Sunday 14 January 2018

Only In England

Only in England....


....might a man be dressed from head to toe in straw and led through the streets to entertain the townspeople. Because 'tis an old tradition.

Only in England....


.....do men stuff pheasant feathers into their hats, wear jackets made of tatters and covered in badges, paint their faces red and drink beer in the streets. Because dancing is thirsty work.

Only in England.....


.....would ladies armed with sticks go out during the coldest month of the year to do old dances that most people have forgotten. Because it's good fun.

Only in England.....


....would people risk frozen toes and fingers to play fiddles and squeezeboxes. Because you can't dance without music.

Only in England....


....do men from London dress up like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins and perform dances that were collected in the borderlands of England and Wales. Because what else is there to do in a pub car park in the middle of January?

Only in England.....


....will you find young women waving handkerchiefs leaping high in the air. Because they have the energy to do so.

Only in England.....


....does St George, with something stuffed up his shirt, fight with the devil, get killed then be restored to life by the Doctor. Because that sort of thing has always happened in Mummers plays.

Only in England....


....will you find men from Coventry decorating their hats with flowers and doing dances which originated in the cotton towns of Lancashire. Because they enjoy coming down to the Whittlesey Straw Bear Festival too.

Only in England....


....are these traditions patiently passed down to the next generation. Because their day will come.

(in case anyone hasn't a clue what's going on I'd better explain that I spent yesterday at the annual Straw Bear Festival in the Cambridgeshire town of Whittlesey, where traditional dance enthusiasts from across the country gather to dance throughout the town. Some of you will remember this event from when I went there four years ago. For newcomers I'll explain more about it and show you some more photos next post).

In the meantime here's a video of the Procession that takes place before the dancing begins:


Take care.



17 comments:

  1. Is wassailing involved? Seems to be a lot of that going on at the moment

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  2. This is so cool! Could have been my brother Tom with the Morris dancers :) Lots of traditions in this post I've never heard of.

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  3. I love seeing the traditions! Wonderful.

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  4. What a fascinating bunch of interesting characters! That's a long parade.

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  5. This would be fascinating entertainment .

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  6. Wow what unique costumes! So interesting how different they are

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  7. Great photos! What would we do without all these dedicated people who keep all the traditions going for future generations. Love the straw bear:)

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  8. Enjoyed seeing all your pictures. They all looked unique. They have a different taste to entertain the people:)

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  9. This is what makes England so special John.. tradition! Enjoyed the video ☺

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  10. What a joyous, colorful event you have there. Your posts make me want to move to England!

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  11. You wouldn't want an itchy nose with all of that straw over your face.

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  12. I love these old traditions and am so happy to see them still alive.

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  13. Oh I'd love to see some of these celebrations in person! Thanks to you I get to see them without leaving my home. :) (but I'd still love to travel to your country....someday!)

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  14. Love, love, love this post John.
    I just love so many of our old traditions ...
    Amazing photographs.

    All the best Jan

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  15. I was looking and being impressed by all of your photos of this great tradition. I'm so glad to hear that it hasn't been lost forever! Thanks for the awesome images and information about this terrific activity.

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  16. You got some fantastic photos from it.....

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Thanks for taking the time to comment. I'll try to answer any questions via a comment or e-mail within the next day or two (no hard questions, please!).