When the Homily is about Immunology

Post...or is it pre-Christian culture?

In ancient days, the great pagan city of Freemont would have its annual summer solstice festival in honor of the pagan gods and goddesses. The entire city would turn out and dance through the streets - often naked - while singing, chanting, and drum beating praises to their gods.

If you dare (beware nudity...scary nudity), check out some of the photos:
Here.

Now, if you wish to participate in the parade, there are some rules:

1. No printed words. You can be naked, but no words. You must endeavor to make sure that "groups flow together into one juxtaposed whole." (No idea how the presence of words inhibits such juxtaposition. Again, you can be naked, but no printed words. "Happily free of logos for the day." Unhappily free of ugly naked people or men in drag.

Or religions like this:



2.No cars allowed. "Happily free of motor vehicles for the day." The people take back the streets! But come monday this guy:

will be sharing the roads with you again behind the wheel of a ton of metal flying down the viaduct at 65mph! (By the way....isn't that....GASP...a LOGO!)

3. No live Animals. They don't want to have to scoop poop. However, one wonders if all the parade participants can really avoid defecating as part of their act...after all, remember rule #1.

4. No guns. My personal favorite...yes folks "joy and love rule the streets" (not to mention insanity - all the more reason to be thankfull these people aren't armed). "We are safe and free of guns and weapons for the day." Thank you Freemont Arts Council! For those who don't live in the greater Seattle area, Freemont is normally a place of daily shoot outs and random slayings from gun toting rednecks who wander the streets looking to shoot their guns at hippies. Yes, it is a virtual "Tombstone Arizona" here from day to day. But thanks be to the gods, the FAC has given us a day of peace, love, and joy. No more shooting...instead bring the kids down and watch naked crazy people.

All to celebrate the "rebirth of the sun." Hmmm.

I miss the Sultan Shindig Parade. As far as I know, we were perfectly happy with logos and words, cars/trucks/antique tractors, lots of live animals including horses, dogs, cats, pigs, and if memory serves a real pretty jersey cow, and there were even a few guns. To top it off, we'd then go watch Lumberjacks compete against one another by torturing trees - lobbing them apart like jihadists do infidel heads. Oh the humanity!

On the other hand we were happily free of expressions of paganism, innumerable naked people, innumerble men in drag, obscene gestures, attacks on organized religion, custumes that would scare me - let alone my kids, non-lingustic endorsements of illegal drug use, and the Freemont Arts Council (who as I recall had a bit to do with bringing Lenin to town - I hope my Slovak brothers are still laughing over that one and paying for their drinks with the money.)