Capricorn Ball 2010

Alden experienced his second Capricorn Ball on January 9 and he LOVED it.

This year's sculpture was built by Lihua Lei and had a spiral 'fuse' that coiled around a central effigy of a goat head, so instead there was more anticipation to the piece than usual. Alden liked the fire, but he especially liked the the drumming around the fire. Part of the ritual is that a variety of percussion instruments are handed out to various people and they are asked to play. Whatever rhythms are produced are done so spontaneously and somewhat arrhythmically. It's been this way for as long as we've attended the event, which is on and off for the past ten years or so.

Alden's cheeks and ears got a little windburn towards the end because it was quite cold that night (even with the fire). Even so, he didn't want to go back inside we felt he had enough. He just stared and stared at the fire and all the well-meaning percussionists in the circle.

The really special time came when the band started to play inside. Alden loves music, but he has never seen a live performance until now. The band was the Zulu Leprechauns and Alden thought they were the best thing ever. He was also really into the people dancing and danced a little himself.