ottery st mary

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Hi people,

Thought I would share my latest pics of my recent weekend away.

I paid a visit to some friends in Ottery-St-Mary, Devon, Where, on the 5th November they have a traditional in the Village that dates back hundreds of years. The origin of the tradition isn't quite known, some say it's a pagan ritual, others, a way of fumigating shops in Ye Olden days, but today the right to carry flaming tar barrels continues.

Seventeen barrels are selected and then over a 12 month period the insides are coated in coal tar, then on the night lit and carried by "barrel rollers" over certain stretches of road around Ottery, the barrels start out small,these are carried by small kids and then scale upto large beer barrels carried by men and women. The spectacle starts around 4 o'clock then every 30 mins a new barrel is lit in a different location in Ottery, until 12 o'clock when the last and largest barrel is lit and paraded around the small square.

I can only add that this was one of the most bizzare and exciting things I've had the pleasure of witnessing.

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