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Aceremonial pole is a stake or post utilised orvenerated as part of aceremony orreligiousritual. Ceremonial poles may symbolize a variety of concepts in different ceremonies and rituals practiced by a variety ofcultures around the world.
In many cultures, ceremonial poles representmemorials andgravemarkers. InThe Evolution of the Idea of God, Grant Allen notes thatSamoyeds of Siberia, andDamara of South Africa plant stakes at the graves of ancestors.[1] Ceremonial poles may also be raised during celebrations and festivals, as withGudi Padwa in Indian State of Maharashtra and themaypole dance in Europe. In some cultures they may representsacred trees or tools wielded bydeities. They may also symbolise theaxis mundi orworld tree. In religious ceremonies, they may be venerated asidols or representations oftutelary deities.
An Asherah pole is a sacredtree or pole that stood nearCanaanite religious locations to honor theUgaritic mother-goddess Asherah,consort ofEl.[2][a] The relation of the literary references to anasherah and archaeological finds of Judaean pillar-figurines has engendered a literature of debate.[3][b]
Theasherim were alsocult objects related to the worship of thefertility goddess Asherah, the consort of either Ba'al or, as inscriptions fromKuntillet ‘Ajrud and Khirbet el-Qom attest,Yahweh,[4][5][6][7] and thus objects of contention among competing cults. The insertion of "pole"begs the question by setting up unwarranted expectations for such a wooden object: "we are never told exactly what it was", observes John Day.[8] Though there was certainly a movement against goddess-worship at the Jerusalem Temple in the time of King Josiah, it did not long survive his reign, as the following four kings "did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh" (2 Kings 23:32, 37; 24:9, 19). Further exhortations came fromJeremiah. The traditional interpretation of the Biblical text is that the Israelites imported pagan elements such as the Asherah poles from the surrounding Canaanites. In light of archeological finds, however, modern scholars now theorize that the Israelitefolk religion was Canaanite in its inception and always polytheistic, and it was the prophets and priests who denounced the Asherah poles who were the innovators;[9] such theories inspire ongoing debate.[10]
According to Zelia Nuttall inThe Fundamental Principles Of Old and New World Civilizations, tree and pole reverence toAnu in ancient Babylonia-Assyria may have evolved from thefire drill and beam of the oil press, stating that it was extremely probable that the primitive employment of a fire-stick by the priesthood, for the production of "celestial fire," may have played an important role in causing the stick, and thence the pole and tree, to become the symbol ofAnu.[11]
TheBuryats andYakuts of Siberia place hitching posts calledserge at the entrances to yurts or houses to indicate ownership and for shamanistic practices.
TheMiao people insouthwestern China raise ceremonial "flower poles" (花杆) during the Huashan (花山) festival.[12][better source needed]
Ajangseung or "village guardian" is aKorean ceremonial pole, usually made of wood.Jangseungs were traditionally placed at the edges of villages to mark for village boundaries and frighten awaydemons. They were also worshipped as villagetutelary deities.[13][14][15][better source needed]
Presently, in theIndian subcontinent, central poles are features oftemple settings such as Hinglaj Mata (Sindh), Khambadev (Maharashtra),[16] Nimad (Madhya Pradesh), Gogaji (Rajasthan), and Khambeshvari (Odisha).[17] Ceremonial poles are also prominient in festivals,ceremonial dances, and celebrations such asGudi Padwa,Kathi Kawadi,[16]Jatara Kathi, andNandi Dhwaja.[18]
According to theAdi Parva, part of theMahabharata, abamboo festival namedShakrotsava was celebrated in theChedi Kingdom.[19][full citation needed]Uparichara Vasu was a king of Chedi belonging to thePuru dynasty, and he was known as the friend ofIndra. During his reign, his kingdom introduced theShakrotsava festival, which involved planting of a bamboo pole every year in honour of Indra, after which the king prayed for the expansion of his cities and kingdom. After erecting the pole, the celebrants decorated it with golden cloth, scents, garlands, and various ornaments.[19]
Kay Htoe Boe is aKarenni ritual dance and prayer festival, held by the men in theKayan community inMyanmar (Burma). In the Kayancreation story, theEugenia tree is the first tree in the world.Kay Htoe Boe poles are usually made from the Eugenia tree.[20][better source needed]
Kay Htoe Boe poles have four levels, named for the stars, sun and moon, and the fourth level is a ladder made with a long white cotton cloth.[20]
Throughout Myanmar, Buddhist monasteries and temples erect ceremonial poles known astagundaing to celebrate the submission ofnats (local animistic spirits) toBuddhist teachings.[21]
Amaypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, around which a maypole dance often takes place.
The festivals may occur onMay Day orPentecost (Whitsun), although in some countries it is instead erected atMidsummer. In some cases the maypole is a permanent feature that is only utilised during the festival, although in other cases it is erected specifically for the purpose before being taken down again.
Primarily found within the nations ofGermanic Europe and the neighbouring areas which they have influenced, its origins remain unknown. However, it has been speculated that it originally had some importance in theGermanic paganism[22] ofIron Age and early Medieval cultures, and that the tradition survived Christianisation, albeit losing any original meaning that it had. It has been a recorded practice in many parts of Europe throughout theMedieval andEarly Modern periods, although became less popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, the tradition is still observed in some parts of Europe and among European communities in North America.[23][better source needed]
The fact that they were found primarily in areas of Germanic Europe, where, prior to Christianisation,Germanic paganism was followed in various forms, has led to speculation that the maypoles were in some way a continuation of a Germanic pagan tradition.[22] One theory holds that they were a remnant of the Germanic reverence for sacred trees, as there is evidence for various sacred trees and wooden pillars that were venerated by the pagans across much of Germanic Europe, includingThor's Oak and theIrminsul.[24][25] It is also known that, inNorse paganism,cosmological views held that the universe was aworld tree, known asYggdrasil.[26][27][28][29][30]
The floor of theMære Church,Norway, was excavated in 1969 and found to contain the remains of a pagan cult structure. The nature of that structure was not clear. Lidén felt this represented the remains of a building,[31] but a critique by Olsen in the same work suggested this may have been a site for pole-related rituals.[32] A recent review of the evidence by Walaker concluded that this site was similar to the site in Hove (Åsen, also in Nord-Trøndelag) and was therefore likely the site of a ceremonial pole.[33]
Ceramic vessels with quadruple images of pole goddesses represent a lunar fertility cult in thePrecucuteni settlement of Baia–În Muchie (Suceava county, Romania), with some parallels.[34][35]
In New ZealandMāori mythology,Rongo – the god of cultivated food, especially thekūmara (sweet potato), a vital food crop – is represented by a god stick calledwhakapakoko atua.[36]
In theCook Islands, Cult figures called staff-gods oratua rakau fromRarotonga, apparently combine images of gods with their human descendants. They range in length between 28 inches (71 cm) and 18 feet (5.5 m) and were carried and displayed horizontally.[37]
