In case you are unfamiliar with this English tradition, here's a taster:
I took this video on my camera at Walsingham last Saturday, on the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Walsingham. The various people walking past are probably from the Liverpool Union of Catholic Mothers, the Oxford Oratory or other groups gathering for the feast day.
There are various theories about the origins of Morris dancing. One of the more widely accepted is that it comes from "Moorish" dancing. One of the Walsingham walkers who spent many years in the army told me that the Moorish dancing formed part of the weapons training for the Knights Templar.
2 comments:
Fr. Finigan,
I was on pilgrimage in Walsingham last year for the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham. Unfortunately, there were no Morris Dancers, or if there were, I somehow missed them.
Were you in Walsingham last year? You look very familiar to me (your photo in the sidebar). I was wearing a "Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club" t-shirt.
Judging by the 'action' this is indeed a formidable bunch of warriors. Certainly wouldn't want to meet one on a lonely dark footpath. With a deft eye for these things (as a Karate black belt of 30+ years training) I can clearly discern the deadly stick blows, body twists and turns to evade enemy strikes and so on.
The only part of the 'deadly art of Morris Dancing thing' I can't quite get to grips with is why they always practice and demonstrate their warrior skills within a few short feet of the local pub! Something to do with 'fighting spirit' I wonder.
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