News

Last week some 3000 people set upon Israel’s Negev desert for ‘Midburn’ in an attempt to recreate revered US psychedelic festival ‘Burning Man’ that has run for over a decade in the Black Rock Desert. Midburn being a mix of “midbar,” which is Hebrew for desert, and the English word “burn.”

There were young and old, cosmic costumes, hula hoops and wooden structures burnt through the night across the barren landscape for over five days as a mostly Israeli contingent created their own utopian communities in what the festival calls “radical self-expression”.

Through the days there were workshops in drawing, touch therapy, sculpture and live music as well as a “tent of heaven and hell” whereby participants were chosen at random for one of two fates with messages or chores dished out while always following the 10 principles;

Radical Inclusion

Gifting

Decommodification

Radical Self-reliance

Radical Self-expression

Communal Effort

Civic Responsibility

Leaving No Trace

Participation

Immediacy

Although dwarfed by the numbers of the original Burning Man that boasts a capacity of 68,000, in it’s initial years this looks like a successful festival in allowing freedom of the mind, body and soul and championing Israel’s buzzing electronic scene mostly built on the back of psytrance.

Take a look into the first ever ‘Midburn’ below. All photos owned by Associated Press photographer Oded Balilty.

source: news.com.au