*Ø* Blogmanac | May 29 | Well-dressing, Tissington, England on Ascension Day
On Ascension Day* in Tissington, England, wells are traditionally dressed with flowers, and sometimes Bible verses are made out in letters of flowers. Well-dressing, practised in many other places throught Britain, is the art of decorating springs and wells with scenes, usually made from local plant life. The dressings are set in clay-filled wooden trays, mounted on a wooden frame and take up to seven days to complete.
Some believe the custom arose during a drought in Derbyshire in 1615, but it is known that the custom of well-dressing began in Celtic times. The wells of Tissington flowed throughout this time, and people from ten miles around drove their cattle there to drink, so at Ascension Day a thanksgiving custom came about.
We know that these kinds of traditions go back to antiquity, and the Romans also practised well-dressing. Seneca wrote "Where a spring rises or a river flows, there should we build altars and offer sacrifices". English kings Edgar and Canute both issued edicts prohibiting the pagan custom of worshipping of wells.
Wells are symbolic of purity, and May was always considered the best time to visit curative springs. Silence was to be kept going there and coming back, and the vessel used to take the water was not allowed to touch the ground. After the Reformation these customs were forbidden.
In another custom associated with today, farmers hung in their roof an egg laid on Ascension Day, in order to protect against lightning and fire.
Ascension is the end of the Easter season. During the 40-day period beginning with Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the time when Jesus reappeared to some of His followers. This period ends on Ascension Day, or Ascension Thursday.
Pip Wilson's articles are available for your publication, on application. Further details
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Thursday was named after the Viking god, Thor, and to the Vikings today was also the Festival of Mjollnir, Thor’s hammer, on a Thursday, at around the time that Christians celebrate Ascension Day. Mjollnir was made by Brok and Eitri and had enormous destructive abilities; it was associated with lightning. When thrown, it would return like a boomerang after hitting its target, and only Thor and Magni, his son, could manage to lift it. Today was marked by ritual contests such as trial by combat.
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Because the skies were opened to receive Christ on Ascension Day, any rain which falls then comes straight from Heaven: so it has special curative properties, being particularly good for bathing sore eyes. Water from holy wells is also uniquely efficacious if collected early on ‘Holy Thursday’ morning: and Ascensiontide or Whitsun are the favourite seasons for ‘well-dressing’.
John Aubrey, Remains of Gentilism, 1688
History of Well Dressing
The Art of Well Dressing
Well-dressing Links
Good picture of a well-dressing
Mjollnir
On Ascension Day* in Tissington, England, wells are traditionally dressed with flowers, and sometimes Bible verses are made out in letters of flowers. Well-dressing, practised in many other places throught Britain, is the art of decorating springs and wells with scenes, usually made from local plant life. The dressings are set in clay-filled wooden trays, mounted on a wooden frame and take up to seven days to complete.
Some believe the custom arose during a drought in Derbyshire in 1615, but it is known that the custom of well-dressing began in Celtic times. The wells of Tissington flowed throughout this time, and people from ten miles around drove their cattle there to drink, so at Ascension Day a thanksgiving custom came about.
We know that these kinds of traditions go back to antiquity, and the Romans also practised well-dressing. Seneca wrote "Where a spring rises or a river flows, there should we build altars and offer sacrifices". English kings Edgar and Canute both issued edicts prohibiting the pagan custom of worshipping of wells.
Wells are symbolic of purity, and May was always considered the best time to visit curative springs. Silence was to be kept going there and coming back, and the vessel used to take the water was not allowed to touch the ground. After the Reformation these customs were forbidden.
In another custom associated with today, farmers hung in their roof an egg laid on Ascension Day, in order to protect against lightning and fire.
Ascension is the end of the Easter season. During the 40-day period beginning with Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the time when Jesus reappeared to some of His followers. This period ends on Ascension Day, or Ascension Thursday.
Pip Wilson's articles are available for your publication, on application. Further details
Thursday was named after the Viking god, Thor, and to the Vikings today was also the Festival of Mjollnir, Thor’s hammer, on a Thursday, at around the time that Christians celebrate Ascension Day. Mjollnir was made by Brok and Eitri and had enormous destructive abilities; it was associated with lightning. When thrown, it would return like a boomerang after hitting its target, and only Thor and Magni, his son, could manage to lift it. Today was marked by ritual contests such as trial by combat.
Because the skies were opened to receive Christ on Ascension Day, any rain which falls then comes straight from Heaven: so it has special curative properties, being particularly good for bathing sore eyes. Water from holy wells is also uniquely efficacious if collected early on ‘Holy Thursday’ morning: and Ascensiontide or Whitsun are the favourite seasons for ‘well-dressing’.
John Aubrey, Remains of Gentilism, 1688
History of Well Dressing
The Art of Well Dressing
Well-dressing Links
Good picture of a well-dressing
Mjollnir
Pip Wilson posted item above at 2:10 AM | Permalink
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