04/05: HAPPY MAYDAY WEEKEND

I'm falling behind with Blog Posts again but our house is in turmoil as the Kitchen Fitters have postponed work for a few days (midway through removing old units and installing new ones).    Clutter and dust everywhere and what should have been completed in a week is now going to be two weeks (so long as there are no further complications).   I hate living in this chaos/mess but there's nothing I can do for the moment.

So we've been out and about a lot avoiding builders at home but just haven't really had the chance to post pictures from all the places we've visited.

Yesterday I went with David (hubby) and friend, Jenni, to the Sweeps Festival at Rochester in nearby Medway for the 3 day May Day Extravangaza!   The Sweeps Festival was inspired by Charles Dickens' description of the annual holiday given to young chimney sweeps - their one chance to escape the soot and hardship of their daily lives

Rochester is a lovely Town in Kent and features in many Charles Dickens Novels, It is located on the River Medway and is overlooked by a beautiful castle and historic buildings.     Since the early 1980s it has hosted this Festival which this year stretches over 3 days and will see more than 60 Morris Dancing 'sides' as well as bands/soloists and other entertainers.    The streets are packed with stalls selling beer/wine/traditional food and toys.   There is a huge fairground for the children ... so something for everybody and (so far) the weather has been very kind to us.   The final day of the festival is tomorrow and will feature a Grand Parade at 2.45pm which we can't get to because we're committed elsewhere, but for anybody living nearby I'd highly recommend a visit - and its all FREE!

British Eccentricity at its best I think!

A selection of photos taken yesterday and I apologise for not showing any Morris Dancing action shots, I tend to focus on the visiting characters at events like this ....

Traditionally Morris Dancers 'black up' hence the painted faces and I think this is believed to stem from the word Moorish stemming back to the early 1800s.

Sweep with Rochester Castle in the background - and a tankard in his hand.    'Real Ale' is a mainstay of any Festival featuring Morris Dancers   ;-)

Lad(y) in Red!

I loved these ladies

and how Bold/Bright are these guys?

When the Climbing Boys’ Act 1868 made it illegal to employ young boys to carry out the trade, the traditional procession gradually began to fade. The final May celebration was held in the early 1900s.  - See more at: http://www.visitkent.co.uk/events/9580/#sthash.suFIBuM6.dpuf

The modern day Sweeps Festival is a colourful mix of music, dancing and entertainment with more than 60 Morris sides and entertainers celebrating throughout the three-day festival. The festival was revived in 1981 by local businessman Gordon Newton, a keen historian. He decided it was time to bring it back and over the years he has helped develop the festival into what it is today – an extravaganza of traditional Britain.
Medway’s annual Sweeps Festival recreates the joy and laughter enjoyed by the chimney sweeps at their traditional holiday on 1 May; the one time of the year the sweeps could leave the soot behind and have some fun. Their fun included the Jack-in-the-Green ceremony, a seven-foot character that they used to waken at dawn on Blue Bell Hill, Chatham. The Jack-in-the-Green would walk with the chimney sweeps in their parade.
When the Climbing Boys’ Act 1868 made it illegal to employ young boys to carry out the trade, the traditional procession gradually began to fade. The final May celebration was held in the early 1900s.
- See more at: http://www.visitkent.co.uk/events/9580/#sthash.W5yeri9H.dpuf

Feather   ... cap .... ???

Spring Greens

must confess to using Elements to add a Vignette to this one .... but just felt he warranted it

Masked

Un

Unmasked

White witches ...



Not sure where she fits into the theme ...

I have lots of photos of this smiley man ... I'm sure he will feature in a drawing sometime soon

and this one probably won't ... but he was great fun!

I interrupted their lunch break so maybe that's why they look so glum!

This was spooky .... he was wearing sunglasses behind the mask and the eyes looked really scary

One for Jo (Canada) ... a Thames Barge (Edith May) moored up by Rochester Castle specially for the occasion.   Sadly these lovely barges don't look very interesting unless under sail do they?

One of the fairground rides

As I said earlier, I like to see watch the visitors rather than the main events and this guy intrigued me as he was drinking ale from a traditional horn - but obviously posed on the castle walls, overlooking the River Medway

Caption time I think !!

OK that's it for now.       David also took lots of photos at the Festival but we haven't downloaded/viewed them yet.

The modern day Sweeps Festival is a colourful mix of music, dancing and entertainment with more than 60 Morris sides and entertainers celebrating throughout the three-day festival. The festival was revived in 1981 by local businessman Gordon Newton, a keen historian. He decided it was time to bring it back and over the years he has helped develop the festival into what it is today – an extravaganza of traditional Britain.
Medway’s annual Sweeps Festival recreates the joy and laughter enjoyed by the chimney sweeps at their traditional holiday on 1 May; the one time of the year the sweeps could leave the soot behind and have some fun. Their fun included the Jack-in-the-Green ceremony, a seven-foot character that they used to waken at dawn on Blue Bell Hill, Chatham. The Jack-in-the-Green would walk with the chimney sweeps in their parade.
When the Climbing Boys’ Act 1868 made it illegal to employ young boys to carry out the trade, the traditional procession gradually began to fade. The final May celebration was held in the early 1900s.
- See more at: http://www.visitkent.co.uk/events/9580/#sthash.W5yeri9H.dpuf

Medway’s annual Sweeps Festival recreates the joy and laughter enjoyed by the chimney sweeps at their traditional holiday on 1 May; the one time of the year the sweeps could leave the soot behind and have some fun. Their fun included the Jack-in-the-Green ceremony, a seven-foot character that they used to waken at dawn on Blue Bell Hill, Chatham. The Jack-in-the-Green would walk with the chimney sweeps in their parade.
When the Climbing Boys’ Act 1868 made it illegal to employ young boys to carry out the trade, the traditional procession gradually began to fade. The final May celebration was held in the early 1900s.
- See more at: http://www.visitkent.co.uk/events/9580/#sthash.m4hnWMAK.dpuf

The festival was revived in 1981 by local businessman Gordon Newton, a keen historian. He decided it was time to bring it back and over the years he has helped develop the festival into what it is today – an extravaganza of traditional Britain.
Medway’s annual Sweeps Festival recreates the joy and laughter enjoyed by the chimney sweeps at their traditional holiday on 1 May; the one time of the year the sweeps could leave the soot behind and have some fun. Their fun included the Jack-in-the-Green ceremony, a seven-foot character that they used to waken at dawn on Blue Bell Hill, Chatham. The Jack-in-the-Green would walk with the chimney sweeps in their parade.
When the Climbing Boys’ Act 1868 made it illegal to employ young boys to carry out the trade, the traditional procession gradually began to fade. The final May celebration was held in the early 1900s.
- See more at: http://www.visitkent.co.uk/events/9580/#sthash.m4hnWMAK.dpuf

The festival was revived in 1981 by local businessman Gordon Newton, a keen historian. He decided it was time to bring it back and over the years he has helped develop the festival into what it is today – an extravaganza of traditional Britain.
Medway’s annual Sweeps Festival recreates the joy and laughter enjoyed by the chimney sweeps at their traditional holiday on 1 May; the one time of the year the sweeps could leave the soot behind and have some fun. Their fun included the Jack-in-the-Green ceremony, a seven-foot character that they used to waken at dawn on Blue Bell Hill, Chatham. The Jack-in-the-Green would walk with the chimney sweeps in their parade.
When the Climbing Boys’ Act 1868 made it illegal to employ young boys to carry out the trade, the traditional procession gradually began to fade. The final May celebration was held in the early 1900s.
- See more at: http://www.visitkent.co.uk/events/9580/#sthash.m4hnWMAK.dpuf

The festival was revived in 1981 by local businessman Gordon Newton, a keen historian. He decided it was time to bring it back and over the years he has helped develop the festival into what it is today – an extravaganza of traditional Britain.
Medway’s annual Sweeps Festival recreates the joy and laughter enjoyed by the chimney sweeps at their traditional holiday on 1 May; the one time of the year the sweeps could leave the soot behind and have some fun. Their fun included the Jack-in-the-Green ceremony, a seven-foot character that they used to waken at dawn on Blue Bell Hill, Chatham. The Jack-in-the-Green would walk with the chimney sweeps in their parade.
When the Climbing Boys’ Act 1868 made it illegal to employ young boys to carry out the trade, the traditional procession gradually began to fade. The final May celebration was held in the early 1900s.
- See more at: http://www.visitkent.co.uk/events/9580/#sthash.m4hnWMAK.dpuf

recreates the joy and laughter enjoyed by the chimney sweeps at their traditional holiday on 1 May; the one time of the year the sweeps could leave the soot behind and have some fun. Their fun included the Jack-in-the-Green ceremony, a seven-foot character that they used to waken at dawn on Blue Bell Hill, Chatham. The Jack-in-the-Green would walk with the chimney sweeps in their parade.
When the Climbing Boys’ Act 1868 made it illegal to employ young boys to carry out the trade, the traditional procession gradually began to fade. The final May celebration was held in the early 1900s.
- See more at: http://www.visitkent.co.uk/events/9580/#sthash.ZQDb1Lzz.dpuf