Friday 15 June 2012

Morris Men ... hankies, bells, dance and music




I'm never quite sure about Morris dancing and find it a little bit, well a little bit odd really. Odd is good though and as we live near Thaxted, a village renowned for its Morris dancing heritage, we get to see a lot of men dressed in white with bells jangling from their trousers. 

Last weekend it was Thaxted Morris weekend and to be completely honest as a family we weren't even going to bother going to watch as we go every year but in the end I did pop in with a friend and his daughter. I mainly went to collect our takeaway and eldest son (in that order) but luckily we also arrived at the perfect time to view the 
Abbots Bromley Horn Dance. 




I'm plainly normally ensconced in the local wine bar when the Abbots Bromley starts because for all the years I've been going to Thaxted Morris Weekend I've never actually stood and watched the whole thing before. I enjoyed it. It's always quite a moving experience when a crowd is hushed and reverent and as it wasn't as crowded as normal we got a good view of the procession down from the church into Thaxted. Haunting and strangely mesmerising (aside from the aeroplane flying to Stansted Airport!). I was actually quite pleased I've finally seen the whole thing!

1 comment:

  1. We were once in a pub garden somewhere in Worcestershire when a coach full of Morris Men pulled up. They were on their way to a festival somewhere and enjoyed a pint before a quick practice. Some of the best free entertainment we've ever enjoyed :D

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