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That special form of bone-tired that comes from getting up at 4 AM for May Morning and then dancing for a few hours after you've woken the Sun up with sticks and bells and all the ungodly racket inherent to Morris dance.
Other pagans probably get to do pretty aesthetic things, I have no idea.
Have you ever done Morris dancing?
Yes, many times
Yes, once or twice
No, never
I am genuinely impressed when I see someone half arse a caper because fuck I really have to put my whole pussy into those or it just throws me completely off.
Episode 147: In The Horse Mouth of Fadness
It's the holiday season! Time for incomprehensible traditions and seasonal fads. The sort of annual things that make one say, "How the hell did that get started?" and "What in the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Well today we are going to talk about just such a tradition. Mired in the mysterious mists of time, folklore, and possibly alcohol. Do you hear the jingle of bells? Do you hear a rhyming verse outside your house? Are you in Wales? If so, it might not just your average carolers... It might just be Mari Llwyd.
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Enjoy the episode images below!
This is one version of Mari Llwyd with a horse skull.
A Mari Lwyd ca. 1904
A Mari Lwyd from the mid 19th century
The Mari Lwyd is always led around by a well dressed gentlemen.
A "Hooden Horse" from Kent. Similar to Mari Lwyd, but not a horse skull.
The origin of Mari Lwyn and other similar traditions most likely come from the fad of Hobby Horses in the 16th and 17th centuries. Here a painting of Morris Dancers from 1620 features a dancer in a "Tourney Style" hobby horse.
A stained glass window depicting Morris Dancers and a Hobby Horse. Note the mention of "May". Hobby horse traditions could occur at multiple times of the year. Mari Lwyd is associated with the winter solstice, Christmas, or new years eve in Wales, but other hobby horses make appearances on May Day, or the summer solstice.
Nor is the tradition restricted to Britain. Here are hobby horses from Catalonia in Spain. And it is from Spain that hobby horses most likely galloped into the rest of Europe.
The spread of hobby horses came at a time when there was interest amongst European nobles in all things Moorish. The Morris Dance was directly a reference to the Moors. And the presence of hobby horses with Morris Dancers further establishes this connection.
Long exposure dance photos are my life now.
Someone please tell English people that the rest of the English-speaking world doesn't know what the hell a "Morris dance" is.
Source details and larger version.
Here’s a collection of vintage jester imagery.
