HOBT
MayDay Ceremony
The MayDay Ceremony in Powderhorn Park has become a joyous annual ritual
for nearly 50,000 people in the Twin Cities.
Each year, a 200-person pageant
re-tells the story of that year's parade,
with children and adult dancers, puppeteers, a live orchestra and four giant
serene puppets who represent the Prairie, Sky, River, and Woods.
It culminates in the Tree of Life Ceremony: to the steady beating of
drums, a resplendent red Sun Flotilla paddles the Sun from across the lake
to the shore where the Tree of Life sleeps, waiting to be reawakened.
Audio/Visual Assistance
The Tree of Life Ceremony is audio described and also presented in American
Sign Language (ASL). If you or someone in your party need these services, please
meet by the seating area next to the ceremony ring after the parade.
The Tree of Life Ceremony 2010
In this year of the census when we are asked all manners of questions - name, age, race, how many are in your household - our Ceremony asks:
-
What if we "counted" all the trees, beetles, fishes, the waters, worms and raccoons?
- What if we asked each other questions toward our wellbeing?
- What if we asked questions of wonderments, of outrage?
- What is immeasurable?
- And what if these questions opened channels of compassion, action, and love, throughout the land?
photos: David Welch, Liz Welch