Campfires: The Ultimate Sensuous Experience

By -


As I wrap up the final assignments for Smells and Bells, I was trying to think of a way that my last blog post could culminate all I've learned. So I decided to try and think of my favorite event that incorporates all of the senses- and I came up with one! A campfire. When I tried to put together all my favorite tastes, smells, sounds, textures, and sights (and even some elements of 6th senses) it all wrapped up into one easy package. 

A campfire plays with all the senses, and that's why I believe they are so popular (I personally have never met anyone who hates a bonfire). Everything "traditional" that's meant to happen at this event is connected to one of the senses: s'mores (taste), signing, playing the guitar (hearing), star gazing, watching the fire flicker (sight), feeling the warmth of the fire on your body (touch), the scent that stays on your clothes for days afterwards (smell) and even the tradition of ghost stories and myths enchants our 6th sense. 

While I've learned throughout the semester how various religions use the senses in rituals, I have also learned that secular events employ similar rules. Successful events in any capacity must excite all the senses, because that's what people like! (Whether they are conscious about it or not).

So with summer approaching, campfire season is right around the corner. And next time I find myself at one I'll be thinking about why I enjoy it- and I think it'll have a lot to do with smells and bells. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amidst the Pandemic

By -
Image
I think having the opportunity to take Smells and Bells and then experiencing a worldwide pandemic came with good timing. Oftentimes, we’re so rushed to get from one one place to another that we miss out on what happens around us. We’re so accustomed to the lifestyle of being busy that it has become the norm for many of us. However, the pandemic has forced us to slow down. We’re now appreciating everything that we had previously taken for granted and noticing things in our surroundings that we have never noticed before.  Take this quarantining/social distancing as an opportunity to be more aware of what you experience through the senses. I don’t think my senses have necessarily heightened over the past 5 weeks, but I am actively making the choice to pay more attention to what I see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. I like going on nature/mindfulness walks and basking in the sunshine out in my backyard. This morning, I could hear a faint noise from the wind, hear the birds chirping, f
Read more

Food in the Afterlife

By -
Image
In Religion in the Kitchen: Cooking, Talking, and the Making of Black Atlantic Traditions , Perez talks of Ashabi and her grandchildren providing food offerings to their ancestors. This immediately reminded me of the practice of food sacrifice in early China. I've taken Chinese language classes for about 7 years now and in one of the lessons, we learned about food as well as the history of food in Chinese culture. Ashabi and her grandchildren would give food offerings to their ancestors every day. This included nine beverages (coffee, liquor, and water mixed with sugar and molasses) and nine square pieces of coconut topped with red palm oil and guinea pepper. The offerings would also include whatever food was dropped on the ground. In their house, food dropping on the floor signified more than it would in common American households. It signified that the ancestors wanted that food and had willingly made it fall to the floor. They also used dishware that had been chipped which was
Read more