Decompression party
From Free net encyclopedia
Diving
A Decompression party refers to a period of time spent by deep sea divers either in decompression chambers or at various depths on their way to the surface to gradually adjust to surface pressure in order to avoid the bends.
Burning Man
By analogy, a decompression party or decomp is a small local reunion for Burning Man participants to help ease themselves back into everyday society after the "big event". It is not uncommon for Burning Man participants to experience "post-burn blues", and decompression events can help alleviate the feelings of loneliness and separation that can occur. The events provide an opportunity to participants to share feelings, art, performances and memories. The decompression events can occur anywhere from September to December, and anything afterwards is typically considered a warm-up for the next Burning Man. There is an official Decompression Party hosted by the Burning Man organization, but the various Regional networks typically prefer to host their own. The atmosphere at these parties vary, but are typically upbeat and energetic. The decompression parties are sometimes reminiscent of early Burning Man festivals due to their informality and smaller size. They are a related phenomenon to the dead dog parties common at the end of Science fiction conventions.