DANCING AT DAWN

“The sun does arise, And make happy the skies, The merry bells ring, To welcome the Spring”, wrote William Blake in The Echoing Green, painting the pastoral image of a May Day scene. Celebrated on the first day of the month, May Day marks the beginning of spring and new fertility, traditionally starting with Morris dancers to ‘dance in’ the day. Villagers would meet at first light to watch the dance and share the rites of spring. This ritual has spanned centuries, with towns and villages continuing to embrace the tradition today, such as the Chanctonbury Ring Morris Men, who climb to a summit on the South Downs clad in white trousers, bells and straw hats. As dawn breaks, they skip and hop to music, twirling handkerchiefs in the morning light, to keep the English folk tradition alive.