 UK £19.95 Hardback with jacket 160 pages 100 colour illustrations 25.6 x 21.2 cm (10.25 x 8.5 in) ISBN: 978-1-8589-4559-0 Not available in North America | Mummers, Maypoles and Milkmaids A Journey Through the English Ritual Year Sara Hannant In Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, a man covered from head to toe in straw – the ‘straw bear’ – is paraded through the streets, accompanied by 250 dancers, musicians and performers, while in Ottery St Mary, Devon, a crowd gathers as townspeople hoist barrels of flaming tar on to their shoulders and carry them until they are too hot to handle. Award-winning photographer Sara Hannant has travelled the length and breadth of the country, capturing the seemingly bizarre regional rituals – costumed processions, symbolic dramatizations, traditional dances and fire ceremonies – that mark the changing seasons. Many of these customs claim an ancient origin, and are kept alive today by local communities. Hannant’s vibrant photographs reflect her keen eye for the unexpected, offering a captivating and surprising study of English identity.
An entertaining album of over 50 folk rituals performed across the country, from Cornwall to Northumberland, throughout the year More than 100 colour photographs accompanied by illuminating captions tracing the history and significance of each ritual A celebration of English eccentricity that will appeal to anyone interested in folklore, tradition and national heritage   amazon: UK · USA · Canada · France · Germany · Japan Barnes & Noble · Waterstones · bookshop.org.uk · bookshop.org 
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Author Profile Sara Hannant has been a freelance photographer for more than 20 years. She was awarded Resurgence magazine’s photography prize in 2006, and her social documentary work has appeared in the Sunday Times, The Guardian and Time Out, among other publications. | |||||||
Reviews Sara Hannant’s remarkable photographs convey, with joy and compassion, the mystery, charm and exuberance of traditional English ritual Sara has a rare gift for capturing peak moments in such celebrations … the human participants emerge as vivid characters in their own right, adding depth to the drama and humour of the local seasonal rites in which they are involved. She is a genuinely talented artist, and a great boon to a scholar Wonderful photographs – funny, moving, lovely and very human Full of wonderful photos Hannant’s vibrant images reveal her keen eye for the unexpected, offering a captivating and surprising glimpse of contemporary 'Merrie England' Hannant’s charming and informative photo essay brings to life this quintessentially English obsession … she captures the warmth, drama, humour and emotion of these quaint events with an artist’s eye. An oddly moving book Sara has captured the energy and vibrancy of her selected customs | |||||||
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British Film Institute DVD Here's a Health to the Barley Mow
The BFI celebrates British folk customs, songs, dances and games in this entertaining DVD containing short films, poetic documentaries, long-unseen TV reports and rare silent film footage, spanning a century.
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Katharine Briggs Folklore Award 2012 Runner-up in the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award 2012
The Folklore Society | |||||||
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