Butser Ancient Farm

Principal Christine Shaw

Festival of Beltain 2003

PRESS RELEASE

The Wicker Man well and truly went up in flames as the climax to the Beltain celebrations at Butser Ancient Farm last Saturday evening. This year's Wicker Man, designed and built by Jonathan West with help from Madeleine Allison and their many helpers, was over 25 foot high and loomed over the roundhouses as some six hundred people joined in the celebration of this very ancient spring festival. The Victory Morris, another ancient tradition whose origins are lost in the mists of time, got the evening off to a colourful and musical start. Then came the parade around the fields with flaming torches to encourage the crops to grow and produce a fruitful harvest, the real purpose of the Beltain festival. Before the Wicker Man was set alight, the audience were treated to a spectacular display by Fire Jugglers led by Rosi Page, Coral Tilley and Paul Cook. Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for. Just as dusk fell, 'druids' Tim Concannon and Jane Esden put their torches to the Wicker Man, burnt as a sacrifice to ensure good fertility among crops and animals for this growing season. Christine Shaw, Principal of Butser Ancient Farm said, "It was a very successful evening. The money raising aspect to the evening is very important for us as we are an independent organisation with no outside funding but, more than that, it was good to see so many people enjoying themselves. It would be nice to think that they will visit the Farm again this summer and see some of the other things that we do."

PHOTOGRAPHS

The 25 foot high Wicker Man nervously watches Fire Juggler Paul Cook		The Victory Morris men
The Parade led by Jane Esden & Tim Concannon		The 'druids' light the Wicker Man
The fire begins to take hold		The Wicker Man is truly alight now

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Created 14 February 2003 - Updated 17 January 2007