Stunning Images Of Pagan Costumes Worn At Winter Solstice ~ Images Of Ritual And Ceremonies

STUNNING IMAGES OF PAGAN COSTUMES
WORN AT WINTER SOLSTICE.

These images of ritual and ceremonies from old pagan customs
in Europe from around the winter solstice, show a time
when we were more deeply connected with nature, with the wild,
the dark nights and ancient forests.

A time before we killed most of our predators, before we chopped down
the forests and managed the rivers, when there was mystery
and danger in the wild places.

Before paganism became about wolf t shirts and angel cards,
before reiki and purple satin Witch costumes or plastic fairy wings
from a factory in China.

This was before Christianity to an older time,
when our ancestors had to know their place,
to have a deep relationship with the rivers, forests,
mountains, animals and oceans.

This was a mater of survival, to know what plants to eat
and what was poisonous, to know how they behaved
and where the predators were, to honour the spirits of a place
was to get to know your landscape, to listen deeply to the land.

The mountains could be dangerous places, especially in winter
when food supplies were running low, no amount of banging
on drums or lighting candles would help if we didn’t know how to survive.

Now in our time of screen obsession, of take away celebrities and fast food spirituality, there is a resurgence of interest in some of the older traditions,
in rewilding the land, in myth and ritual, for the wild weaves deep
into our bones, into our ancestral memory, our primordial consciousness.

In these images we can see a time when we had a relationship
with wild animals which was much more present
and in some ways honest than we do now in our daily lives.

Now most people who eat meat, never have to kill and butcher a wild animal,
they never have to see the sacrifice, the grief and reality of taking a like,
instead they wander down the shopping aisle, grabbing a nice pre plastic
packaged mass produced slice of flesh without any hint or often even thought
of the beings life who is offered as the holy sacrament.

Maybe these old rituals, help us to connect us to the reality of life and death,
of the great cycles of the seasons, maybe that way when we have
a deeper connection with nature and the wild we might just start taking
more care and appreciate the simple and everyday miracles that sustain
our own lives.

And of course they feed that insatiable appetite we have for fancy dress,
another primordial requirement for survival amongst this folly of fertility,
we call life.

Charles Fréger feeds a revival of interest in the savages, devils,
straw men and hybrid figures who people the folk traditions of Europe
and testify to humanity's need for myth.

In a recent interview, French photographer Charles Fréger
revealed that he has always been fascinated by European tribal traditions.

This fascination inspired the well-known artist to travel all around Europe
to capture images of people dressed in ritualistic costumes AKA REGALiA
honoring the arrival of winter and other seasonal celebrations.

Fréger began his journey in Austria and to date has photographed
stunning costumes and rituals from 21 countries around the world.

According to Fréger there are many celebrations that mark the arrival
of winter that take place in the Czech Republic and,
say, Italy that are quite similar when it comes to the materials
that are used to create the costumes.

Such as the incorporation of animal pelts, branches from trees,
horns and bells into the costumes.

Though they may share similar appearances,
the story behind each living piece of folklore varies from country and location.

Here’s more from Fréger about why so many of these celebrations
often involve a human masquerading as an animal:

It is not about being possessed by a spirit but it is about jumping voluntarily
in the skin of an animal.

You decide to become something else.

You chose to become an animal, which is more exciting
than being possessed by a daemon.

Fréger’s exploits with international folkloric entities are the subject
of two gorgeous books, Fréger’s scary monsters and mythical entities
taken in Italy, Czechoslovakia, Finland and Japan as well as
other destinations that celebrate the coming of winter
and other seasonal changes with characters
way more interesting than Santa. Enjoy!

www.wildrevolution.com

Fierce as folk: Charles Fréger's Wilder Mann - in pictures | Art and design | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/artandd...d0u4Z4DMMhqmkLOTiOLaytmir1GqhqwBq6wxIfrA0D92g