From Wikipedia: “Jack in the Green, also known as Jack o’ the Green, is an English folk custom associated with the celebration of May Day. It involves a pyramidal or conical wicker or wooden framework that is decorated with foliage being worn by a person as part of a procession, often accompanied by musicians.
The Jack in the Green tradition developed in England during the eighteenth century. It emerged from an older May Day tradition—first recorded in the seventeenth century—in which milkmaids carried milk pails that had been decorated with flowers and other objects as part of a procession. Increasingly, the decorated milk pails were replaced with decorated pyramids of objects worn on the head, and by the latter half of the eighteenth century the tradition had been adopted by other professional groups, such as bunters and chimney sweeps. The earliest known account of a Jack in the Green came from a description of a London May Day procession in 1770. By the nineteenth century, the Jack in the Green tradition was largely associated with chimney sweeps.
The tradition died out in the early twentieth century. Later that century, various revivalist groups emerged, continuing the practice of Jack in the Green May Day processions in various parts of England. The Jack in the Green has also been incorporated into various modern Pagan parades and activities”
In 2017 I was in London and was able to witness one of the ‘modern pagan parades’. It was great fun as we walked from pub-to-pub, having a beer on the way, of course 😊
Here are some of the photos I made. I guess this year the parade will not be taking place ☹
(Joining the parade in Greenwich – alongside the Cutty Sark)
“Deptford, London: The Fowlers Troop Jack was revived during the early 1980s by members of the Blackheath Morris Men and friends. It is a revival of a Jack in the Green from about 1906 which was paraded by the original Fowlers Troop. The Fowlers Jack goes out on the streets of South East London or the City of London each May Day. The Jack is usually dressed on 30 April and is paraded on May Day.”
(The Fowlers Troop, from Deptford)
(Stopping at pubs on the way and having a beer…)
(The ‘main players’ with the chimney sweep.. and blackened faces)
(Morris dancing, an integral part of the celebration.. it’s never too early to learn )
References:
Jack in the Green: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_in_the_Green
Photos – Morgana, Deptford, London 2017
