| Where: | Formerly Abbotsbury, Dorset - village centre and churchyard |
| When: | Formerly 13th May |
| Time: | Formerly Late afternoon |
The old May Garland ceremony was until recently a survivor from days of yore – many fishing villages used to celebrate the abundance of the season by making similar floral tributes and at Abbotsbury the tradition was alive and well into the 21st century. The local children carried their beautiful flower and greenery covered garlands around the village collecting for charity before they placed them at the War Memorial in the churchyard; in the past the garlands used to be cast into the sea. As the number of children in the village has dwindled, the custom has slowly lapsed, though there is hope that one day soon it will be revived. You may still find a garland on display at Strangways Hall in the village but there is currently no perambulation or display at the War Memorial.
Helpful Hints
It was always held on the 13th (not on the nearest weekend as it sometimes reported). There’s a strong likelihood that this will be revived as and when circumstances allow though it may well be in a different format to the past. It’s a much loved tradition in the village and I’ll post updates when plans are firmed up.
It was a village affair rather than a public event so there were no large crowds! Be aware that as it was a small childrens event in a small community, while individuals were welcome to accompany the group for a little way, the organisers were understandably wary of encouraging too many visitors which would have altered the character of the event.
After the closure of the village school, the ceremony took place after the children returned from schools further afield- in the good old days they used to get a special day off! Exact starting times were advertised locally the week before.
Click here for the Facebook page for the village: https://www.facebook.com/Abbotsbury-Village-1662324143822967
Click here for the village website: http://www.abbotsbury.co.uk/
Garland Day is held on 13 May for a reason – when the calendar was changed in the 18th century and 11 days we’re “lost”, Abbotsbury hung on to the old calendar and celebrated May Day on the date that would have been 1st May if only the brownies in London had not messed things up !
Thanks Nigel!
D’you happen to know what time it goes ahead this year? I’m expecting it to be late afternoon, but I’ve lost the contact who kept me up-to-date about it (email address no longer works). Thanks for forwarding my earlier email on to Rosemary – but I haven’t heard anything back as yet!
Averil