A virgin initiation in progress at the Virgin Bell. Greeters' Station, Black Rock City, 2009. Photo by Nico Aguilera.
Virgin, –noun, We all start somewhere. Thanks in part to the subculture which surrounds the Rocky Horror Picture Show, virginity is not just for sex anymore. A Burn Virgin (or Birgin as some would have it) faces the unique challenge of not just a single unfamiliar event, but days of new, often confusing experiences.
Virgins arrive on the playa from many sources — many are brought by their more experienced friends, but others stumble upon a Burning Man event with much less foreknowledge. Regardless of how much they read or are told, nothing but living through an event can fully prepare one for what is to come.
Despite this, there are some virgins who have studied so much about the culture, and participate so much even their first time, that they fool others into thinking they have been attending for years — such a person is called a Stealth Virgin.
A virgin’s burn begins at the Greeters’ Station, where they face various initiations from ringing a Virgin Bell to creating ‘dust angels.’ From there they are thrown headfirst into the wild, chaotic world of the Burn. Even if they are camping alone, they will often end up guided by others who know their way around. A Burner who helps virgins is called a Sherpa, after the mountain guides who help Westerners climb Mt. Everest.
There is some debate over when a virgin ceases to be and becomes a full-fledged Burner, but it is the opinion of the lexicographer and others that this happens when a virgin witnesses his or her first effigy burn.
I was the worst kind of virgin when I arrived at my first Burn — I didn’t know what I was doing, but I thought I did because I’d read about Burning Man and been to other festivals which were superficially similar. After trying repeatedly to set up camp in the middle of space reserved for various theme camps, I was eventually adopted by a group of Seattle Burners. Within hours they had my mind suitably altered to the point that I realized I was out of my element and experiencing something new — the proper mindset for a virgin. Though FlipSeattle no longer exists as a single group, I owe them my thanks — who knows if I’d be here writing this now without their guidance.
Thanks to Ugly Dougly for suggesting ‘sherpa’ and to FIGJAM and Desert Rat for suggesting ‘stealth virgin.’
Other entries in A Burner Lexicon can be found at http://kitoconnell.com/lexicon/
Comments (10)
Cool picture! ;)
She was totally a virgin.
Nico Aguilera recently posted..2010 in review
@Nico: I really enjoyed the picture because you CAN see how one of them is clearly new to the playa, where as the other looks the part. Thanks for sharing your photos with the world via flickr!
One of these days I’ll have to make my way to a burning man event. I’ve been to a few Phish festies and other similar events, but, of course, these are probably “superficially similar” as you put.
That said I could probably be a stealth virgin if I bothered to try. Not sure that I actively would, but you never know.
Anyway, I always enjoy your burner lexicon entries and hope you keep them up.
@Levi: Thanks, I’m glad you’re enjoying this series, I definitely plan to continue.
Honestly, I think there’s a lot to be said for just going as a virgin and being what you are — experience it and don’t try to plan or do too much the first time, just let the event happen. That said, Greeters is a great option at most events for virgin volunteering — you get to meet people and make them feel welcome, and thus feel more welcome yourself.
I know you’re in NH — you can find regional contact info here:
http://regionals.burningman.com/us_nh.html
but the closest regional to you is Playa Del Fuego in Odessa:
http://playadelfuego.org/
I’m the virgin in the photo! It was the last moment I was clean for the rest of the week :)
@Kelly: I’m glad you found your home on the playa. Thanks for stopping by. )’(!
I think anyone can and should be a stealth virgin when it comes to camping and survival skills– piss clear! When it comes to burn art and burn culture, it’s good to read enough to get your enthusiasm up, and know to expect giant structures like the human ant farm and big bright loud somewhat dangerous fire art like dance dance immolation, but other than that, I like Kit’s idea of going the first time as a humble and curious explorer, planning very little and remaining very open to surprises.
@Will: Thanks for your comments, Will, I think you summed it up well.
I was totally a stealth virgin! Perhaps I might have had a little more fun if I’d admitted I was new to the big burn.
@Heather: Virgins get lots of hugs, ass washing, and all kinds of fun. They also get a lot of attention. For some people this is a plus. In general, I think its a good idea to be open about your level of experience. People will help you out, and its inevitable a newcomer forgets something or gets lost at some point.