| Where: | Bedford, at the Swan Hotel |
| When: | Boxing Day 26th December |
| Time: | Dancing from 11.30 am with Ceremony at 12 noon |
Every Boxing Day in Bedford, the local morris dancers perform in the town, and the focus of their programme is the Boar’s Head Ceremony in which the proprietor of the Swan Hotel parades a boar’s head on a platter whilst the assembled crowd and dignitaries sing the Boar’s Head Carol. The morris side spiritedly perform a variety of dances to entertain the spectators prior to the ceremony, and cake is distributed held aloft on a sword. No boars are harmed for this custom- the head is rather cuddly in appearance and decidedly furry! The hotel is very tastefully decorated for the festive season, and has a rather splendid three-dimensional sign on the opposite side to the main entrance.
Helpful Hints
Arrive before the dancing starts for a good view as there is a fairly large crowd. There’s a charity bucket collection during the dancing, and donations for sampling the cake; song sheets are provided free of charge with the words of the carol so there’s no excuse for not joining in the singing!
Earlier in the morning, the dancers perform at other locations in town but the Ceremony takes place only at the Swan.
Click here for the dancers Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bedfordmorrismen
and here for their website: https://bedfordmorrismen.teamapp.com/?_webpage=v1
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