Meet our Summer King and Winter King, who will be embodied by Sofía and Ali at this year’s Samhuinn Fire Festival. Sofía and Ali share their interpretation of the court’s story below.

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“As kings, we seek to be two sides of the same coin, as well as to explore the season in between.

The Summer King is playful, ecstatic for the results of a plentiful season. The Summer journey is one of humbleness and acceptance, from pride and reluctance towards the change of role that inevitably comes with a new season.

The Winter King is waking and curious, eager to learn. The Winter journey is one of growth, trying to find the balance between the darkness of these months and the togetherness they bring.

Both are lost and disoriented in our decaying world. The weather is confusing and both kings are incapable of finding their way to the next season. Lonely in their uniqueness, they find comfort in each other’s existence. They journey through the Hill, seeking the wisdom of ancestral voices, the dead and nature.

Under the guidance of the Cailleach, our kings will attempt to understand their power and, ultimately, how to embrace their roles in the seasonality of life. The voices throughout their path around the Hill will reveal to them old truths whilst transitioning as one through Autumn.

The tension between them grows gradually, causing them to separate when they learn that their incompatible energies cannot be sustained by our world’s resources at the same time. Their journeys are not parallel but cyclical, inevitably leading to conflict and to each king finally embracing their destiny.”

Tickets for Samhuinn Fire Festival are available to buy online from Citizen Ticket. Join the Facebook event here.