Pagan holidays have a long history of celebration, and the month of March is no exception. Throughout the world, different cultures have unique holidays and traditions that are rooted in pagan beliefs and practices. March is a time of transition, as winter turns to spring in the Northern Hemisphere and summer to autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. One notable pagan holiday in March is Ostara, which is celebrated around the spring equinox. Ostara is named after a Germanic goddess of fertility, and it marks the arrival of spring and the reawakening of nature. It is a time of rebirth and renewal, as people celebrate the return of longer days and warmer weather.
It is a time of rebirth and renewal, as people celebrate the return of longer days and warmer weather. Many pagan rituals and customs are performed during this holiday, such as decorating eggs, planting seeds, and partaking in feasts to welcome the arrival of spring. Another widely celebrated pagan holiday in March is Beltane, which falls on May 1st in the Northern Hemisphere and October 31st in the Southern Hemisphere.
Yellow Magic Orchestra
Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Yukihiro Takahashi are the founding members of YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA (YMO), the legendary group whose innovations included the integration of exotic sounds and techno elements in their so-called “computer music.” YMO has been one of the central figures in the techno/new wave movement starting in the late 70s, along with Kraftwerk and DEVO, and have influenced countless techno/hiphop/pop/rock musicians throughout the world. Furthermore, YMO is said to be the first to use electronic instruments such as the Vocoder VP-330, and the first to release an album that heavily used samples and loops.
Influenced by folk, Haruomi Hosono has been one of the pioneers of the rock/pop music scene in Japan, impacting many artists and garnering considerable respect in the electronic music field. Ryuichi Sakamoto, the Oscar winning composer/musician, has gained an international reputation exploring and innovating the realm between music and noise. Yukihiro Takahashi has been known not only as a producer of Japanese rock/pop music, but also for his activities (accomplishments) as a fashion designer and writer.
In 1983, YMO announced they would sankai, or “fan-out,” and didn’t reunite until 1993 with performances which drew 100,000 people to the show in Tokyo and included The Orb as their opening act. During the period of 1993 - 2002 the group members continued to focus on their solo careers: Hosono founded his label daisyworld discs, while Takahashi and Sakamoto concentrated on their solo works. The unit did not reunite until Hosono and Takahashi formed Sketch Show and invited Sakamoto to contribute on tracks on their releases Audio Sponge and Loophole. Sakamoto joined Sketch Show for the Sonar Festival in 2004 for a performance under the name Human Audio Sponge (or HAS). The name was inspired by the writings of UK-based writer, musician, and curator David Toop, which would be used whenever Sakamoto joined a Sketch Show performance. The band considered HAS to be a completely separate entity from YMO and embodied this idea in their performance style, shying away from live instruments. Human Audio Sponge was a name that reflected the musical direction of the three members at the time, absorbing various musical elements and converting these ideas in their original way to create a totally new sound.
Recently the group has performed under the name HASYMO. More than just a melding of their previous incarnations as Human Audio Sponge (HAS) and Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), HASYMO has developed a new sound that transcends the two groups. One recent contribution is the new track Rescue for the film Appleseed: Ex Machina.
The original three members performed as Yellow Magic Orchestra from Live Earth’s Kyoto stage on 7/7/07. The concert was hailed by Rolling Stone as the worldwide festival’s best reunion performance.
In 2008, the band performed in London at the Meltdown Festival hosted by Massive Attack and a concert in Spain directly followed. The group introduced two new songs: The City of Light and Tokyo Town Pages, and was accompanied by Christian Fennesz on guitar and laptop along with regular supporting members.
From this point on, the band’s official title would be Yellow Magic Orchestra once again.
Equipped with regular supporting members including Keigo Oyamada (Guitar) from Cornelius, Ren Takada (Pedal Steel/Electronics) and Tomohiko Gondo (HD Operation/Euphonium), Yellow Magic Orchestra played the Japanese Summer Festival World Happiness 2008,2009 and 2010. Fans were taken aback by rare performances of classic YMO pieces such as Thousand Knives, Firecracker and Behind The Mask.
On June 26th 2011 the group will be performing at the renowned Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, bringing their live show to the states for the first time in over 30 years. As headliner for the Hollywood Bowl’s “Big In Japan” event the group will be reworking many of their classics to be performed with a focus on live instruments. This will showcase the breadth of the individual artist talents as well as the group as a whole and will include supporting members Keigo Oyamada, and Christian Fennesz. Following this performance the group will be playing the very next day at the Warfield theatre in San Francisco on June 27th.
Both U.S.A. performances will coincide with a new “Best of” compilation from Sony titled; YMO, which will be released mid-June. The compilation features handpicked songs from the band members themselves, spanning the entire YMO catalogue. The songs have been re-mastered and the compilation’s aim is to introduce YMO’s music to a younger generation, as well as please the long time fans with a fresh take on the band’s extensive repertoire.
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Massive Attack / Primal Scream / The Cool Kids / Grace Jones / Gang Of Four / Tom Tom Club / Stiff Little Fingers / MC5 / Fennesz / PVT / George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic / Johnny Clarke / Gong / Leila / Yellow Magic Orchestra / Skream & Benga / dälek / Mark Stewart and the Maffia Show all bands
Beltane is a Gaelic festival that marks the beginning of summer and is associated with fertility and abundance. It is a time when livestock were driven between two bonfires for purification and protection, and people would jump over the fires to bring good luck for the coming season. Many modern-day celebrations of Beltane involve dancing around a Maypole, a tradition that symbolizes the union of the earth and the sky. Furthermore, Holi is a vibrant and joyous pagan holiday celebrated primarily in India and Nepal. It takes place on a full moon night in March and is often referred to as the Festival of Colors. Holi marks the arrival of spring and is a time for people to come together, sing, dance, and throw colored powders and water at each other. This holiday is rooted in Hindu mythology and is associated with the victory of good over evil, the blossoming of love, and the celebration of harvest. Overall, these pagan holidays in March share common themes of nature, renewal, and the changing seasons. They provide an opportunity for people to connect with their ancestral roots, celebrate the bounty of nature, and invoke good fortune for the coming year. Despite the differences in specific customs and beliefs, these holidays remind us of the timeless connection between humans and the natural world..
Reviews for "Reviving Old Traditions: Pagan March Holidays"
1. John - 2/5 - As someone who prefers traditional holiday celebrations, the Pagan Holidays March was a huge disappointment for me. It seemed more like a chaotic gathering of a few individuals rather than a well-orchestrated event. The lack of organization was evident from the poor signage to the absence of clear directions for participants. Moreover, the themes and symbolism chosen for the march were incomprehensible and did not resonate with the majority of attendees. Overall, the Pagan Holidays March lacked the charm and coherence that make traditional holiday celebrations so enjoyable, and I would not recommend it to others seeking a meaningful holiday experience.
2. Sarah - 1/5 - The Pagan Holidays March was a complete waste of time and money. The whole event felt chaotic and unprofessional right from the start. The organizers seemed to have no clear vision or plan, as evidenced by the disorganized march route and lack of clear instructions for participants. The lack of coordination and communication made it difficult to understand the purpose or meaning behind the march. In addition, the choice of themes and symbols seemed random and disconnected, leaving me feeling confused and uninterested. I regret attending the Pagan Holidays March and would not recommend it to others who are looking for a well-organized and meaningful holiday experience.
3. Emma - 2/5 - The Pagan Holidays March was not what I expected it to be. While I appreciate the attempt to celebrate pagan holidays and bring awareness to their significance, the execution fell flat. The event lacked structure and direction, making it difficult to fully immerse myself in the experience. The themes and symbolism used during the march were also quite obscure and not easily understandable to those unfamiliar with pagan traditions. Overall, I found the Pagan Holidays March to be confusing and underwhelming, and I would not attend it again in the future.
4. Michael - 1/5 - I had high hopes for the Pagan Holidays March, but it was a huge letdown. The lack of organization was evident right from the beginning, with no clear guidelines or instructions for participants. The chosen themes and symbols used during the march were confusing, and there was no cohesive narrative or explanation provided. It felt like a disjointed gathering of people with no clear purpose or direction. Overall, I found the Pagan Holidays March to be a disorganized and underwhelming event, and I would not recommend it to others.