At the Hastings Jack in the Green festival Bank Holiday Monday procession. So much effort gone into the costumes. The Jack (Green Man figure with a crown) is paraded through the streets and up onto the West Hill where after everyone has watched Morris dancing, drunk and eaten, he is 'slain' to herald in the summer.
No, not a pagan festival at all. It was created in 1983 by a local Morris dancing side or more accurately they revived Jack-in-the-Green customs that used to take place on May Day in Hastings through the 19th century. Those probably quashed because of drunken disorderliness like a lot of 19th and early 20th century festivities.
Early toast breakfast and tidying up the flat before stowing our stuff in the car. Walked to town to find a spot to watch the procession - which is where we realised how much bigger the festival has become since I visited 20 years ago or so. The streets were mobbed and not helped by the other seaside bank holiday custom which seems to have increased hugely - the onslaught of 1000s of bikers.
We did however find a corner to perch at with a good view of the wondrous efforts people had gone to: the Jack himself dancing along surrounded by his bogies (green attendants), May queens and kings, milkmaids, Morris dancers, drummers, woodland animals and deities, horned beasts - you wanted them all to line up somewhere so you could inspect the fine detail of their costumes.
We looked around the shops for a bit after - a great selection of independent places where I found several future birthday presents - before we thought it best to make our way to the castle, having seen the queue for the West Hill lift. We struggled along the front past the hordes of bikers revving and generally being irksome. Luckily I asked a woman the way and discovered the festival was so big now, it was no longer at the castle but on the West Hill itself.
Got up there and found a spot not too far from the stage - the place already heaving and an accapella folk singing quartet entertaining the crowds - laying out the picnic blankets and chairs. The Jack and the procession eventually arrived and paraded onto the stage. After the Jack was honoured by the local Morris side, we found we were directly in his path to his perch a way behind us and had to hurriedly move our chairs and blankets.
Expected to settle down after that and get some food and drink and relaxedly watch Morris dancing before the slaying of the Jack but the queues for food and drink were half an hour long (with stalls starting to run out even that early) and it was so busy with people just milling and standing around we decided to call the festival a day and find something to eat in town. Shame to miss the slaying - the leaves are handed out to bring good luck for the rest of the year - but was probably the right decision. The bit in the programme that said the good luck is only guaranteed if the leaf is 'freely given' was probably a clue as to how popular and busy it all is now from the small folky festival it once was.
Town still busy and the bikers and their fumes probably even more irritating if that was possible. But found tables outside a Turkish café for much welcome mezze and Efes. Back to the car after to return home - traffic ok if marred occasionally by buzzing and thundering bikers also returning home. They are obviously popular also with small gatherings of people at the roadside and on bridges waiting to see them.
Loads and loads of good things including
1. When I used to visit this festival there was definitely a split between the weird folkies and the normal town residents - it might be huge now but that's because the residents have obviously totally embraced it which is a massively good thing.
2. Deep fried halloumi and chips with Greek salad at the Turkish café.
3. Home to find F and C's funny card and Roku gin present.
Greened
https://365project.org/boxplayer/extras/2022-05-02
Jack in the green
https://365project.org/boxplayer/365/2022-05-02
2 Mat 2022
Hastings, East Sussex
Ian