Northerners are in competition with the South over England’s best cities, culture, and even pronunciation, but maybe we could take a page out of their book when it comes to festivities.
Hastings is a charming town on England’s South East coast, perhaps best known for the 1066 battle of the same name. Primarily a fishing town, Hastings also attracts tourists due to its whimsical Old Town, full of vintage shops and hipster cafes in Tudor and Georgian buildings. However, an underrated event which Hastings is also known for is Jack in the Green, their annual May Day celebration.
May Day is an ancient folk festival, celebrated since the Medieval period around Europe. However, it’s thought to stem from the Ancient Roman Floralia festival, dedicated to Flora, the Goddess of flowers, fertility, and Spring. At the same time, May Day also comes from the Gaelic festival of Beltane, which marks the opening of summer pastures for grazing. Key May Day customs include choosing a May Queen who then presides over the celebrations, and the tradition of dancing around a maypole while intertwining ribbons.
Hastingers celebrate May Day with Jack in the Green, a four-day long festival from 1st May to 4th May. It involves live music, a procession of giants, Morris dancers, and even ceilidh dancing that anyone can join.
The main event is ‘Jack’ himself, a leaf-clad man who leads a procession through the town on the Monday. Then he is ritualistically stripped of his foliage to release the spirit of the summer: a symbolic ‘slaying’. With customs supposedly originating with London milkmaids and chimney sweeps, the event’s official website describes it as: “The largest event of its kind in the country.”
Today, the festival is kept alive by a volunteer committee, attracting around 20,000 tourists annually, according to The Morris Federation. However, climate change is morphing such festivals centred in nature, and Jack in the Green saliently acknowledged this in this year’s giant procession, featuring artfully handmade characters. One character was a new addition, hailing from Glastonbury, wore a cloak adorned with messages raising awareness about climate change and rising sea levels.
So, whether you want to experience an ancient Pagan rite, or even if you just go for the festivities, Jack in the Green is an eclectic weekend to visit. But why drive 5 hours? Manchester seems to be lacking in an similar event of the same scale, and perhaps the city would benefit from the extra joy spread by May Day.
