Burning Man festival

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Just seen a reference to this American festival and for some reason, my mind brought back memories of the final scene of the film "The Wicker Man". Does anyone know the history of the naming of that festival in America?

 

[Calthrop]

Name of this festival -- "where tens of thousands of people come together to celebrate creativity over a period of eight days between August and Sepember, in celebration of [USA's] Labor Day" -- the festivities end with an enormous bonfire where a huge stuffed puppet is burned; whether any connection with "Wicker Man" or whether it's a separately-arrived-at American idea, "deponent sayeth not". (I used to participate on a couple of essentially US-based message boards, a fair few folk on which seemed to be "into" Burning Man.)

 

[najaB]

Does anyone know the history of the naming of that festival in America?

It's loosely inspired by The Wicker Man in that they burn a wooden effigy at the end of the festival.

 

[Gloster]

I presume that the police keep well clear.

 

[Flying Snail]

I presume that the police keep well clear.

It's America so no, they just bring more guns.

 

[zero]

It's America so no, they just bring more guns.

Yup - a policeman drove his vehicle into a structure that some protestors had erected to block the road to the festival and then pulled out his gun to arrest them.

 

[Busaholic]

It's a ''happening'' that grew out of the North American counter-culture movement that developed from the mid 1960s and a dwindling number of the attendees took part in some of the original events. It takes place in Black Rock City every year and its principal ''event'' is the UltraMarathon of 31 miles. The evangelical right despise it, without ever having been to it of course, and proclaim it to be part of the burgeoning wave of Paganism (capital P) enveloping the US since the election was ''stolen'' from them.

I've seen it described as yet another attempt to create Utopia on earth. I believe paying for anything at all is banned, but trading is allowed, and there is a ban on anyone performing toilet functions other than in the surprisingly few structures provided, which is riguorously enforced. Not everyone's cup of tea, including mine, but I see no harm in a group of such like-minded people meeting and sharing without being hassled and harassed.


P.S. This has no connection to the Pagans motorcycle gang, originally from Philadelphia, which vies with the Hell's Angels to be the most lawless in the USA/Canada (i.e. astoundingly criminal.)