One of the many things I love about living in Oxford is that each month is filled with wonderful century-old traditions that mark the seasons or a special time of year. One such traditional day is May Morning when thousands gather at 6am to listen to three songs sung from the Magdalen Tower and then walk the streets of Oxford enjoying the various troops that are "dancing in the May". Even though the general celebration is very simple, the crowds and the enthusiasm for the day are always full of surprises. This year's surprises where a "Cheese Head" Morris Dancer (not from Wisconsin, USA); a walking tree; and sharing the morning with dear cousins who dropped in for a visit during their tour of Great Britain.
Morris Dancers dancing in "the May"
I asked a dancer, "Why the cheese hat?" and he said it marks "the Fool."
The Walking Tree
Street dancing
The Magdalen Choir singing a hymn in Latin from the Magdalen Tower
The singing starts just after the church bells peel 6:00 am and coincidentally, the sun's rays hit the tower.
There are several thousand spectators who come each year to see May Morning. Many of the students who attend have been up all night at their college's spring ball or Prom.
My dear cousin Marie, her lovely daughter Sarah, my wonderful neighbor Amy, and some guy who chose to photo bomb the photo.
No comments:
Post a Comment