The Chant

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The Ritual

rubric for the procession-------------

11:15 Start---->

Goddess is brought out from back stage
Procession begins with musical flourish
    Drums, horns, conch, etc.
    Parade marshal tells the crowd that:
        the parade is about to begin,
        it will wind about the field and conclude back at the stage
            Where Our Lady will be emplaced and invoked
        Teach the Chant to join the line
        (at the right moment) Let the Parade begin!

Marching Order:
2 Aspurgers
2 Fumigator
2 Drummers Palanquin, flanked by Ritual Leads
Children (if there is a group of them)
Offering Bearers
Dancers
Musicians
Drum Circle Folk
All others, ad hoc

Procession winds about field, returns to stage
Goddess placed on super-altar
Ritual Lead calls for purification
Goddess Aspurged [bowl of salt water, aspurgil] Words of Purification
Ritual Lead calls for consecration
Goddess Fumigated [cencer, charcoal, incense] Words of Consecration
Invocation by Ritual Lead, inviting Spirit of Goddess to indwell statue
Other Deities invited to be emplaced about Her by Ritual Lead

Ritual Lead calls for offerings to be made
Offerings presented (prasaad & food drive) by Offering Bearers

Ritual Lead dedicates Speeches & Performances (to follow) as offerings to Her
Speeches (12 noon-1pm)
Performances(1-4pm)

Goddess is addressed by Ritual Lead, hoping she enjoyed the show
Goddess asked by Ritual Lead to bless the food (prasaad & food drive)
Ritual Lead calls for Prasaad to be distributed by Offering Bearers

Ritual Lead invites Lady Liberty to depart
Statue is removed to back stage and covered
Merit Distributed

Crowd thanked and invited to visit vendors

Roles:

Parade Marshal--MC: Michael Sanborn
2 Ritual Leads-- Vibra Willow, Sam Webster
2 Aspurgers--
2 Fumigator-- Panthera, Tara Webster
2 Drummers--Sharon Knight, Winter
4 to 8 Palanquin bearers
30 to 40 Offering Bearers (wearing Green)--Coordinator: Tami Griffith
20 to 25 Graces--(wearing White)--Coordinator: Vibra Willow
Altar Coordinator--Janelle Williams

Materials:

Statue, palanquin
Tiered Altars, bungie cords
Altar Cloths,
Offering Trays, bowls (many!)
Set of bowl of salt water, aspurgil, x # doing
Set of cencer, charcoal, incense, x # doing

The Chant:

The Statue

The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886 and was designated a National Monument on October 15, 1924. The Statue was extensively restored in time for her spectacular centennial on July 4, 1986.

Statue of Liberty History

The Statue of Liberty National Monument officially celebrated her 100th birthday on October 28, 1986.  The people of France gave the Statue to the people of the United States over one hundred years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. Over the years, the Statue of Liberty has grown to include freedom and democracy as well as this international friendship.

Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture with the year 1876 in mind for completion, to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The Statue was a joint effort between America and France and it was agreed upon that the American people were to build the pedestal, and the French people were responsible for the Statue and its assembly here in the United States. However, lack of funds was a problem on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In France, public fees, various forms of entertainment, and a lottery were among the methods used to raise funds. In the United States, benefit theatrical events, art exhibitions, auctions and prize fights assisted in providing needed funds.

Meanwhile in France, Bartholdi required the assistance of an engineer to address structural issues associated with designing such as colossal copper sculpture. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) was commissioned to design the massive iron pyl and secondary skeletal framework which allows the Statue's copper skin to move independently yet stand upright. Back in America, fund raising for the pedestal was going particularly slowly, so Joseph Pulitzer (noted for the Pulitzer Prize) opened up the editorial pages of his newspaper, "The World" to support the fund raising effort. Pulitzer used his newspaper to criticize both the rich who had failed to finance the pedestal construction and the middle class who were content to rely upon the wealthy to provide the funds. Pulitzer's campaign of harsh criticism was successful in motivating the people of America to donate.

Financing for the pedestal was completed in August 1885, and pedestal construction was finished in April of 1886. The Statue was completed in France in July, 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885 on board the French frigate "Isere" which transported the Statue of Liberty from France to the United States. In transit, the Statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. The Statue was re-assembled on her new pedestal in four months time. On October 28th 1886, the dedication of the Statue of Liberty took place in front of thousands of spectators. She was a centennial gift ten years late.


 Statue Statistics

            

Visitors climb 354 steps to reach the crown or 192 steps in order to reach the top of the pedestal. There are 25 windows in the crown which symbolize gemstones found on the earth and the heaven's rays shining over the world. The seven rays of the Statue's crown represent the seven seas and continents of the world. The tablet which the Statue holds in her left hand reads (in Roman numerals) "July 4th, 1776."
The total weight of copper in the Statue is 62,000 pounds (31 tons) and the total weight of steel in the Statue is 250,000 pounds (125 tons). Total weight of the Statue's concrete foundation is 54 million pounds (27,000 tons). The copper sheeting of the Statue is 3/32 of an inch thick or 2.37mm.


On October 28th, 1886, President Grover Cleveland accepted the Statue on behalf of the United States and said in part: "We will not forget that Liberty has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected."