DANCING ON THE EDGE OF THE EARTH*

In the early nineties Carnaval San Francisco was called the Greatest Multi-cultural show ever celebrated. Today we would substitute cross -cultural or say unity in diversity. Yet for the Carnaval spirit, the more times change the more they stay they stay the same. After all, this is humanity's first ritual of celebration. Past, present, and now for the future let us say there can be no better tune for the growing millennium dance than Carnaval rhythms of joy here in the SF Mission. And no reservations are necessary.

In the last year the home of Carnaval, the SFMission district has moved from the USA's funkiest to the hippest neighborhood. In the coming months, with our sister web site www.sfmission.com, we'll be guiding you around the rough edges or to them, if you prefer. For now we like to suggest fiesta under San Francisco at www.CaliforniasEdge.com a unique, culturally enriched guide to some of the Mission's more worthwhile stops as well as to ethnic neighborhoods in SF, Los Angeles and San Diego. There's only a few small Mission hotels right now, but there is much change ahead. Be sure to bookmark us, come to Carnaval May 24 to 26th and also check back to see what's new the other eleven months of the year. We think the Mission is a very special neighborhood, while some vocal residents point out that we have the highest concentration of watering holes in the state, it's been our role to counter that this goes for houses of worship as well

More on the Mission as the official neighborhood of the New Millennium: Few realize that it is the Egyptians that invented Carnaval not the Greeks or Romans. Before Bacchus and his Saturnalia, before Dionysus and his Maenads there was the pageant of the risen from the dead god, Osiris and his consort Isis. Certainly it is probable that the first community celebrations were to celebrate the return of spring from winter. However it is the Egyptians who took the mythic truth of the death and resurrection of the God-king to the important next level of organized rites in order to reinforce and preserve the structure of their society.

So this Carnaval began as an Egyptian Carnaval tune 4,500 years ago. This ancient culture of pyramid builders is still communicating knowledge of harmony with the universe to a present which at times appears clueless about its' future. This ancient zodiacal knowledge of the cycles affecting our planet is important as we surf into the new uncharted waters of these New Times. When you are on the cusp of a shift in ages, you must be open to momentous change. The Greeks and Romans inherited this Egyptian system of knowledge and so did the great pre-Columbian civilizations of our hemisphere. They knew how important it was to complete our humanity through a grand community celebration of song and dance like Carnaval.

Carnaval San Francisco wears many crowns; largest African American event on the West Coast, largest Brazilian Carnaval outside Brazil, largest Bolivian Carnival outside Bolivia, the Bay Area's only annual Unity event for all peoples held at her birthplace the Mission. Yet within our grasp is a chance to become the parade of the hemisphere at the golden gateway between the New World and the Pacific Rim. For such a tall task we must look to the talent and leadership of our great Mayor Willie Brown.

Returning song and dance to the schools and putting it on display in parades has been ignored for twenty years. Artists can only take great ideas so far, the political and business leadership must realize that making us a center of the global shift will not allow us to ignore the essential nature of celebrating life and parading as a group. Da Mayor and the Bay Area need this Carnaval party. Let's invite the world!

*this is a line from an Olhone song, a people who spent 10,000 years living in harmony with nature and each other as they dwelt on the shores along the banks of the San Francisco Bay.