Make Merry in Step and Song: A Seasonal Treasury of Music, Mummer's Plays & Celebrations in the English Folk Tradition, Paperback/Bronwen Forbes

Descriere

"See the blazing Yule before us..." This is just one of the many ancient British folk songs we all know and love. Other tunes and symbols that tug on our memories have similar historical roots, hearkening back to a shared Pagan past. These dances, songs, and theatrical plays in the English folk tradition are now little known to most of the modern Pagan community. Reviving these vital traditions can bring new life to Renaissance festivals, neopagan rituals, and community events. Introducing the lively music and homegrown entertainments of times long past, this descriptive how-to is designed for twenty-first-century joviality. The songs, dances, and plays of old are explained in their mythical, seasonal, and historical significance and outlined for easy reenactment. Simple-to-follow instructions detail six dances including the popular Abbots Bromley Horn dance, six full scripts for dramatic performances of Mummer's Plays (folk plays of death and rebirth), and over thirty songs with lyrics and music. Kick up your heels, hold high your skirts, and make merry the year through. About the Author: Bronwen Forbes co-founded Free Spirit Alliance and taught at various Pagan festivals, Pride Days, and conferences across the United States. She published fiction with Graveyard Publishing and two nonfiction books with Llewellyn: Make Merry in Step and Song and The Small-Town Pagan's Survival Guide. Bronwen Forbes passed away shortly before the publication of The Small-Town Pagan's Survival Guide in 2011.