Totaly creepy!

[J G 927]

This weekend I went to visit a friend in Safron Walden, Essex.  Just down the road is the village of Thaxted.

This village is beautiful and contains many unspoiled medieval houses. It also has some traditions that date back a little further then the medieval period. 

 

At about 10:30 PM the main street is crowded to witness the Horn Dance.......

 

This dance starts with a procession of men carrying carved stags heads with real stags horns in front of their faces.  They are accompanied by a single violinist, an man with a bell, a man dressed as a hobby horse, and a man dressed as a woman carrying a parasol.

 

Once in the centre of the village the proceed to do a dance with slow and solemn movements, finishing with an exit the way they had come. All the while the crowd is silent.

 

You have to be there to realise just how strange and creepy this is. 

 

 

For those in the USA and other far flung places who think 100 years old is very old, this is something to behold.

 

The origins of this dance are from a pagan ritual from the kingdom of Mercia to ensure the year's hunting would go well and to give thanks for the previous years bounty.  

 

Mercia predates the formation of England and was a kingdom that spread across the centre of what is now England. The last king of Mercia, Ceolwulf the second died in 879 AD. However the kingdom was Christian at that time as an earlier king, King Paeda, converted in 656.  It is likely that the dance eminated to before that date as it is Pagan. 

 

So as you watch the dance above, keep in mind that you are witnessing something that in one form or another is probably over 1,400 years old. 

[brett 2,310]

Interesting to watch how folks acted 1,400 years ago, if anyone thinks the world today is going to hell in a hand basket just look back to what was happening back then.

 

And also I met a man once that was a hundred years old and let me say, that guy was old.

 

Thanks for the look John. 

 

They should ban camera flashes, I wouldn't want the fellow behind me blinded when he is holding horns behind me.

[allardjd 1,853]

Quote

I wouldn't want the fellow behind me blinded when he is holding horns behind me.

 

I wouldn't want a guy behind me with horns, blinded or not.  I don't trust ANYONE that much.

 

John

[Corsaire31 419]

Interesting info, I am these days playing the Kingdom of Mercia in Total War Attila - Age of Charlemagne, and I also did some research and reading about this time in history.

Not sure the umbrella was in the original dance...

Edited June 6, 2016 by Corsaire31

[dodgy-alan 1,587]

Nothing creepy at all about our Pagan festivals. They pre-date Christianity by hundreds of years and are still practiced to this very day. Beltane is one of our major Sabbats and it's where the fertility rites and new growth are celebrated. ( I could go in depth about it but would take too long.) Anyway basically its a feast and festival to call for a bountiful harvest and plenty of food in the summer months. The fertility rites were often to be found wherever there were haystacks in times of old! As it is the most obvious one is the famous maypole dance. In this the may queen, (usually a young virgin girl from the community is stood against the pole and as the dancers entwine the ribbons she is in turn tied to the pole. At the top of the pole is usually a crown of flowers and as the ribbons get tighter so the crown slides down the pole and eventually rests on the young ladies head. Now as its a fertility right you may have already guessed what this symbolizes. The May pole is the representation of the Gods phallic symbol and the crown of flowers represents Mother Earths girly bits. As the crown slides down the pole, so the great rite of fertility is fulfilled! ( the first time I explained that to a vicar he nearly had kittens as he'd no idea what it was about! He was shocked to discover that his ancient dance was actually a giant copulation, and that he'd been teaching it to the sunday school kids! Beltane is a joyous celebration and takes many forms as witnessed by John. Far from being creepy, it is a time of happiness and abandon and a celebration of good things to come. 

Blesséd be.