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The Traditional May Pole
at the Sweeps Festival in Rochester We had been told by our friend Sandi that there was going to be a Sweep Festival going on over the weekend from May 3-May 5
th in nearby Rochester. Naturally we wanted to go and check it out. Unfortunately Bob was sick so Janice took advantage of the offer to go with Sandi and Colin in their rental car to take in the festival. In reading over the program before going it mentions that they have more than 60 Morris dancing sides. I asked Sandi what that meant. She tried to explain that it was a type of folk dance, but said it was definitely hard to give me any details on it so I’d have to see for myself.
We got to town and found that they closed down the main street and the place was alive with dance groups. There were plenty of places to pick up something to eat and there was music going on wherever you walked. There were numerous Morris dance groups up and down the street dancing to the music created by their accordions, the beating of their sticks and the ringing of the bells around their ankles. We stopped and sat
One of the Chimney Sweeps
that participate in the festival with his tools of the trade. down for a few minutes which happened to be near a group of dancers talking to each other. They were all dressed up in very interesting outfits –not all the same, but most of them had bells somewhere around their ankle or leg. I figured the best way to find out more about the Morris dancers was to be a true tourist and ask. Fortunately for me one of the people in the group was more than happy to try to explain with the others adding to the stories. One of them even gave me a brochure that had a small write up on the Cotswold Morris Dancing.
I found out through this discussion that the dances are very regional. Morris dancing is known to date back at least to the 15
th century because of written descriptions from that time. Many believe that it may have started even earlier and was not written down because this was the activity of peasants who did not know how to write. I was also told that not only the steps but the costumes worn differed based on the trade of the person or group of dancers. The weavers typically had
A Few of the Sweeps with their Beer Steins
as tradition has it they hopefully get a free pint when they go to the pub on May Day more complex steps similar to their weaving patterns while the ones that worked in the cotton factories used wooden spools from the thread as their sticks to hit while they dance. Many blackened their face with coal dust or peat as it would help them to hide their identity the next day so their employers did not know they were making merry the day before. It was also very common for the Morris dancers to offer to dance in exchange for food or drink.
One of the traditional Morris dances was the Molly dance. It was typically done on Plough Monday when ploughboys would go around their village offering to dance in exchange for money. Those that did not give any money would be “tricked”by having a plough driven through their lawn. As they would want to gain employment later from these same people, they would do this with blackened faces, dressing up in their “Sunday best”and one of them would dress up as a woman (the Molly). We were able to see a few Molly’s at the festival with their dance groups – quite a sight!
This festival is called the Sweep Festival
Pheasant Feathers
were used in many of the costumes - found out they are raised for hunting here in the UK so they are plentiful to celebrate the traditional holiday of the chimney sweeps. It was the one day of the year that the sweeps could leave the soot behind and have some fun. Traditionally the sweeps were children and they also had fun with the Jack-in-the-Green ceremony. A Jack in the Green is a traditional participant in English May Day parades who wear large, foliage-covered garland like framework which covers his body head to foot. This tradition started in the 16
th & 17
th centuries when people would make garlands of flowers and leaves for the May Day celebration. There is still not a clear understanding why the Jack in the Green became typically associated with chimney sweeps. It is thought that the Jack-in-the-Green is also identified with the Green Man depicted in many medieval church carvings (some that we have seen). The Green Man is thought to embody natural fertility, but also that of being a trickster. It is interesting to hear about how these traditions are entwined.
Luckily the Six Poor Travellers’House was open to the public. A plaque on the outside of the house told that it was opened to poor travelers and was the result of a prominent
The Young Group of Boys Following Them
were captivated by the movements of their hips - one of the boys worked hard at imitating them businessman of Rochester, Richard Watts. He died in 1579 and his will made provision for the addition of six rooms to the current almshouse with “six good matrices of Flock Bedds and other good and sufficient furniture to harbour and lodge in poor Travellers or Wayfaring men not being rogues or Proctors”. The travelers were also to be given fourpence. The will further stated the travelers were to stay “for no longer than one night unless sickness be the cause”. Each traveller’s food allowance consisted of ½pound of meat, 1 pound of bread and a pint of ale. The ale was later changed, first to porter and later with the advent of the temperance laws to coffee. Travellers continued to be received in the house until just after WWII began. In 1979 the ground floor with the travelers bedrooms were converted into a museum to tell the story of the good that this place has done for many over the previous 400 years. The rest of the house is still in use today as an almshouse. Charles Dickens used this house as the basis for his Christmas story, “The Seven Poor Travellers.”
On the last day of
These Boys Were Fascinated
by the belly dancers that were dancing in front of them in the parade! the festival Sandi and Colin decided to go back and invited us to come. This time Bob was well and was able to join us. The tone of the festival was much different. The first thing we saw were children dancing around the traditional May Pole. It is fascinating to see how they could manage without getting all of the colorful ribbons twisted and tangled as they went around the pole. There were some of the Morris Dancers around in their costumes, but we did not hear as much of the music or dancing that we did when we were here before. The crowds were lining the streets in anticipation of the parade that was to take all of the participants through the town and end up at the Rochester Castle for the final ceremony with the Jack-in-the-Green. There were definitely less dance groups here today, but as many of them came from far away it was understandable as the next day would be a work day.
Ironically a few weeks later we were listening to a podcast of a NPR show and they mentioned Morris Dancers –ironic how we now knew what they were talking about!
A Few of the Morris Dancers
that took the time to answer my questions about the Morris Dancers and their traditions If you want to see a couple examples of Morris dancing check it out on YouTube at the following location:
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Westie4044
Westie
Learning about my own culture
This was fascinating - have grown up around May Day festivals in the UK all my life and don't know even half of what you guys found out. Thanks for "being the tourist and asking" on all of our behalves!