The Elf ½ (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} elfwreck) wrote in ![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} metametameta,@ 2008-03-23 14:09:00 |
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Holiday-themed fests
So, it's Easter. And this last week has had a number of holidays from nonChristian religions--Purim and Ostara that I know of; I hear mumblings that the equinox might tie to other holidays as well.
Easter doesn't trigger as many fic fests as some other holidays. (Dunno why not; you'd think that death/risen theme that's so popular in many mythologies would translate well to fic.) Christmas gets the most (especially with various gift fests that aren't specifically Christmas-themed), probably followed by Valentine's Day and then Halloween. [US] Thanksgiving gets overlooked in the rush between Halloween and Christmas; secular holidays like US Independence Day occasionally get a flurry of related fic, but not much.
I'm trying to think of other holiday fic fests. I'm failing. Maybe it's because the majority of fanfic is from majority-Christian nations; I've never heard of Ramadan fic or Rosh Hashanah fic. (We will set aside the fact that I have no idea what Rosh Hashanah is and am trusting to Semagic's spellcheck to make sure it's typed correctly.) I'm sure there are fics here and there that mention or incorporate them, but I'm not certain there's anything resembling a fic-fest around those themes. There are plenty of neopagans involved in fandoms of various sorts, but I never hear about Beltaine fic or Lammas fic either. (Samhain=Halloween, so we get some of that, and Yule is so closely tied to Christmas you can't tell them apart unless a church service is involved.)
Some other time, I'll do some meta about religion in fanfic. Right now, I'm talking about fic fests. Holiday fic fests. Do you like them? Hate them? Wish there were more, for obscure holidays? Wish they showed up for more secular holidays--Veteran's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Labor Day? Have a favorite holiday tradition you'd like to see included in more fic? Cringe when you see holiday-themed fic?
The next holiday on the Discordian calendar is Discoflux, celebrating the season of Discord. (Unless we count St. Stupid's Day on April 1st.) Maybe someone (erm, NOT ME) should put together a fic-fest centered around discord: fights, breakups, make-up sex, and so on. (Or someone could put together a Beltaine/May Day fest involving Maypoles and outdoor sex. Also good.)
I suppose I don't actually want to see a swarm of miscellaneous religious holiday fic fests. I've disliked every fanfic I've read that tried to incorporate paganism. I've seen a lot of bad Catholic fanfic written by people who have no idea what goes on in a Catholic service or is involved in the priesthood. I wouldn't know how to spot the errors in a fic about Purim on a starship, but I bet there's someone out there who thinks that if you add a menorah to the table decorations and everyone wears a little round hat, you have Jewish Fanfic and get your cultural diversity points for the week. So maybe we shouldn't encourage less well-known religions' holiday fic.
OTOH, maybe some badfic is worth putting up with in order to bring awareness of our real diversities. Maybe holding a fest or two for holidays that many US protestants have never heard of would allow us to explore ideas that are normally pushed aside.
So, it's Easter. And this last week has had a number of holidays from nonChristian religions--Purim and Ostara that I know of; I hear mumblings that the equinox might tie to other holidays as well.
Easter doesn't trigger as many fic fests as some other holidays. (Dunno why not; you'd think that death/risen theme that's so popular in many mythologies would translate well to fic.) Christmas gets the most (especially with various gift fests that aren't specifically Christmas-themed), probably followed by Valentine's Day and then Halloween. [US] Thanksgiving gets overlooked in the rush between Halloween and Christmas; secular holidays like US Independence Day occasionally get a flurry of related fic, but not much.
I'm trying to think of other holiday fic fests. I'm failing. Maybe it's because the majority of fanfic is from majority-Christian nations; I've never heard of Ramadan fic or Rosh Hashanah fic. (We will set aside the fact that I have no idea what Rosh Hashanah is and am trusting to Semagic's spellcheck to make sure it's typed correctly.) I'm sure there are fics here and there that mention or incorporate them, but I'm not certain there's anything resembling a fic-fest around those themes. There are plenty of neopagans involved in fandoms of various sorts, but I never hear about Beltaine fic or Lammas fic either. (Samhain=Halloween, so we get some of that, and Yule is so closely tied to Christmas you can't tell them apart unless a church service is involved.)
Some other time, I'll do some meta about religion in fanfic. Right now, I'm talking about fic fests. Holiday fic fests. Do you like them? Hate them? Wish there were more, for obscure holidays? Wish they showed up for more secular holidays--Veteran's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Labor Day? Have a favorite holiday tradition you'd like to see included in more fic? Cringe when you see holiday-themed fic?
The next holiday on the Discordian calendar is Discoflux, celebrating the season of Discord. (Unless we count St. Stupid's Day on April 1st.) Maybe someone (erm, NOT ME) should put together a fic-fest centered around discord: fights, breakups, make-up sex, and so on. (Or someone could put together a Beltaine/May Day fest involving Maypoles and outdoor sex. Also good.)
I suppose I don't actually want to see a swarm of miscellaneous religious holiday fic fests. I've disliked every fanfic I've read that tried to incorporate paganism. I've seen a lot of bad Catholic fanfic written by people who have no idea what goes on in a Catholic service or is involved in the priesthood. I wouldn't know how to spot the errors in a fic about Purim on a starship, but I bet there's someone out there who thinks that if you add a menorah to the table decorations and everyone wears a little round hat, you have Jewish Fanfic and get your cultural diversity points for the week. So maybe we shouldn't encourage less well-known religions' holiday fic.
OTOH, maybe some badfic is worth putting up with in order to bring awareness of our real diversities. Maybe holding a fest or two for holidays that many US protestants have never heard of would allow us to explore ideas that are normally pushed aside.