Mardi Gras Links And Lupercus

This opinion piece was posted in 2012 by a local New Orleanian  C. W Cannon. It contrasts the "rich person's Mardi Gras" with the Mardi Gras that developed in the past 20 years since the old line Krewe's were forced to integrate.  The Mardi Gras we have today is better than the Mardi Gras of 20 years ago because we New Orleanians have begun to move back to smaller scale groups of individuals who costume and parade without enormous budgets.  'Tit Rex is a parady of the old line monied Rex and pays tribute to the shoebox float that ever New Orleanian school kid has made at least once.  Krewe du Vieux makes fine art of satire. I will love them forever for the 2006 Mardi Gras "Corps of Engineers we hold nothing back" and "Meet me at the Breech" displays.  Carnival is where we turn our ordered patterned world on it's head. Where we break loose and, as Cannon says, "the cultural concept of Carnival is to turn against, invert, or critique the broader culture in which it is enveloped."

And Mark Folse a local blogger posted about another blogger who wrote extensively about France's Occtican Carnival.  (One of my favorite parts of the world).  This talks about how Carnival prepares us for the shift between Winter and Spring. How we revel in the wild and cleanse the old year away.   If the pictures of "Spring's Wild Forces" doesn't make you think wild thoughts, nothing will.

I have always said that Mardi Gras was perfectly aligned with Lupercus these posts reinforce that for me.  So please take time to howl for Lupercus and this carnival season.  People have known for centuries that it's good for the body and the soul.

Carnival & Lupercus

Lupercus is a celebration of the power of wild, of freedom, of being purified of the trappings of civilation. It connects us to Nature, the Great Teacher.  It is not Imbolc and lambs and milking. It is the polar opposite of Imbolc. 

Carnival in New Orleans is a season perfectly aligned with Lupercus. 
Tonight the Krewe du Vieux parade will roll in New Orleans

"The Krewe du Vieux is a non-profit organization dedicated to the historical and traditional concept of a Mardi Gras parade as a venue for individual creative expression and satirical comment. It is unique among all Mardi Gras parades in the city because it alone carries on the old traditions of Carnival celebrations, by using decorated mule-drawn floats with satirical themes, accompanied by costumed revelers dancing in the streets to the sounds of jazzy street musicians. We believe in exposing the world to the true nature of Mardi Gras—and in exposing ourselves to the world."

Looks like this Krewe took the lessons of Umberto Eco to heart.
"Carnival, in order to be enjoyed, requires that rules and rituals be parodied, and that these rules and rituals already be recognized and respected. One must know to what degree certain behaviors are forbidden, and must feel the majesty of the forbidding norm, to appreciate their transgression. Without a valid law to break, carnival is impossible. During the Middle Ages, counterrituals such as the Mass of the Ass or the coronation of the Fool were enjoyable just because, during the rest of the year, the Holy Mass and the true King’s coronation were sacred and respectable activities. The Coena Cypriani quoted by Bachtin, a burlesque representation based upon the subversion of topical situations of the Scriptures, was enjoyed as a comic transgression only by people who took the same Scriptures seriously during the rest of the year. To a modern reader, the Coena Cypriani is only a boring series of meaningless situations, and even though the parody is recognized, it is not felt as a provocative one. Thus the prerequisites of a ‘good’ carnival are: (i) the law must be so pervasively and profoundly introjected as to be overwhelmingly present at the moment of its violation (and this explains why ‘barbaric’ comedy is hardly understandable); (ii) the moment of carnivalization must be very short, and allowed only once a year (semel in anno licet insanire); an everlasting carnival does not work: an entire year of ritual observance is needed in order to make the transgression enjoyable.

Carnival can exist only as an authorized transgression (which in fact represents a blatant case of contradicto in adjecto or of happy double binding — capable of curing instead of producing neurosis). If the ancient, religious carnival was limited in time, the modern mass-carnival is limited in space: it is reserved for certain places, certain streets, or framed by the television screen.

In this sense, comedy and carnival are not instances of real transgressions: on the contrary, they represent paramount examples of law reinforcement. They remind us of the existence of the rule.

Carnivalization can act as a revolution (Rabelais, or Joyce) when it appears unexpectedly, frustrating social expectations. But on the one side it produces its own mannerism (it is reabsorbed by society) and on the other side it is acceptable when performed within the limits of a laboratory situation (literature, stage, screen …). When an unexpected and nonauthorized carnivalization suddenly occurs in ‘real’ everday life, it is interpreted as revolution (campus confrontations, ghetto riots, blackouts, sometimes true ‘historical’ revolutions). But even revolutions produce a restoration of their own (revolutionary rules, another contradicto in adjecto) in order to install their new social model. Otherwise they are not effective revolutions, but only uprisings, revolts, transitory social disturbances.

In a world dominated by diabolical powers, in a world of everlasting transgression, nothing remains comic or carnivalesque, nothing can any longer become an object of parody."

Umberto Eco, “The frames of comic ‘freedom’,” _Carnivale!_, Ed. Thomas A. Sebeok. Berlin: Mouton, 1984

Why do Wolves Howl?

http://www.wolfsongalaska.org/wolf_why_howl.html Why do Wolves Howl? Lisa Matthews / Wolf Song of Alaska Volunteer

Howling is the type of vocal communication the wolf is most famous for (also in their vocal repertoire are whimpers, yips, growls, and barks). It’s no surprise that we are captivated by the sound of a howl, for as the mysterious song fills the vast expanses we are somehow reminded of, and are reconnected to, the wondrous aspects of nature that we may have forgotten about. Once a wolf begins howling, other pack members often show a strong tendency to approach that animal and join in. Lois Crisler has said, “Like a community sing, a howl is a happy occasion. Wolves love to howl. When it is started, they instantly seek contact with one another, troop together, fur to fur. Some wolves will run from any distance, panting and bright-eyed, to join in, uttering, as they near, fervent little wows, jaws wide, hardly able to wait to sing.” While the functions of howling are not fully understood, several different types of howling have been identified, each used under different circumstances. Once thing is certain, howling appears to be the glue that keeps the pack together and plays a role in the formation and/or the maintenance of strong bonds between other members of the pack. Some members, usually those who rank lowest in the pack hierarchy, however, may be discouraged, or “punished” for joining in a howling chorus. One of the most often used howls is a call which reassembles the pack, such as after a chase, or if a wolf has gotten lost. This is a deep, loud, and guttural sound sometimes accompanied with a few barks. Howling seems to convey the location of individual wolves so they can reunite. As wolves range over vast areas to find food, they often become separated from one another. Because of its low pitch and long duration, howling is well-suited for transmission in forests and across tundra and can be carried several miles. If a wolf gets separated from the pack, howling soon begins. In one instance, it was observed that after a mother wolf became separated from her young on one side of a river, she howled to guide her pups to a safe spot to cross. When wolves return from a hunt, those who stayed behind will rush to greet them and howling may break out as well. Additionally, wolves will sometimes howl after a chase to celebrate a successful hunt. Before a hunt, a different kind of howl, the social howl, may serve to excite the pack members and bond them prior to setting out. This type of howl is one of sheer joy and is often heard as the pack gathers for a hunt. This social howl celebrates togetherness, pleasure, and friendship. Resting wolves will begin romping about with tails wagging while they sniff and press against each other. Then they will join in on the howl. Wolves will not, however, howl to initiate a chase and will be silent when actually hunting. The social howl is also used as a warning to wolves in nearby territories. This howl, therefore, has much significance between packs, as well as within. Inter-pack howling may sometimes go on for hours promoting speculation that the howling may function in territorial advertisement or maintenance, and may be a threat or warning. Howling to warn other packs to stay away is most often heard during the mating season, as well as when the pack is at the den or resting sites. Wolves responding to unknown wolf howls are warning the intruder that they will hold their territory and defend their mates, pups, or food sources. However, lone wolves who intend to travel outside their home territory do so silently, because a meeting with wolves in another territory may lead to a confrontation, which sometimes proves fatal to the intruder. Another type of howl occurs when a wolf is lonely. This is a rising and falling sound with a long slide at the end. This howl is heard mostly during the mating season when a wolf is looking for a possible mate and wolves tend to howl more frequently around the breeding season. A captive wolf might also howl due to a feeling of isolation. Some researchers have noted that wolves sometimes appear to howl simply because they are happy (a happy howl can sound “mournful”). For example, it has been observed that when a mother wolf is giving birth to her pups inside the den, wolves on the outside start howling and become very excited, prancing about. Once the pups are born the excitement increases and howling gets even louder. Howling appears to identify a particular wolf, much like a fingerprint does for primates. The many different qualities within a howl allow other wolves to know which wolf is doing the howling so they may identify each other and also those individuals who are not part of their pack. Several field researchers have even claimed the ability to distinguish specific wolves in a pack by their characteristic howls! Additionally, no two wolves will howl on the same note. There is harmony. If two wolves do start on the same note, one or both will change their beginning note. Why they do this is unclear, although some believe it makes the pack sound like a bigger group of animals and, therefore, more threatening to intruders. There is some evidence that howling might also supply information about their behavior, such as whether the wolf is walking slowly, pacing, or lying down. If such details can be detected in howls, they only occur among associated wolves that have learned to relate each other's behavior to the specific changes in howling. This is only one example illustrating the importance of learning during the socialization process of these intelligent animals. So, do wolves howl at the moon? It is safe to say that this thought is just a myth. Wolf howls have been inadvertently associated with the moon most likely because they are more active on brighter lit nights. If you are one of the fortunate ones able to hear a wolf, or a pack of wolves, howl in your lifetime think about all the reasons why they might be howling and, as Mark D. Martinson has said, “ When you hear a wolf’s howl, listen to it to the full. Feel its primeval beauty, way deep in your soul.”

Mythic Proportions & Lupercus

On January 30th I posted about the Mythic Proportions of the New Orleans Saints.
Yesterday there were 2 articles in the Times Picayune newspaper about how the football team had shown that while New Orleans has a complex racial history this amazing football team and season has shown that we can and do have Racial Harmony in the Who Dat Nation.

There was one article on the Front Page
Here are 2 excerpts:
"Is it an illusion? Of course it is; it's a sporting event," he said. "But if this sense of optimism and unity is this universally shared, it's a powerful illusion and maybe it's not entirely illusionary."

"I say, enjoy the feeling, enjoy the moment and understand that if we want to feel this way for a long time, it will take a lot of work, sacrifice and compromise after the Super Bowl," he said. "One thing for sure, it's a good taste of what community feels like."

There was another article in the Sports Section. Here are a few excerpts:
"If you spend most of your professional life writing about games people play, you also will spend plenty of time listening to friends asking: Why?"

"Walk down any New Orleans street and look at the smiling faces, the Who Dat fist bumps, and you'll know this is why sports are relevant. It has the potential to touch and unite an entire community unlike anything else in our culture."

"This wasn't just a victory lap for the sports fan. It was a cathartic scream, a cheer, a dance, a hug, a high five, chest thump, fist bump, a lay-on-the-lawn-and-kick-my-hands-and-feet-in-the-air-in delirium. It was a community feeling not just of overwhelming joy, but the release of mountains of frustrations, disappointments and sorrows that had nothing to do with football."

"And during that moment, when everything else escaped, when the entire city was cheering and crying together and letting it all go, something very, very nice was left behind. Suddenly, we were all family again."

OK, since it is Lupercus, let's stop and think about this a minute. Wild Catharsis. Letting it all go. Done, like wolves howling, in a group and driven by God energies blending with Goddess energies to create community.

And as quoted by 2 'outsiders' doing a documentary, just so you know this isn't all local navel gazing.
"In fact, we actually saw people coming together over something as, in some respects, weirdly irrelevant as a sports team," he said. "But maybe that's what it takes, that sort of oddball thing to bring a town together.

"And it was very, very real. We were witnessing this cathartic moment of unity, and that was a cool thing -- and it remains a very cool thing. This football team accomplished this very cool thing."

And this folks is what myth and ritual are all about. This is what our stories and rituals done in the company of others should be all about. Our myths and rituals should seek to reach deeply into the human psyche and bring people together. The Sports Section article also speaks to why it is important to repeat rituals regularly whether every Full Moon or annually.

"I'm not saying this solves all the problems, but I believe it will bring people a step in that direction. Wherever they were before, they will be a little bit higher, a little bit further along the road than they were before the game -- and they'll stay there."

Happy Howling - Lupercus

Early February, specifically Febuary 2nd, is time of Lupercus, when the Streghe (Pagan Tradition that has its origins in Italy) celebrate the Young God, the Golden Wolf. The days are getting longer, the light renews our hope of the coming rebirth, but chill air still bites and the earth remains in deep slumber.

I would have thought that Lupercus would have been one of the more complex ideas to breakdown into something understandable for a 5 year old. After all, Lupercus is a ritual that is quite unlike most Pagan rituals that fall at this point in the wheel of the year. Lupercus is the young adolescent: untamable, "immortal", bulletproof. He is powerful, wild, a little out of control and totally natural all at the same time, just like any hormone ridden young man. The image of this Great Golden Wolf, who is beneficial to humans, is a bit of a dichotomy even for adults to wrap their minds around. The wolf is something wild that humans feared in days past. The Wolf is after all a predator.

But opportunities arise when you least expect them.

My 5 year old daughter is a bit of a Sarah Heartburn/Drama Queen. One day, in an attempt to get both of us ready quickly for some event, we were taking a shower together. As in most rushed events, things went wrong and the water got a bit too hot then, over correcting, too cold and she went right over the top. She was whining and crying and screaming and well, Howling! Without conscious thought, out of my mouth comes: "My goodness that's a lot of noise for a little girl. You sound like a howling wolf. Does it make you feel better to howl?" and then I howled like a wolf.

Remember we are in the shower and you all know how the shower amplifies and improves the sound. So I howled while she continued to whine and cry until she finally tried it and, the sound reverberated off walls, driving all sense of troubleand pain from us and we were howling and laughing. There was a sense of primal joy that bubbled up from the depths of our souls as we let loose AAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOO! The world was a much better place. Everything after that was lighter, looser, fun and we made it where we needed to be on time.

So here we take the shock of the hot then cold water, the rush of panic, of upset and anger and tension; relieved and released by Howling. Amazing and it works on adults too! In thinking about it later with my conscious mind, I saw the similarities to the Lupercus ritual.

Weeks later I am combing my daughter's hair after her bath. She has straight fine, easily tangled hair and even with "No More Tangles" to spray in it. As I comb Sarah Heartburn kicks in and: "OW! Mommie you're are pulling my hair!" and "That hurts!" I don't say anything. I too have fine straight hair and remember giving my Mom hell when she combed my hair. So I just stop, spray some more "No More Tangles" and then my daughter turns to me and says "Let's howl like wolves!"

So we do. No more whining and crying about her hair instead we are smiling and laughing and all the troubles of the world just evaporate into the sound of howling. The strangest thing was that I had had a horrid day at work. I was emotionally exhausted, and taking comfort in doing domestic, Mommie things. But after the howling session I was feeling light and free and happy. Rather than just taking comfort in the evening domestic ritual I was able to enjoy it, savor it, because the weight of the world was gone and I felt alive, refreshed, renewed.

And this is exactly what celebrating Lupercus can teaach us.

A few days ago and at bathtime again we had let the dog in because it was cold outside. After her bath and while she is brushing her teeth, my daughter says: "Let's howl like wolves." By now she and I *know* that this is fun, it's a release from how the world usually works, it's powerful stuff. But we've never howled *with the dog* in the bathroom before. Well we start howling and smiling and howling. The dog is looking at us like we are stupid humans then, because we don't stop, she decides to howl with us. She is part Basset Hound and so she gets that low, rolling howl going and then releases it into the higher howl and my daughter and I just about loose it! This is GREAT stuff. So here we are 3 "girls" in the bathroom howling to beat the band.

Our howling allowed us to experience Lupercus as the God of the wild, untamable, primitive and primal part of us that we hold deep inside, hidden under our veneer of civilization. This is something with which our ancestors, who lived much closer to the wild, had a deep connection. It is something that is critical for us, as modern humans to be able to reconnect with, to regain. Look around at the modern world, look at the violence, the intensity, the extreme sports, the yearning to take SUVs to the mountain top and see that we as a society keenly feel the lack and are searching for that ancient, critical, wild, primal connection. Look at the enduring appeal of the Tarzan story and the power of Tarzan's "howl". I've always wondered if Disney knew what they were tapping into when they released Tarzan on video, February 2, 2000.

There is really something to this howling, this connecting with the primal in ourselves. This is what Lupercus celebrates.

We've been held down by the darkness of winter, or the weight of the world and howling enlivens us and pushes the weight of the world farther away. And folks, the wolves got it right because howling works best when you have friends!!!!!! I highly recommend it.

Happy Howling.

First Published in Raven's Call February-April 2001.