The Day of the Queens

I took Twins A&B to the annual May Day thing down at Ravenna Park today. It was the third time since they were three. They were old enough to not be shy anymore and accustomed enough to no longer be afraid, so we stuck around for the blessing this time. This involved a gauntlet of smiling men in drag who spritzed us with rosewater, getting daubed with Earth by the lovely Queen of the Ravine, and crossing the bridge for a ceremonial bit of fruit. They dug it.

Twin B, smart girl that she is, asked why the Queen is always a boy. I told her that for some people, just being a boy or a girl isn't enough. That they're happier being a boy and a girl. That seemed to make sense to her.

I love this gathering. Partly because the sense of joy is palpable. Partly because I admire people who fearlessly attend to being who they are. And partly because I love the idea of a pagan May Day ritual that doesn't take itself too seriously. I also love the idea of the girls growing up with an expansive idea of "normal." And everyone is always so welcoming and happy to have their picture taken. And I love the people who happen upon all of this and sidle up to the most normal looking person they can find (that would be me) and ask, "What is this?"

To the girls, they're all magical people on a special magical day, walking through a magical forest. There were even magical soap bubbles being blown. Twin B got very excited when I told her the blessing would last all year, and Twin A asked if we were on Saturn.

Last year's photos were better, but these are nice too.