Frolicking Naked in the Woods? Not Bloody Likely!

Frolicking Naked in the Woods? Not Bloody Likely!

So now is the month of Maying, when a young man's (and an Old one's) fancy turns to what he thinks about all year round!

Photo by me

I have recently returned from a weekend celebrating Beltane, the traditional May Day celebrations, at a pagan camp at Thornborough Henges, near Ripon in North Yorkshire. Well technically we were celebrating the weekend immediately after May Day this year; the bank holiday weekend (before a pendant start up. Always get your pedantry in first, is a lesson I learn't years ago!).

The fantasy, and I think it has always been a fantasy, even in antiquity, is that pagans frolic naked in the woods the night before May Day, shagging anything that didn't move fast enough. But the reality is (and probably always has been) much, much tamer. Except for the spectacular show put on mostly by students in Edinburgh (which is very much a piece of performance art), most pagans do very little (publicly, anyway). The pagan camps I have been attending for 10 years now, whether on the Eve, Day or the bank holiday weekend, have mostly consisted of groups of us huddling frozen round a bonfire or fire-pit, desperately trying to get some warmth, while necking quantities of alcohol with friends new and old. Maybe there is a bit of singing, dancing and drumming, or some story-telling, but most of the time we are just drinking and chatting and trying to keep warm. So no naked frolicking!

Over the weekend, there may be various ceremonies or rituals undertaken, that are mostly just doing more of the same drinking and drumming, but with more seriousness to our frivolity! And these are actually important, as they are part of our community renewing its bonds, and the creation of new deeper social bindings of trust and friendship, and a safe place where emotions can be shown, as we get out of our system some of our upsets, or remember our ancestors; the recently parted and and the ancients. Actually, the fact that we can do this in and around an ancient monument (the Thornborough Henge complex) is a real treat, and is very special to many of us; and there are more active celebrations in the central henge during the daytime, but I am generally tied to my craft stall through the day.  But definitely no naked frolicking!

Actually this year I spent 24 hours mostly trying to prevent my gazebo and tent from being blown away in a freezing northerly gale; not that this is uncommon at our Thornborough celebrations (last years warm weather was an exception). And by the time evening comes I am generally too tired to do much other than sit and drink round a fire with friends, before spending a cold night trying to sleep in my tent. 

But for me, one of the most important things for me to try and do, is a trip up to the Wooded Northern Henge of the complex, to undertake one of the closest ritual activities I do. I don't always manage to do this every Beltane camp, or at the Mabon camp in the autumn either, but I will always try to, and sometimes more than once, depending upon how I feel and what friends I may drop into conversation about it or not, and whether they want to go with me or not. And what do I go up there to do? To frolic naked in the woods? No, I go up there to play my Medieval bagpipes, while I stand in the middle of the henge, surrounded by the trees and the bluebells.

Photo by Ralph Turner, as are the rest.

This year I nearly didn't make it, as I was very tired after all the wind and cold on the Saturday, and a busy day of trading on my stall through Sunday. But towards the end of the afternoon, two friends, who were strangers to each other (Ralph & Claire), and I found ourselves just, ...  well we just found ourselves walking up to the woods together, with hardly a thought as to why we were (and despite the fact that Ralph had not long returned from a visit there), we just did! In a sort of magical happening.

On the way there we chatted about the wildflowers and wildlife and nature, and about the history of the woods, etc. And there was another group close behind us, who got ahead of us, when we stopped as I talked to a friend in one of several groups returning from the woods. It is a busy day for the Wooded Henge.  But here was another strange thing. When we got there, and entered the woods, we didn't see anyone else after a few minutes. We had it all to ourselves from as far as I could see.

We progressed to the centre of the henge.

And there I assembled my bagpipes, and played a little, but I haven't been practising enough to play for long, before I run out of puff. So I placed them down on the ground.

But this year I had also brought my favourite recorder; an instrument I had been playing badly for many years before I started playing the bagpipes.

I have been making serious efforts to try and practice both instruments at the same time, as the recorder doesn't need as much puff, but different breathing and fingering techniques to remember. And generally I have been practising by myself with the beautiful acoustics in Brancepeth Castle hall, but have also been trying to build up my self confidence at playing with other people present. So as I played I tried to think of myself being on my own in the castle hall. And confidence brings better, less hesitant and/or fumbled playing; especially when hitting the high notes. And overall things went well.

And now here is one of the other 'special' ('magical'?) parts of this simple spiritual ritual.

Generally, I have either gone up by myself to the Wooded Henge, to do my 'thing'; 'communing' with nature by myself, or a friend or a few have gone up with me as a group, and I am happy with that, as they have some idea of what to expect. But if I go up by myself and there are already people there, I will generally wait until they have left before I play, if I play at all; as I don't feel comfortable forcing my 'thing' onto those not expecting it, who may be doing their 'thing' with their friends. And if I go up on my own, and people appear while I am playing, even if they are friends, I am not comfortable; especially as rather than me doing my spiritual thing it always ends up with me having to do a tutorial on the bagpipes.

But this time seemed to be extra special. Ralph, I think, had been up with me before (all the camps start merging into one after a while), but at least had heard my bagpiping before. But I don't even know if Claire knew I would be piping as part of our shared spiritual journey to the woods. We all just went, and I just brought my instruments without really saying much. Yes! I'm sure I must have said something about piping in the woods being part of the visit to them! However it all seems a dream now.

And now it all seems even more dream like, as I played reasonably well and confidently, due to being with friends I felt comfortable with in a sacred place that we seemed to have to ourselves. An island of spiritual peace and harmony. The beauty of true friendship, without any thoughts of anything but the here-and-now at the time. 

True peace. True harmony. True spirit.