JACK IN THE GREEN

Sussex

Tall, green and decidedly

leafy, Jack in the Green walks the streets of Hastings,

Sussex, during spring, wearing a crown of flowers. The giant (someone wearing a wooden frame covered in foliage) is accompanied by

leaf-clad, green-faced attendees – spirits called bogies – carrying garlands. Expect singing, dancing,

drumming and a bank holiday procession through Hastings Old Town by a

ragtag assortment of chimney sweeps and milkmaids. At the end of the

parade, Jack is “slain” to release the spirit of summer and festival-goers receive his leaves to bring them luck. April 29-May 2, free,

hastingstraditional jackinthegreen.co.uk