MORRIS DANCING: FUN OR FERTILITY RITE?

Some theories link Morris dancing to pagan human fertility rites, their origins lost in the mists of time. But there is more evidence for dances created to bring on successful crop seedings each spring, one such being wassailing, during which Morris dancers jingle bells to frighten off evil spirits, and crack together wooden sticks, representing the endless battle between good and evil.


The roots of the Morris are deepest in central England, especially in the Cotswolds, though most historians think that it came originally from 12th century Spain, where it celebrated liberation from Moslem occupation. The name is the giveaway here, as it is little-changed from ‘Moorish’ dancing.

The Morris finally arrived in England in the late 14th century after being popular in European royal courts, but declined in the 1600s, largely because of Cromwell’s Puritans, who reckoned such public (and popular!) public displays encouraged loud, lewd, and drunken behaviour in the watching crowds.

Whether the Puritans were right or not, Morris dancing nearly vanished until the mid-19th century, yet today there are probably more Morris dancers than ever before.

The dancing shown here was held at the Chipping Norton ‘Blossom Day’, a delightful event held in the Community Orchard. Plenty of people turned up to nibble at bread and cheese, and many belts were quietly opened up a notch or two to accommodate the range of tasty home-made puddings on offer!

The one downer on this particular Blossom Day was that there were few blossoms to be seen. There had been a long, late winter, and even when the sun came out, the wind still had a biting chill. So we still to wait awhile before the orchard finally managed to look like springtime.

Blossom aside, pipes and accordions were played, folk songs sung, and traditional dances were open for anyone to join in. It was all quite an eye-opener for me, as I’m not normally much of a folky person, but I have to say, the gentle occasion was a delight, and my congratulations to all involved - oh, and especially the pudding-chefs!

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