Maydays, Maypoles, and Morris Dancing is a vivid exploration of England’s springtime folk traditions, drawn from the extensive antiquarian writings of John Brand, one of the eighteenth century’s foremost chroniclers of popular customs.
Price range: £4.99 through £13.99
Price range: £4.99 through £13.99
| Author |
John Brand |
|---|---|
| Imprint |
Pierides Press |
| Categories |
Cultural Studies Folklore & Mythology Nature & Natural World Popular Beliefs & Controversial Knowledge Seasons Society & Culture Society & Social Sciences Weather & Climate |
| ISBN | 9781445521053, 9781447483359 |
| Formats Available | |
| Pages | 88 |
| Publication Date | 03 August 2010, 03 December 2012 |
| Weight | 114 kg |
| Dimensions | 5.5 × 8.5 in |
Maydays, Maypoles, and Morris Dancing is a vivid exploration of England’s springtime folk traditions, drawn from the extensive antiquarian writings of John Brand, one of the eighteenth century’s foremost chroniclers of popular customs.
This collection explores the joyful rites and pageantry that mark the arrival of May. From the crowning of the May Queen and the weaving of maypole ribbons to the lively rhythms of Morris dancers. Brand traces the origins of these customs back to pre-Christian fertility rites and medieval village life.
Brand’s observations are gathered here as part of the Folklore History Series, which keeps the early records of English custom in print for modern readers. Grounded in historical sources yet animated by folkloric colour, this volume is an essential read for anyone interested in traditional English culture, and the history of May Day celebrations.
John Brand (1744–1806) was a clergyman and antiquarian who spent his life recording the customs of ordinary English life, and it is largely through his work that we know how earlier generations kept the seasons. Maydays, Maypoles, and Morris Dancing gathers his writing on the rites and revels of May.
We have reissued it as part of our Folklore History Series. Ours is a volume for the folklorist, the local historian, and anyone who loves the older rhythms of the English year.
Brand’s material comes from his Observations on Popular Antiquities, first published in 1777 and itself a greatly expanded revision of Henry Bourne’s Antiquitates Vulgares of 1725.
It became one of the foundational reference works of English folklore, and its findings were later carried into popular nineteenth-century almanacs such as Hone’s Every Day Book and Chambers’s Book of Days.
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Price range: £4.99 through £13.99
Maydays, Maypoles, and Morris Dancing is a vivid exploration of England’s springtime folk traditions, drawn from the extensive antiquarian writings of John Brand, one of the eighteenth century’s foremost chroniclers of popular customs.
