Abbot's Bromley Horn Dance

Abbot's Bromley is a small village in Staffordshire which has held an annual Horn Dance since 1226. Twelve dancers, including six Deermen (from the Bentley family up until 1914, from the related Fowell family up to the present day) are accompanied by a hobby horse, a bow man, a Maid Marian (a bloke in drag) a Fool, a boy with a triangle and a man with an accordion. The ensemble perform their rites at various stops on a prescribed route. After a twenty mile round trip, they go to the pub.

The antlers used in the dance were carbon dated in the seventies, and found to be from circa 1065 ad. They are Reindeer antlers, which must have been imported from Scandinavia (even in 1065, Reindeers had been extinct in Britain for about 8,000 years). As ever with these ancient rituals there is an ongoing debate about just how ancient it is, with some experts suggesting that the dance may have originated much later in the 16th century, making it a mere 500 years old. Either way, it's the oldest traditional dance we have in this country.

Since 1660, it has been celebrated on Wakes Monday, which is today, so you'd better get your skates on if you want to see it.

Castleton Garland Day

It's May 29th, Oak Apple Day, the public holiday held between 1660 and 1859 which celebrated the restoration of King Charles II. Castleton Garland Day is a Derbyshire custom which combines 'modern' elements of Oak Apple Day with much older May Day 'Jack in The Green' Paganism.

'The King' is put on a horse then festooned in a heavy garland of flowers topped with a smaller wreath. Thus 'crowned', he goes from pub to pub with great pomp and circumstance, with a Queen, a band, and most of the village following behind him. Music is played, songs are sung, ale is imbibed and, eventually (much to the relief of 'The King', no doubt) the larger garland of flowers is taken from him and put on top of the tower of the church, and the smaller wreath placed on the War Memorial (i.e. where the Maypole would have once been).

Castleton is generally a very interesting place: it has a ruined castle and four impressive show caverns which used to serve as Lead and Blue John mines. It's one of my favourite places, although it can get very touristy - that said, I don't live there, so I suppose I'm part of the problem.

Happy Flora Faddy Furry Dance Day

On Flora Day (today!) in Helston in Cornwall, the whole town take to the streets from seven am to seven pm and hold a series of mass dances to a melody called 'John the Bone' performed by local brass and silver bands (the tune was incorporated into the more famous Floral Dance and taken into the charts by Terry Wogan).

A wearying, hypnotic, ancient tradition its origins are, of course, mysterious, but the dance serves a dual purpose: a Pagan celebration of Beltane (the triumph of light over darkness, life over death, i.e. the end of Winter) and a Christian festival for Saint George, who reputedly saved the town from Satan, and the archangel Michael, the patron saint of Cornwall.

Mary, Deer

We don't post much new music here on The Island, but that doesn't mean we don't listen to it. Mary Epworth is primarily a folk artist, but specialises in connecting to an especially creepy, occasionally Black Sabbath infused ancient weirdness  - less finger in the ear, more Hand Of Glory.

Rock & Roll Grenoside

Grenoside in South Yorkshire has a long standing tradition of sword dancing. The highlight of the dance is the 'decapitation' of the leader (they knock off his rabbit skin hat), after which he comes back to life. J.G Frazer would have a field day. The dance still happens, by the way, on Boxing Day each year.

Perhaps I should have let you know that in December. At least you're prewarned for this year.

A Lovely Bunch

The Britannia Coconut Dancers from Bacup in Lancashire do their really quite strange thing. For the purpose of this 1930 film they have omitted a traditional part of their costume, i.e. they haven't blacked up, although I'm pretty sure this is a concession to technology rather than political correctness. They still dance every year, by the way (well, not this lot, they're all dead, but the current 'Nutters', as they are affectionately known). They even have a website where I purchased a tea towel.

Rappers

The High Spen Sword Dancers get their swerve on. High Spen is near Newcastle, and this is rapper sword dancing, i.e. the swords are shorter. Oh, this is circa 1928.

Happy New Year!

The people of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire see in the New Year with a Fireball Festival. Participants (known as 'Swingers') make a package of flammable material which they then contain in chicken wire, attaching a wire handle. In the last minutes of December 31st, the packages are lit and paraded through the streets, the swinger whirling the fireball around them. It's quite spectacular, and a Health and Safety nightmare.

The meaning behind the ceremony is hotly (ho ho) debated, but it either signifies a plea to the Gods for continued sun, or the fire symbolises purification as one year ends and another begins. More here.

Happy New Year to all! & Happy Birthday to Island Of Terror, one year old today (that's seven in blog years).

I may not post every day in 2012, as that's a bit of a treadmill that I sometimes struggle to stay on, and I'm going to take a week off or so now, but please check back regularly or subscribe - there's a lot still to come, including, ulp, new films.

Paul (U-W)

Let's Jump The Broomstick

Sam Bennett rides again, this time with a broom based dance of his own devising.

Sam The Man

He also plays the violin.