Translucero's Season of the Faeries

During the months of January through March, a new celebration takes place among the translucero culture. The winter months can sometimes bring hard cold winters which may have prevented successful agricultural production. Since their predominant diet is vegetarian, transluceros look forward to the spring months to increase and make up for lost production of natural foods brought about by frozen ground. New production calls for celebration and the spring represents new growth over the land. However, the transluceros believe that there are other wordly unseen beings that assist them with their goals and come out during the spring, they are called faeries. A fairy is a supernatural unseen (though some claim they have seen them materialize) being that takes care of mother earth and her land, specifically caring for the growth of foods, plants, flowers, and small herbivore insects. It is believed that during the harsh winter months, the faeries flee deep into the earth to hibernate, but once the winter thaws after January, they reemerge to resume their work with the land. The transluceros believe that the faeries also supply knowledge and impart wisdom telepathically to farmers to help them bring successful crops. Therefore, January through March is called “Season of the Faeries.” The season prepares for the real celebration that takes place on the last day of March, referred to as “Day of the Faeries.” The season is celebrated as a way to wake up the hibernating faeries. The faeries are thought to be benevolent and are believed to be awakened by happy cheers of celebration. It is also believed that faeries are attracted to bright colors and lights, so the town and homes are often decorated by bright colors of streamers and colorful bright lights. Season of the Faeries is about bringing the unseen world into the material world, to help with the seen world, for this reason it’s thought of as a ritual of reversal. Symbolically, transluceros will also bring a statue of a fairy and display it in their front yard to bring vegetation around their homes. Others will bring a statue inside their homes auspiciously to symbolize the bringing of a fruitful beginning to the family. On the Day of the Faeries, March 31st, a big celebration takes place all around. It may take place at people’s homes, in a town square, or any location people wish to celebrate. Typically it occurs in a forested area since this is where it is believed that faeries live. This day it is believed that all the faeries have awakened and are set out to help the transluceros with a fruitful year. (photoby:http://www.hearthavencottage.com/gallery.asp?nam=outside ) Participants are necessary for successful festivities. Many dress up in fairy costume. When Season of the Faeries was first celebrated, it only included fairy-like costumes, but as the celebrations evolved, it began to include costumes from all mythologies and historical religions that are believed to have helped the evolution of man and transluceros. Since the season is about bringing the unseen world into the material world, many participants wear costumes depicting various gods and goddesses, spirit-like characters, and prophets. For example, some may dress up in a costume representing a Greek god like Zeus or Greek goddess Athena, or perhaps a Hindu God like Ganesh. Since faeries are thought to be very small in size, typically the size of a hand or finger, participants will wear bells on their ankles or feet so the faeries will hear them walking by and not get stepped on, as per belief. Harvest is the not the only reason one participates in Fairy Day. Some believe that asking the faeries to help you with life problems will bring answers. Perhaps participants want to improve their health, relationships, finances, and any other concerns, it is believed that the faeries will help. At these celebrations, participants will often invoke fairy communication through the fairy dance. This dance, alongside acoustic music from flutes and guitars, are thought to be enjoyed by the faeries. It is also a dance of gratitude from the transluceros to the faeries for their yearly support with their crops and problems. Participants think that the longer you dance, the more help you will receive from the faeries. Thus, it’s not unusual to see participants dancing throughout the day and into the night until the festivities end. Other types of music may be played for entertainment value, but the dances here are not sacred like the fairy dance. There is serving and selling of all kinds of food and items to promote better agriculture. The celebration resist normal culture by acknowledging unseen beings and attempting to blend in with them by wearing costume. However, there are transluceros that don’t participate in the event because they believe that inauthentic participants could actually upset the faeries and prevent a successful harvest. This is especially so since the celebration can be exacerbated by over consumption of food and spirits, making one ill. Some also believe that wearing fairy costumes actually mocks the faeries which can cause negative consequences. Though there may be a split between costume wearers and those normally dressed, they both agree that harmony among all is what the faeries really want, and so there no open disagreements at the celebration. There are also political aspects tied into the Season. If agriculture improves, the economy goes up. It may be seen by politicians as an effect caused by the celebration, therefore, the government puts aside funds to support next year’s Day of the Faeries. The better the funding, the better the celebration, thus economy improves. Paradoxically, there are those that do not participate in the season because they have strong practice in self-empowerment. Their self-empowerment teaches them that the quality of work you put in life, the quality you get out of life, no matter whether faeries or other unseen entities exist. This is how transluceros are raised and brought up, so it’s hard to determine whether participants do this for fun or if they really believe they are being helped. Nonetheless, Season of the Faeries and Fairy Day continue to be an anticipated time of the year for the transluceros. (photo by: http://www.google.com/imgres?start=90&hl=en&biw=1440&bih=719&tbm=isch&tbnid=DldnBhEFII5Z2M:&imgrefurl=http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Four-Fairy-Costumes-for-A-Midsummer-Night-s-Dream-Manchester-1896-1903-Posters_i1740936_.htm&docid=AQXZC80aCoIelM&imgurl=http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/16/1640/389GD00Z/posters/c-wilhelm-four-fairy-costumes-for-a-midsummer-night-s-dream-manchester-1896-1903.jpg&w=473&h=355&ei=Ge2UUsvrE4G82gXA4IDICg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=199&vpy=210&dur=110&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=191&ty=120&page=3&tbnh=139&tbnw=178&ndsp=49&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:100,i:10) (photo by: http://www.google.com/imgres?sa=X&hl=en&biw=1440&bih=719&tbm=isch&tbnid=tSaHPglQBwk9QM:&imgrefurl=http://party-wagon.com/childrens-party-blog/2012/4/13/frolicking-fairy-party.html&docid=9vSsKL2dQVinGM&imgurl=http://party-wagon.com/storage/kids_party_wagon_blog_pics/pixie%252520table%252520close.jpg%253F__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION%253D1334326764472&w=538&h=807&ei=xO6UUrmtDsfW2QX4o4HwCw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=451&vpy=311&dur=811&hovh=275&hovw=183&tx=128&ty=144&page=3&tbnh=131&tbnw=99&start=80&ndsp=43&ved=1t:429,r:83,s:0,i:340)