will pass on Nebraska; I got stuck in Ogallala one night and was ready to go at 6 am the next morning. And when are you going to post a new blog?! Guam I'm in though.
I've been to Paula's restaurant "The Lady and Sons" and frankly, while the chicken was excellent, I've had just as good at the Ritz Carlton employee cafeteria...which also serves frozen personal pizzas.
I've been to Paula's restaurant "The Lady and Sons" and frankly, while the chicken was excellent, I've had just as good at the Ritz Carlton employee cafeteria...which also serves frozen personal pizzas.
SADDLE UP! Southern Africa and Victoria Falls are the target this August! You know you wanna.
must go to africa. but you knew that.
Places to go? I have to jump on the Greece bandwagon and then add Victoria Falls as well. Hm, I'm not sounding very original, but I really have always wanted to see those places. Where else? New Zealand, Australia, Greenland, Czech Republic, Ireland, Wales, Italy, Latvia (okay, I've already been to those last two, but if the wish gods are listening, I want to make sure they know I want to go back!), Hawaii...anywhere tropical. There are more...so many more, but I'll just stop here.
Oh, and speaking of pagan rituals...Ever heard of Jani or Ligo?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C4%81%C5%86i
It's the Summer Solstice celebration in Latvia and their biggest holiday. We actually got to celebrate it as missionaries, cool huh? Well, we didn't participate in the beer-drinking or the paparzied hunts, but the rest of it was all kinds of fun!
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