The Use Of A Wood Pole In Celebrations And Customs
Wooden poles have numerous functions in modern society in spite of the fact that they are fashioned from the ancient medium of timber. Wooden poles continue to be extensively made use of to assemble farm fencing and to support electrical and phone cables, for instance, and are popular in the construction of thatched-roof homes and lapas. Moreover, a wooden pole is still used in lots of countries around the world to observe age-old practices in an assortment of festivals and traditions.
One very old custom involving a wood pole is the Maypole dance. In certain European nations, locals dance about a pole decorated with plants, garlands, etcetera. so as to observe a range of traditions. Occasionally long ribbons are affixed to the top of the pole which become intertwined in an interesting lattice pattern as the dancing continues.
The German folk, however, do much more than merely boogie around their maypoles. In Germany, the maypole is climbed in a contest amongst the locals to determine who is able to ascend the highest. The pole is greased to help to make it as slick as possible and the competitors use all kinds of unusual methods to reach the top. There’s also a competition where an effort is made to get as many people as doable ascending the maypole simultaneously.
Another thing the German folk engage in the days before May Day is to fashion a pole from a tall pine or birch tree and decorate it with certain colours depending on what area of Germany the pole is situated in. The goal is for people from the surrounding villages to attempt to steal the pole and only return it in return for large amounts of ale and food. It’s a bit difficult to steal a pole because they’re rather lengthy and heavy however it’s been known to happen therefore the maypole is constantly carefully guarded in the days leading up to the May Day celebrations.
In outlying Korea, folks living in villages there still make use of carved wooden posts that look like the totem poles found in the Pacific Northwest section of the North American continent. The purpose of the Korean ‘guardian’ posts is to safeguard the village inhabitants from bad spirits and they typically sport a human visage with protruding eyes and nostrils topped with a hat. North American totem poles, however, have got a different function. Traditionally, these carved wood statues tell of noteworthy legends and occurrences in addition to the beliefs of the culture which made them. They have additionally been utilized as grave indicators and to document tribe lineages, or simply as artistic presentations.
Lumberjacks put in most of their employment hours around wood so it’s rather strange that they would want to make a celebration out of this, yet they do. Lumberjack fairs normally feature a host of pole-related activities such as speed-climbing up wood poles and chain-sawing competitions where competitors try to make use of as few cuts as they possibly can. Some chain-saw competitions even involve using a maximum of two cuts.
As you can see, the utilisation of wooden posts for all sorts of pursuits has not died out, even in the present era of plastic and metal. Wood is a gorgeous medium that is as practical as it is attractive that’s why there isn’t much possibility of it falling into disuse any time soon.
For more information about pole, please visit http://www.vukacmd.co.za
Processing your request, Please wait....
