Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Morris dancers, unleashed!

I dont know what is more preposterous, threatening old cultural traditions with arbitrary closure, or that Morris dancers performing a centuries
old ritual need police escort to comply with Health and Safety dogma. Didn't they get on ok before them.

It's a shame if a long held British tradition gets stopped because of a minor dispute, however it sounds more like "elf and safety gone mmmaaaadddd" reporting than anything. My town has Morris men every year and they never have police, although given how much they drink I'm surprised more of them are not in accidents It's really just an excuse for a pub crawl.

If the Morris Men block the road during their procession, presumably the police will not be able to afford to turn out to arrest them.

Problem solved!

...can someone explain this a little more? The article didn't do the best job and I'd rather have it from a Brit then wikipedia

Put crudely, men in strange clothes do an even stranger dance that involves little bells and possiblely little hand clacker things. I forget now.

 Snrub wrote:
Put crudely, men in strange clothes do an even stranger dance that involves little bells and possiblely little hand clacker things. I forget now.

And drink. Allot. All day.

Morris is a traditional English dance, often performed in spring. It supposedly dates back to Pagan fertility rites and involves lots of strange costumes, banking of sticks, bells and the like. May day is a big day for morris dancing and in areas it is popular you will find morris troops performing, and often there will be competing troups in areas. They will also each have there own traditions and dances, like dancing round a particular tree (often oak) or in a particular place. Strangly these trees always seem to be in pub gardens.

Mostly it is an excuse to go out and spend the day drinking and taking part in a slightly silly English tradition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_dance

I live in the heart of Morris country (and we have allot of May traditions). May day is a fun holiday and we should encorage it more in the UK (And stop the stupid commies from hijacking it).

 KalashnikovMarine wrote:
...can someone explain this a little more? The article didn't do the best job and I'd rather have it from a Brit then wikipedia

No-one can explain Teh Morris, not even the Spase Emporer.
Still they are fun and drink proper beer.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
My brother is a fully trained Morris Dancer and your so-called border agency let him settle in Oregon.

The true danger of Morris Men only becomes apparent when they dance the Dark Morris...

 Kilkrazy wrote:

 KalashnikovMarine wrote:
...can someone explain this a little more? The article didn't do the best job and I'd rather have it from a Brit then wikipedia

No-one can explain Teh Morris, not even the Spase Emporer.
Still they are fun and drink proper beer.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
My brother is a fully trained Morris Dancer and your so-called border agency let him settle in Oregon.

Let us not speak of Oregon, tis a silly place

 Orlanth wrote:

Morris dancers, unleashed!

I dont know what is more preposterous, threatening old cultural traditions with arbitrary closure, or that Morris dancers performing a centuries
old ritual need police escort to comply with Health and Safety dogma. Didn't they get on ok before them.

WHAT

THE HELL

IS THAT???

Morris dancing...
Yeah I forsee your haggis thing fading in the face of such an almighty threat.

 purplefood wrote:
The true danger of Morris Men only becomes apparent when they dance the Dark Morris...

...of which we do not speak.

So uh hey.... lets talk about the Dark Morris dance shall we? Its certainly my favourite kind of dance. What about everyone else?

 Frazzled wrote:
WHAT

THE HELL

IS THAT???

Yeah that's about the correct response to seeing the Morris dance.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
If the Morris Men block the road during their procession, presumably the police will not be able to afford to turn out to arrest them.

Problem solved!

Indeed, if they can't afford a small escort, how could they afford to arrest them?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 KalashnikovMarine wrote:


Let us not speak of Oregon, tis a silly place

Evidence: Portlandia.

 purplefood wrote:
Morris dancing...
Yeah I forsee your haggis thing fading in the face of such an almighty threat.

Our sheep intestines will outlast your silly bell dancing

The biggest gathering of Morrisses near me is in January, for the Wassailing. It's to encourage a good crop of apples in the coming year.
I blame the lack of Wassail Morrissing for the decline in cider apples this year

There are usually 6-8 teams at this particular orchard, and no pubs!
I'm not sure where they went afterwards, but I expect a fair few bar tabs were opened elsewhere that night.