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9th August

The Queensferry Burryman

The Burryman in 2017. Sources: GettyImages and EdinburghLive website

On the second Friday in August the Queensferry Burryman walks the streets of South Queensferry in Lothian. Elected by the Ferry Fair Committee, a local man undertakes the arduous role of the Burryman which involves being covered from head to foot in burrs from the burdock plant. With arms outstretched and unbending knees, this extraordinary looking figure, flanked by two assistants and carrying two staves of flowers, walks the nine miles that form the town’s boundary, sustained only by occasional gulps of water through a straw. The entire parade takes at least nine hours, during which the Burryman collect alms for charity from the people he encounters, particularly in the town’s pubs, in exchange for good luck.

The Burryman’s origins are obscure, but the figure appears to be genuinely ancient. Some claim he represents a god of the forest, like the Green Man; others that he is a scapegoat figure, collecting the sins of the community before ultimately being sacrificed, others that he is a pagan entity, called into being to placate the local sea gods and ensure continued good catches of fish. Whatever his meaning, the Burryman remains an intriguing link to our pre-Christian, vegetation-worshipping past.

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sangs and shanties o a virtual scotland: the burryman

Wha peys the Burryman And dae they pey in groats? They wha stint the Burryman Sall not escape on boats.

There yaised tae be a ferry, man, That plied the Firth fur years They wadna pey the Burryman Noo it’s buried somewhaur near.

(chorus) Oh the Burryman jist waants a dram But he huztae sook a straa Gin ye dinna pey the Burryman Ye’ll be sookin ane and aa.

There yaised tae be a furry man Crehd Big Foot beh Canucks He wadna pey the Burryman Noo he’s sleepin wi the ducks.

But gin ye pey the Burryman He’s a blessin fur yir heid Ye’ll ne'er get cursed with bad luck’s burrs Fur they stick til him insteid.

(chorus) Oh the Burryman jist waants a dram As far as fowk can tell Sae if he grabs you beh the hand Ye’d best hae wan yirsel.

Aye, the Burryman jist waants a dram As far as fowk can tell Sae if he crams us in a clam Ye’d best hae wan yirsel, ye’d best... hae wan... yirsel!

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The Burryman Parade will take place in South Queensferry, near Edinburgh on Friday.

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The Burry Man

The Burryman or Burry Man is the central figure in an annual ceremony or ritual, the Burryman's Parade, that takes place in South Queensferry, Scotland on the second Friday of August. The meaning of this ceremony has long been forgotten, but it has been the cause of much speculation.

On the Friday morning, a local man is covered from head to ankles in burrs (the sticky flowerheads or seedheads of two species of burdock, Arctium lappa and A. minus) that grow locally. The stickiness of his burry covering means that he has to walk awkwardly, with legs apart and arms held out sideways but he is nevertheless paraded around a seven-mile route through South Queensferry for nine hours or more. He supports his aching arms on waist-high poles decorated with flowers. Two attendants (dressed in normal clothing) guide him through the town and help him through his ordeal. They visit the town's pubs, some factories, and the provost's house, at each of which the Burryman is given a drink of whisky, but because of his sticky facial covering he can only drink through a straw. He is not allowed to speak. By the end of the day he is exhausted.

-wikipedia.org

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The Burry Man

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