New Event! The Festival On Fire Fusilade! November 4th, Signal Hill

On October 26, 1605 an anonymous letter to the William Parker, 4th Baron of Monteagle warned that on the opening of Parliament the following month, a "terrible blow" would be delivered to King James I and his court.

Investigation revealed 13 conspirators and 36 kegs of gunpowder planted beneath the Parliament's undercroft. Thus, the "Gunpowder Plot" and the conspiracy to assassinate the King and government by Guy Fawkes and others was thwarted... The annual commemoration of the saving of King and Country - "Bonfire Night" as it is known in Canada - is a tradition nearly 400 years old and still widely celebrated throughout the Commonwealth.

Kick off Bonfire night with Military Animation Specialist, Robin Martin, as he fires 12-round rifle salutes at 12pm, 3pm and 7:30pm totalling 36-rounds - one for each gunpowder keg discovered under the Parliament. Each fusilade will take place at different locations around Signal Hill NHSC.

Call for information:

Paula Morgan (709) 772-5367
paula.morgan@pc.gc.ca

Hey families! Tin Can Lantern Making Workshop, 7pm. Free!

Tin Lantern Workshop from 7p.m.-9p.m.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Victoria Park Poolhouse

Join the Friends of Victoria Park and learn how to make your very own tin can lanterns for Festival On Fire. This event will be located in Victoria Park at the Pool House. Parking can be found just off of Sudbury Street (Near the Ball Field). Please bring a Hammer and a possible design idea. If you have some extra time perhaps have the design drawn out on paper before you come down to save some time.

All are welcome and this event is absolutely FREE!

For other Festival On Fire events, visit www.festivalonfire.ca

38 Newfoundland and Labrador communities to participate in Festival On Fire

The Festival On Fire, Newfoundland and Labrador's second annual Folklife Festival, starts this week. To date, 38 communities from all across the province are participating in the festival, with bonfire night celebrations from Channel-Port aux Basques to Rigolet to Pouch Cove!

I'm delighted to see so many communities listing their bonfires, and I'm hoping that a lot of families get out there to support the work being done by town councils and volunteer fire departments to keep this tradition alive.

The events kick off tonight, November 1st, in Labrador City, with most community bonfires happening on November 5th.

To see the full list of communities participating, see:
http://www.festivalonfire.ca

If your community bonfire isn't listed, send an email to ichprograms@gmail.com

Photographers: Get Ready For Bonfire Night!

There is only one week left till Bonfire Night! Photographers, get your cameras ready! We are encouraging people to go out, and take as many pictures of this year's Bonfire Night celebrations in Newfoundland and Labrador as possible, and then to share them online.

To help with that, we've started a "Bonfire Night Newfoundland" Group on Flickr. Post your photos on Flickr (free for a basic account), join the Bonfire Night Group, and tag away!

There is already a growing collection of photos from previous years. Here is one of my favourites, shot by Andrew Draskoy:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adraskoy/290862798/

Where can I find a bonfire to shoot?

We've compiled a full list of official town bonfires from every corner of Newfoundland and Labrador as part of our Festival on Fire. You can find the full list at http://www.festivalonfire.ca

How can I take good fire photos?

There is an ongoing discussion on Flickr itself about taking photos of fire at night:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/olympusesystem/discuss/72157623161622530/

You can also check out these sites:
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/playing-with-fire-how-to-photograph-fire
and
http://www.learnmyshot.com/How+to+Photograph+Fire

Bonfire Night folklore collection on Memorial's Digital Archive Initiative

As part of this year's Festival on Fire, the ICH crew has been working on digitizing and preparing a special topic collection related to Bonfire Night traditions in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The collection is a work in progress, but you can browse the collection on Memorial's Digital Archive Initiative to see what has been added so far at:

http://collections.mun.ca/cdm4/description.php?phpReturn=browse.php&cisoroot=ich_bonfire

One of the exciting pieces digitized is Catherine Schwoeffermann's 1981 short documentary on Bonfire Night in Brigus. You can see the full video (including footage of flaming tires being rolled down the hill into the ocean!) at:

http://collections.mun.ca/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/ich_bonfire&CISOPTR=6&CISOBOX=1&REC=1

Singing Hard: Aesthetics, Sound Production, and Vernacular Notions of Vocal Hygiene and Health in Powwow Music

Tuesday 2nd November
12.30-1.30pm
Room ED-4036, Education Building, MUN

In this presentation, Dr. Janice Tulk (Visiting Assistant Professor in Folklore) explores how notions of vocal hygiene and health are intricately linked with the aesthetics of a particular musical genre or music-culture. As she explains: "I investigate the aesthetics associated with intertribal powwow singing and the ways in which these ideals are communicated between members. I also critically consider how my own training in techniques of western vocal production shaped my participation in a First Nations drum group and how my notions of vocal health contrasted with the emic (insider) perspective."

Colleagues and friends from Memorial University and beyond are welcome to attend. Please feel free to bring your lunch. For more information, contact Joy Fraser (jfraser@mun.ca) or Ian Hayes (ian.hayes@mun.ca).

Fire, Culture, and Festival: A public talk on world fire traditions

From the woodstove in the kitchen, to the blacksmith’s forge, to the annual lighting of bonfires on November 5th and June 24th, fire has a firm place in the heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador. But fire also has meaning and significance in the culture and traditions of other places around the globe.

As part of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Festival on Fire, join provincial folklorist Dale Jarvis for a public talk on fire culture with three special guests.

Ebrahim Monajemi will speak on Iranian fire traditions and share his boyhood memories of New Year festivities in Iran, Meena Acharya will discuss the Indian traditions of Diwali and Holi, while Phillip Hiscock will recount various Newfoundland and Labrador bonfire night traditions.

Join us at the Signal Hill Interpretation Centre Annex Thursday, November 4th, 2010 at 8 pm for a cross-cultural celebration of light, fire and tradition.

Sponsored by Parks Canada, and the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Signal Hill Interpretation Centre Annex
Thursday, November 4th, 2010
8 pm
Free event

Lunchtime Seminar Series Today - Public Folklore Co-op Info Session

The MUN Folklore Department is pleased to announce an upcoming event as part of the Lunchtime Seminar Series today,Tuesday, October 19th from 12.30-1.30pm in ED-4036.

Dale Jarvis (Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer for Newfoundland & Labrador) and Laura Chapman (MUN Division of Co-operative Education) will present an information session on MUN's new MA programme in Public Folklore with Co-operative Education. Everyone who's interested in taking the new programme, or in public folklore in general, is encouraged to attend, and of course, feel free to bring your lunch.

If you would like more information, please contact Ian on ian.hayes@mun.ca Joy on jfraser@mun.ca.

News about the Festival on Fire spreading

It has been a good media week for the Festival on Fire so far! I did three interviews on CBC Radio morning shows (St. John's, Central, and West Coast). You can download the West Coast morning show interview at:

http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/nlwcmornshow_20101014_39590.mp3

I also did a longer interview on VOAR which was broadcast this past Monday. If I get a recording of that, I'll put it online.

Communities have until Friday, October 22nd to register their town bonfires. For more information, and to see a list of communities added so far, visit:

http://www.festivalonfire.ca
or call 1-888-739-1892 ext3