Frontline Folklore
January 1, 2024 12:03 PM Subscribe
A movie on local British ritual: Artist Ben Edge takes you on a journey through the British Ritual Year of 2019, documenting twenty remarkable folk customs and unknowingly capturing the pre-covid ritual landscape of Britain.
Loved it! I definitely think we should all be doing more solstice celebrating.
If anyone wants more of that, A Very English Winter, BBC 2012, with The Unthanks (folksinging sisters).
posted by maggiemaggie at 3:08 PM on January 1 [7 favorites]
If anyone wants more of that, A Very English Winter, BBC 2012, with The Unthanks (folksinging sisters).
posted by maggiemaggie at 3:08 PM on January 1 [7 favorites]
Just getting started on this but can already tell if I'd encountered it in the wild I'd have posted it here.
Thanks so much for sharing. This is exactly the kind of thing I love watching.
posted by hippybear at 3:30 PM on January 1
Thanks so much for sharing. This is exactly the kind of thing I love watching.
posted by hippybear at 3:30 PM on January 1
Fantastic watch, thank you. I’ve got about two thirds of the way through and am having to pause because a. It’s late and b. My ears need a break from the endless accordions and ankle bells.
What a weird people we are.
What’s amazing is that even the ones that were only invented or resurrected 40 years ago, capture the same air of uncanny medieval pagan nightmare as the older ones (I’m looking at you, Straw Bear and Earl of Rone).
The black spinning discs of the Padstow Osses will feature particularly highly in my tortured dreams tonight, I think.
I loved when they winched the big floral thing to the top of the church tower and it felt like the tower was standing there saying “Oh, still with this nonsense? I’ve been standing here every day for 600 years and I don’t feel the need to go about doing all this weird shit, I just sit quietly stony and dignified, minding my own business, but you lot get a touch of midsummer and a few ales inside you and you’re just being ludicrous…”
***Villagers put the big floral hat on top of the tower nonetheless and it has to wear it like a beautiful summer bonnet***
I think the Burry Man is the only one of these I'd come across before, at least of the ones I've watched so far. I just marvelled at how long he had to keep his arms aloft, even with those two helpers and their poles it looked agonising, never mind the itch of the burrs, which presumably breaks through or round the edge of the black cloth.
It's also fascinating how much older men dominate so many of these. I assume that's because The Patriarchy = it was always men in the celebrated positions and now that's thought of as being The Tradition which can't be meddled with. But I also feel like retired white men should perhaps be getting more regular outlets for the bits of their souls that want to wear flowers and ribbons and tinkly bells and dance in the streets.
posted by penguin pie at 4:30 PM on January 1 [6 favorites]
What a weird people we are.
What’s amazing is that even the ones that were only invented or resurrected 40 years ago, capture the same air of uncanny medieval pagan nightmare as the older ones (I’m looking at you, Straw Bear and Earl of Rone).
The black spinning discs of the Padstow Osses will feature particularly highly in my tortured dreams tonight, I think.
I loved when they winched the big floral thing to the top of the church tower and it felt like the tower was standing there saying “Oh, still with this nonsense? I’ve been standing here every day for 600 years and I don’t feel the need to go about doing all this weird shit, I just sit quietly stony and dignified, minding my own business, but you lot get a touch of midsummer and a few ales inside you and you’re just being ludicrous…”
***Villagers put the big floral hat on top of the tower nonetheless and it has to wear it like a beautiful summer bonnet***
I think the Burry Man is the only one of these I'd come across before, at least of the ones I've watched so far. I just marvelled at how long he had to keep his arms aloft, even with those two helpers and their poles it looked agonising, never mind the itch of the burrs, which presumably breaks through or round the edge of the black cloth.
It's also fascinating how much older men dominate so many of these. I assume that's because The Patriarchy = it was always men in the celebrated positions and now that's thought of as being The Tradition which can't be meddled with. But I also feel like retired white men should perhaps be getting more regular outlets for the bits of their souls that want to wear flowers and ribbons and tinkly bells and dance in the streets.
posted by penguin pie at 4:30 PM on January 1 [6 favorites]
"Nobody knows anymore what any of this is about" is one of my favorite bits of this documentary. It's so entirely Ghormenghast while also taking place outdoors and being done by the people and not the royalty. "We do the thing because we've always done the thing."
posted by hippybear at 4:36 PM on January 1 [4 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 4:36 PM on January 1 [4 favorites]
The more I watch this the more I love it.
posted by hippybear at 4:51 PM on January 1 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 4:51 PM on January 1 [1 favorite]
Does he do the stick and bucket dance?
posted by East14thTaco at 2:09 AM on January 2 [1 favorite]
posted by East14thTaco at 2:09 AM on January 2 [1 favorite]
The Unthanks have done a BBC doc on Britain's folk-dancing traditions too.
posted by Paul Slade at 4:23 AM on January 2
posted by Paul Slade at 4:23 AM on January 2
**Sighs quietly as a thread about the UK is quickly skewed to become a discussion about the US**
Sorry to inject a note of bitterness into discussion of such a delightful post. It's just that the "That is interesting, because in the US...." diversion, which is then leapt upon until the derail drowns out discussion of the original content... well, it feels like such a staple of MeFi whenever people try to talk about other countries. And yet for all that familiarity, never fails to surprise and disappoint a little.
I'll go and find a be-ribboned tambourine to cheer me up.
posted by penguin pie at 4:29 PM on January 3 [1 favorite]
Sorry to inject a note of bitterness into discussion of such a delightful post. It's just that the "That is interesting, because in the US...." diversion, which is then leapt upon until the derail drowns out discussion of the original content... well, it feels like such a staple of MeFi whenever people try to talk about other countries. And yet for all that familiarity, never fails to surprise and disappoint a little.
I'll go and find a be-ribboned tambourine to cheer me up.
posted by penguin pie at 4:29 PM on January 3 [1 favorite]
"In this life try everything once, except morris-dancing and incest" Sir Thomas Beecham
Well, morris dancing looks like fun . . .
posted by BobTheScientist at 7:57 AM on January 4 [2 favorites]
Well, morris dancing looks like fun . . .
posted by BobTheScientist at 7:57 AM on January 4 [2 favorites]
Mod note: Several comments removed. Let's not make a post about British traditions become USA focused, thanks
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 5:02 AM on January 5
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 5:02 AM on January 5
One of my favorite traditions that I want to see in person one day is the Mari Lwyd. I first read about it in Susan Cooper's books, and it seems like I'm not the only one.
posted by PussKillian at 9:50 AM on January 5 [1 favorite]
posted by PussKillian at 9:50 AM on January 5 [1 favorite]
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posted by BobTheScientist at 2:55 PM on January 1