Ottery St. Mary is on fire

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The scent of burning firewood hung in the air as screaming crowds gave their support to these brave men of Ottery St. Mary. They held the large task of entertaining the city by carrying gigantic tar-filled flaming barrels on their backs through crowds of people, in honor of Guy Faulks Day (a traitor burned at the stake for trying to burn the House of Parliment in the 14th century). These barrels are extremely heavy, to the point where the men have to be directed because they cannot see where they are going! Thousands of people attend this celebration; it has been occurring since the 17th century. They have several barrel runs that start from different pubs around town. After passing the most gigantic bonfire I\'ve ever seen, we gathered in the square for the main ones. For most of the time, all I could see was a giant pillar of billowing smoke, bigger than an Israelite beacon, with a giant flame that wove its way around the crowd. However, when the flame starts getting closer, the crowd roars in excitement and you must dive out of the way to avoid being trampled or burned by the sparks. The men carry their barrel around the crowd, spinning it sometimes for some extra crowd pleasing, until it is absolutely burned to mere metal rings. They hold it using burlap gloves and rest it just on their shoulder blades. I cannot imagine how they do it. Apparently, you must have lived in Ottery St. Mary for most of your life to have the honor. Sort of a \"My dad did it so now it\'s my turn\" kind of thing. There was such a crowd, in fact, that I had a close call with the whole breathing issue. Finding out only later that you shouldn\'t stand near the buildings in the square, I found myself crunched between a crowd heaving to a degree I\'ve never experienced before. My legs were pinned, my arms were pinned, my body was pinned, all in between strangers going in different directions. I almost fell down several times. Keep in mind, there is a man who can\'t see where he\'s going walking around the crowd with a flaming tar barrel on his back. I kept my cool for most of the time in this crunch, but did actually get a little nervous. I finally found my way into a river of sorts of people and was separated from my friends. I found them later, of course, but it was an intense experience. The tar barrel celebration is definitely the most crazy thing I\'ve seen since being in England, and perhaps since being alive. American police would never allow in a million years a wild frenzy of burning tar in a huge crowd barely able to move. The entire night was surreal, walking through streets that had been blocked off with drunkards and children alike. We were invited to have tea and biscuits with a couple newly married but middle aged. I hope I can ever have a chance at learning the way to make English tea. There\'s a certain way to do it, and I haven\'t figured it out yet. The entire night was very amazing and great. I\'m so happy to be here with such rich heritage and quirky traditions. I smell like a burnt matchstick, I\'m full of tea, and I saw the weirdest best celebration in England tonight: the tar barrels at Ottery St. Mary.

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Photos

A Huge bonfire
That's me in the foreground, if that helps with perspective