Hungry? Pagan Practices and Fertility Festivals, Part II
Posted in Pagan America on April 27th, 2007 by JennyThe Pagan America Series is being written in the spirit of fun. However, this post does contain adult themes and links that might be offensive to some readers.
This series began with a number of questions worth repeating, less I get too far off track. Is it possible to be a practicing pagan and not even know it? Can you be a religious Catholic or Lutheran and still worship the gods of your ancestors? Could your immigrant forefathers have done such a great job of hiding their worship from others that it was passed down without you, your parents or maybe even your grandparents being aware of its spiritual significance? Or are outpouring of “faith” just part of our genetic make-up as human beings?
In Wednesday’s post we talked about magic food and drinks, which are used in religions worldwide to either cultivate specific attributes in the believer or to transform them completely - if only for a short time. We also touched on the ancient religious groups and sects (usually referred to as pagans), that pop up again and again, who have worshiped both bulls and cows. For example, The Apis Bull worshiped by Egyptians resurfaced in early Christianity when Moses went to the Mount to get the Ten Commandments (Exodus 32:4) and Norse mythology speaks of a cow whose milk fed the first gods and nourished the world. In these mythologies the bull is strongly associated with sexual prowess, raw strength and power.
Is it possible, just maybe, for people intimately involved with and dependent upon cattle today to be pulled back by collective memories, some “faith” component of genetics or spiritual twinges to worship and try to incorporate this animal into their lives and spirituality? If so, one of the easiest ways to do this would be through magic food. And one of the safest places to do it would be in a large group of similarly minded people, say a festival.
Well, Rocky Mountain Oyster Festivals in the United States seem to fit the bill. And the people attending and partaking of the magic food? Well, they aren’t any self-described pagans; but they are however self-described real-life cowboys and cowgirls from all over the rural United States. They meet annually in a variety of locations, but the magic food (bull or calf testicles) and drink (alcohol) always remains the same. These festivals could easily and accurately be described as fertility festivals, what with all the consumption of testicles and alcohol the stage is set for some sacred rites to occur. Remember, we’re talking magic food here and the link between the testicles of a once full-grown, crazy acting, sex-seeking bull and the cowboy who wishes to be just that wild and the moral loosening and libido increasing magic of alcohol are strong. Individual festivals embrace the fertility aspect of the fun too lesser or greater degrees.
It’s often said that a picture is worth a thousand words and in this case I’d have to agree. From the accompanying photo galleries it is easy to see which festival just dabbles in the ancient fertility rites mentioned in this post and which embraces it wholeheartedly.
World Championship Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival
Throckmorton, Texas
When: Second weekend each May
Rating: PG-13, fun for the family
This festival definitely falls on the family fun side of things, featuring a variety of cooking contests including a tongue-in-cheek “Tastes Like Chicken” cook off. A quick look at the photo gallery shows moderate amounts of alcohol consumption and while I’d guess late at night you’d catch a little bit of debauchery happening, but not much.
The Testicle Festival
Clinton, Montana
When: August
Rating: X, Adults Only
The Testicle Festival aka the “Testy Festy” on the other hand probably one-ups any ancient fertility festival we could find. Held in August, this festival has a 25-year tradition of drinking and debauchery that are definitely on the list of things to do. In addition to lavish amounts of both magic food (over 5,500 pounds of bull testicles in 2006) and magic drink (the alcohol flows freely) consumption, they manage to fit in wet t-shirt contests, co-ed naked pool, lots of women flashing their breasts and although I can’t figure out why, women totally naked on stage. Needless to say, I’d caution you not to open their photo gallery at work.
At this point you might be wondering if I’m pulling your leg and whether or not fertility festivals really existed. Well, I’ll give you one such example called the Beltane Festival practiced by the Celts every spring. The Beltane Festival celebrated the return of life and fertility to the world after the long winter months. Huge bonfires were light on the eve of the festivals and their cattle (an animal considered sacred by the Celts) were ritualistically driven through the bonfires to protect them in the coming year. Mead (magic drink) was copiously consumed, there was Maypole dancing, jumping over fires for luck in finding a mate or for an easy delivery. All through the night it was common to see young people coupling up and participating in a socially acceptable practice called “going out Maying”, which involved leaving the safety and warmth of the fires and heading out into the dark to spend the night together in the countryside.
While not an exact match of the Testicle Festivals described in this post they do have many similar components. Can you really blame me for the questions?
