Festival of the Birds

Written by David. Edited and narrated by Hoyer.

The sun rose over the eastern horizon, the sunlight creeping through the window waking up a little 8-year old Wendel. At first he was still pretty tired, but then he remembered. Today is the day. The festival of the birds was being celebrated: an old tradition to try and keep birds away from the crops growing in the fields. While it originated from a local superstition to help fight the bad harvests that they had suffered, it later changed into a time where the little town could come together and have fun as a community.
Since Wendel had passed his eighth nameday, he was supposed to take part in the opening of the festival, a practice used to get the children involved in the local traditions while also trying to teach them about their history. This involved a special dance that was made to show respect for the birds, though it had been simplified to make it easier on the children. The full version would also be performed, but only at the end of the festival, by those who had been chosen as dedicated enough to be worthy of the honour.
Wendel’s sister Pennie had done it every year since she was fourteen, but after having left last year to follow her dream of becoming a performer, they needed to find someone to take her place. Luckily, Wendel’s other sister, Thea, who had just turned fifteen, was also a talented dancer and was more than willing to fill in for her beloved sister.
Wendel was a little nervous, but he wanted to do his best, both to make his parents happy, and also to show that he was as deserving of praise as his sisters. He was given an outfit made from leaves and cloth to try and imitate the majestic appearance of the local birds, which his parents help him put on, while Thea made some light-hearted jokes about him looking more like one of their scarecrows. Wendel got a little annoyed but didn’t think too much on it as he knew that Thea did really care, as she was the one who helped him with the routine despite having to practice for herself.
When the festival at last started, Wendel stepped up onto a small stage built in the town centre, with about six other kids that had also turned eight that year. Wendel gots a little nervous as everyone looks up, but calmed down a little when he saw his family smiling back at him.
Finally, the music began. The kids began the dance by imitating the birds’ wing strokes with their arms as the music built up and up. They then make small waving gestures with their hands at eye-level, followed by the wing move again. This is done to show respect for the majestic creatures that this festival celebrates. They then wag their hips while bending their knees, as a way to show the birds that they are not a threat, but are friends. They then clap a few times in time with the music, to make it more fun for the kids, and then return back to the waving motion as the music reaches its end.
As the last note fell Wendel ran down to his family, who shower him with praise. Though Wendel was happy to hear this, he was also pretty tired, as he wasn’t used to moving his body like that. But he was still very glad that he got to take part, and was glad that all the practice he had done had paid off. The rest of the day, Wendel just enjoyed himself, running around the festival with his sister.
After many hours of fun, the time for the festival’s ending got close, so Thea left to get ready for the final dance. She came back a while later, wearing an outfit that specially made for the performance. It was of far better quality than the one the 8-year olds wore, and with more detail too. Wendel was very excited about the performance, since watching Pennie dance was always his favourite thing about the festival, so he couldn’t wait to see the same dance done by Thea.
After making sure that everything was in order, Thea made her way to the place where she was supposed to dance. She was the youngest of all the people performing in the dance, but her facial expression was one that shows confidence over all else. She stood ready as the sun began to set, the signal start of the final performance.
The moment the sun hit the horizon, the musicians began to play, this time a melody that had been passed down since the beginning of the tradition. The dancers raised their arms one by one in a circular movement, followed by sweeping both hands in an arc before placing them on their hips. This is an old form of greeting from back in the days when the festival was first started. They then moved in a rhythmic fashion while touching their ears, to show that they are not a danger, but harmless, followed by a traditional position where they imitate the old character for “bird”.
At this point, the kids in the audience began to cheer in joy, Wendel chief amongst them. The dance continued with the dancers raising their hands to get the birds attention, followed by them hiding their face to show worry, then a little ruffle and then spreading their arms in from of them. This is to signal that they also care and worry about the land, and are an ally of nature, not an enemy. They then raised their hands as fists one at a time to show that they are a powerful ally. From the musicians, an instrumental bird call rings out, just before the dancers stop while imitating the character for “bird” again, but this time raising their leg so that it looks the character for “big bird” instead, showing that humans have the strength of a big strong bird. At this moment, a giant flock of birds were released from a cage, flying up into the air behind the dancers.
The crowd erupted into applause, everyone thoroughly entertained. As the clapping died down and everyone began to pack their things up, Thea jumped off the stage and headed over to Wendel, asking if he had had a good time. He told her that he had, and that she had danced almost as well as Pennie did. Thea chuckled at that. Wendel then asked if she thought that he could one day dance that well. Thea decided to tease her little brother, and answered: “Not with how you danced today.” Wendel laughed in return, turning back with his sister towards home. As the light faded, weariness from the day’s excitement swept over him.