British Life & Culture
Calendar of Special Events & Celebrations
by Mandy Barrow
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Twelfth Night Celebrations
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Twelfth Night is an annual seasonal celebration held on the Bankside by Shakespeare's Globe, in London. It is a celebration of the New Year, mixing ancient Midwinter seasonal customs with contemporary festivity. It is free, accessible to all and happens whatever the weather.
The celebration is staged by group of professional performers, called The Lions Part. The Holly Man from the Thames To herald the celebration, the extraordinary Holly Man, the winter guise of the Green Man, (a character from pagan myths and folklore, used on many pub signs in England), decked in fantastic green garb and evergreen foliage, appears from the River Thames brought by the Thames Cutter.
The Bankside Wassails With the crowd, led by the Bankside Mummers, the Holly Man 'brings in the green' and toasts or 'Wassail' the people, the River Thames and the Globe (an old tradition to encourage good growth) with the London Town Crier.
The Mummers Play After the toast or 'Wassail' to the people, the River Thames and the Globe, the Mummers then process to the Bankside Jetty, and perform the traditional 'freestyle' Folk Combat Play of St. George.
When is Twelfth Night? | Twelfth Day | Twelfth Night Traditions Why is it unlucky to take down decorations after Twelfth Night?
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© Copyright 2010 Mandy Barrow -
Woodlands Junior School, Hunt Road Tonbridge Kent TN10 4BB UK