apr06 Tudor May Day Celebrations

How the Tudors celebrated May Day. It was a very popular holiday with lots of merrymaking. The celebrations were pre-Christian in concept and were based upon ancient fertility rites. Everything centred upon spring and encouraging crops and other fecundity.

The Re-Creation strives to re-capture the processions, plays. pageantry, music & dance of the time and is based at the Barns Sward on the Farm to create a village atmosphere and buildings there may be garlanded (hung with greenery). A procession collects a May Tree from the Woods on Saturday and, complete with branches and bedecked with bright ribbons it is raised to become, thereafter, the focal point of the celebrations. There is usually a Jack O'Green, covered in Greenery and a May Queen, who "process" accompanied by much noise. Simple plays of the time are performed (in which good - represented by St George - always ultimately overcomes evil - represented by a Dragon or a Turk). There is much music and dance. Also no little drinking, revelry and ribaldry.

Adult, £9.75, Child, £7.25, Pensioner £8.75

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