{"id":27682,"date":"2026-04-13T21:26:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T01:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/?p=27682"},"modified":"2026-04-13T21:26:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T01:26:29","slug":"bread-puppet-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/2026\/04\/13\/bread-puppet-spring\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcoming Spring At Bread & Puppet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“It’s more important than ever to remember the ways of our ancestors,” Maria Schumann told the crowd as she launched the “Spring Ritual”<\/a> on the Circus Field at Bread and Puppet Theater in Glover, Vermont, on Saturday, April 11, 2026. “And to just take time from the rest of our lives, to take a minute to thank the wind and the clouds and the trees and the snow and the grass and the stones and the birds and to be together to do that, and sing and dance together.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ritual was a \u201cparticipatory pageant\u201d\u2014all invited to join in, no audience\u2014on a brisk, sunny day. It aimed to \u201crecreate and reimagine ancient spring rituals to honor and bless the sun, the animals, plants, and earth that sustain us. Through song and silence, movement and stillness, we will ban everything bad and welcome in the spring. We\u2019ll sing powerful and beautiful traditional Eastern European songs to call in the birds and the spring. We will end with a celebratory picnic of sourdough crepes, round and yellow like the sun. Join us as we enact a ritual of beauty and hope in defiance of the cold and bloodthirsty logic of the ruling class and the bleakness of the current moment!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schumann called in the cardinal directions\u2014\u201cNorth for Mother Earth\u201d and so on. The daughter of Bread and Puppet co-founder Peter Schumann, Maria is \u201ca farmer, singer and folklorist from Greensboro Vermont. She has been creating seasonal outdoor, song based, community ceremonies for the last 15 years, drawing inspiration from folk traditions and her Bread and Puppet childhood.\u201d (\u201cRituals at Bread and Puppet are not Bread and Puppet productions,\u201d the theater\u2019s website explains.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schumann led the crowd in singing a duck song as the crowd circled around and performers carried a large white bird puppet into the ring. Then winter\u2019s bears and the white-clad winter queen battled red-clad performers of spring and sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Performers led the crowd up the hill to the rolling pageant field to call in the birds\u2014flipping paper birds into the air from a sheet. Three performers ran a big white bird puppet across the field. The crowd followed the white bird up the hill and into the Pine Forest, to the Memorial Village of shrines and simple shacks within.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a while, performers and musicians formed lines, slowly winding through the trees, toward a \u201cmoment of resistance\u201d at a lean-to filled with signs: \u201cIran,\u201d \u201cPalestine,\u201d \u201cLebanon,\u201d \u201cFor those who were learning,\u201d \u201cFor those who were home,\u201d \u201cFor those who were living,\u201d \u201cFor those who are fighting.\u201d Musicians played and people sang, then individuals shouted: \u201cNo! No! No!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musicians and performers waving flags painted with red poppies led the crowd out of the trees and back down the hill, first stopping to plant seeds, then down to an effigy made of branches topped with angry, crying cardboard masks. A performer lit it aflame with a torch, saying: “Let it represent all the evil, all the pain, all the death, the hatred.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After it burned to the ground, people joined hands and danced in a ring around the waning fire as they sang: “The light shines in the darkness.\u201d Then the crowd was offered crepes and bread and garlic aioli at the Bread House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

If this is the kind of coverage of arts, cultures and activisms you appreciate, please support Wonderland by contributing to Wonderland on Patreon<\/a>. And sign up for our free, occasional newsletter<\/a> so that you don’t miss any of our reporting. (All content \u00a9 Greg Cook 2026 or the respective creato<\/em>rs.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Preparing
Preparing for the “Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Arriving
Arriving for the “Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Peter
Peter Schumann arriving for the “Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Maria
Maria Schumann prepares for the “Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Maria
Maria Schumann leading the “Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Rehearsal
Rehearsal for the “Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\""Spring
“Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Serving
Serving bread and crepes at the Bread House after the “Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Peter
Peter Schumann at the Bread Oven after the “Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Peter
Peter Schumann at the Bread Oven after the “Spring Ritual” at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Bus-lodging
Bus-lodging along Circus Road at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Photos
Photos of the late Remi Paillard and Genevieve Yeuillaz, a couple who long worked with Bread and Puppet Theater, taped to the dashboard of the company’s black and white van, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Cheap
Cheap Art Bus at Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Bread
Bread and Puppet Theater’s Circus Field, Glover, Vermont, April 11, 2026. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“It’s more important than ever to remember the ways of our ancestors,” Maria Schumann told the crowd as she launched the “Spring Ritual” on the Circus Field at Bread and Puppet Theater in Glover, Vermont, on Saturday, April 11, 2026. “And to just take time from the rest of our lives, to take a minute […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27642,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[109,110],"tags":[13,1389,881],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27682"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27682"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27713,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27682\/revisions\/27713"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}