Mummers Maypoles And Milkmaids A Journey Through The English Ritual Year

the long version

"In Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, a man covered from head to toe in straw {u2013} the {u2018}straw bear{u2019} {u2013} is paraded through the streets, accompanied by 250 dancers, musicians and performers, while in Ottery St Mary, Devon, a crowd gathers as townspeople hoist barrels of flaming tar on to their shoulders and carry them until they are too hot to handle. Award-winning photographer Sara Hannant has travelled the length and breadth of the country, capturing the seemingly bizarre regional rituals {u2013} costumed processions, symbolic dramatizations, traditional dances and fire ceremonies {u2013} that mark the changing seasons and celebrate nature{u2019}s bounty. Many of these customs claim an ancient origin, and are kept alive today by local communities. Hannant{u2019}s vibrant images reflect her keen eye for the unexpected, offering a captivating and surprising glimpse of contemporary Merrie England."--Publisher description.