Getting Horny in Abbots Bromley!
The annual Horn Dance, involving ancient reindeer antlers, is held at Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire and is the oldest English folk dance still performed although its roots are shrouded in the mists of times long past.
The dance takes place on Wakes Monday every year. This is the first Monday after the first Sunday after the 4th September.
According to the abbotsbromley.com website, the ritual has taken place every year since 1226, and the Fair that also takes place on the village green on Wakes Monday began in 1221. Despite some debate about precise dates, there are written references confirmed from 1532, and the antlers used in the ritual which give it such a distinctive name have been carbon dated to around 1065.
Strong speculation suggests that the dance has a pagan origin and is closely connected to the ancient Mercian kingdom, with the magic ritual performed to give thanks for harvest time and to ensure a plentiful harvest the following year.
The day begins at 8.00 am at St. Nicholas Church in the centre of Abbots Bromley, with a service of blessing, and the horns are removed from their display in the church as the dancers then start to make their way around the parish. They will cover many miles before they return to the village in mid afternoon, and proceed beyond it again, finally returning at around 8.00pm.
With all that in mind, Harvey McKibbin solicitors set out to watch the 12 dancers on 12th September, 2011 as they made their way through the village around 3.30pm.
Hundreds of people from far and wide watched with us as the 6 principal dancers carrying the antlers (or horns) were accompanied by an accordion player, a Maid Marion, a Hobby Horse, a Jester, and two youngsters, one with a bow and arrow and one with a musical triangle.
In the village itself the procession stops at each of the 5 pubs along the main street (The Bagot Arms, The Royal Oak, The Crown, The Goat’s Head and the Coach and Horses) and performs the dance before being rewarded with well-earned liquid refreshments at each stop! However, the dancers cover around 20 miles during the 12 hour ritual and also take in a number of local farms as well as the stately home at Blithfield Hall, where they perform a semi-private dance for Lady Bagot.
At the centre of the village the Butter Cross on the green stood host to a variety of stalls selling everything from cakes and jewellery to watercolours and Morris dancing memorabilia. The Goat’s Head pub even had two resident reindeer on hand which happily posed for photos with excited onlookers – bringing out the kid in people of all ages.
It really made for a charming scene and we felt truly privileged to be a part of it as we shot some video – which we’ll be uploading to youtube soon. In the meantime, however, there’s a good flavour of events to be had in the embedded video above.
After dancing from dawn until dusk, the weary procession returns to St. Nicholas Church behind the village green, where the antlers are returned to be displayed, safe and sound, for the remaining 364 days until it is time to start the dance again.
Ends.
© GetPR, 2011
