In Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, a man covered from head to toe in straw - the 'straw bear' - is paraded through the streets, accompanied by 250 dancers, musicians and performers, while in Ottery St Mary, Devon, a crowd gathers as townspeople hoist barrels of flaming tar on to their shoulders and carry them until they are too hot to handle. Award-winning photographer Sara Hannant has travelled the length and breadth of the country, capturing the seemingly bizarre regional rituals - costumed processions, symbolic dramatizations, traditional dances and fire ceremonies - that mark the changing seasons. Many of these customs claim an ancient origin, and are kept alive today by local communities. Hannant's vibrant photographs reflect her keen eye for the unexpected, offering a captivating and surprising study of English identity.
 Trade In this Item for up to £1.60
Trade in Mummers, Maypoles and Milkmaids: A Journey Through the English Ritual Year for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £1.60, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more
|
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
Review
''A picture is worth a thousand words', goes the old adage - and that is certainly true of a new book of photographs of England's seasonal festivities captured by Sara Hannant.' -- www.badwitch.co.uk/
'Subtitled 'A journey through the English ritual year', this compendium of bizarre feasts and festivals marks the changing seasons.' --The Times
'Sara Hannant's remarkable photograph's convey, with joy and compassion, the mystery, charm and exuberance of traditional English ritual.' -- Shirley Collins, President of the English Folk Dance and Song Society
'Sara has a rare gift for capturing peak moments in such celebrations: the human participants emerge as vivid characters in their own right, adding depth to the drama and humour of the local seasonal rites in which they are involved. She is a genuinely talented artist, and a great boon to a scholar.' -- Professor Ronald Hutton, University of Bristol
'Wonderful photographs - funny, moving, lovely and very human' ---- Mali Morris, RA
'It's primarily a photographic book - a snapshot of some parts of the ritual year that have caught Hannant's eye and lens - and it is gorgeous… It deserves to be widely seen and enjoyed.' -- http://humphreywithhisflail.blogspot.com/
'Hannant's eyecatching, reportage-style photographs capture the mystery and eccentricity of customs which for her "play such an important role in the cultural identity of present day England"…' -- The Countryman
'Sara has captured the energy and vibrancy of her selected customs' --English Dance & Song magazine, www.efdss.org
'Hannant's charming and informative photo essay brings to life this quintessentially English obsession... she captures the warmth, drama, humour and emotion of these quaint events with an artist s eye. An oddly moving book.' --F22 Magazine
'Hannant's charming and informative photo essay brings to life this quintessentially English obsession... she captures the warmth, drama, humour and emotion of these quaint events with an artist s eye. An oddly moving book.' --F22 (Eyes Wide Open) Magazine
'It's primarily a photographic book - a snapshot of some parts of the ritual year that have caught Hannant's eye and lens - and it is gorgeous… It deserves to be widely seen and enjoyed.' -- http://humphreywithhisflail.blogspot.com/
'Hannant's eyecatching, reportage-style photographs capture the mystery and eccentricity of customs which for her "play such an important role in the cultural identity of present day England"…' -- The Countryman
'Sara has captured the energy and vibrancy of her selected customs' --English Dance & Song magazine, www.efdss.org
Runner-up in the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award 2012
These photographs are fabulous, and the author has clearly taken the time to find out what these customs mean to their participants. Her consideration of revived, invented and semi-institutional customs alongside the traditional is welcome, and the whole is backed with a sober and thoughtful text. --The Folklore Society
'It's primarily a photographic book - a snapshot of some parts of the ritual year that have caught Hannant's eye and lens - and it is gorgeous… It deserves to be widely seen and enjoyed.' -- http://humphreywithhisflail.blogspot.com/
'Hannant's eyecatching, reportage-style photographs capture the mystery and eccentricity of customs which for her "play such an important role in the cultural identity of present day England"…' -- The Countryman
'Sara has captured the energy and vibrancy of her selected customs' --English Dance & Song magazine, www.efdss.org
'Subtitled 'A journey through the English ritual year', this compendium of bizarre feasts and festivals marks the changing seasons.' --The Times
'Sara Hannant's remarkable photograph's convey, with joy and compassion, the mystery, charm and exuberance of traditional English ritual.' -- Shirley Collins, President of the English Folk Dance and Song Society
'Sara has a rare gift for capturing peak moments in such celebrations: the human participants emerge as vivid characters in their own right, adding depth to the drama and humour of the local seasonal rites in which they are involved. She is a genuinely talented artist, and a great boon to a scholar.' -- Professor Ronald Hutton, University of Bristol
'Wonderful photographs - funny, moving, lovely and very human' ---- Mali Morris, RA
'It's primarily a photographic book - a snapshot of some parts of the ritual year that have caught Hannant's eye and lens - and it is gorgeous… It deserves to be widely seen and enjoyed.' -- http://humphreywithhisflail.blogspot.com/
'Hannant's eyecatching, reportage-style photographs capture the mystery and eccentricity of customs which for her "play such an important role in the cultural identity of present day England"…' -- The Countryman
'Sara has captured the energy and vibrancy of her selected customs' --English Dance & Song magazine, www.efdss.org
'Hannant's charming and informative photo essay brings to life this quintessentially English obsession... she captures the warmth, drama, humour and emotion of these quaint events with an artist s eye. An oddly moving book.' --F22 Magazine
'Hannant's charming and informative photo essay brings to life this quintessentially English obsession... she captures the warmth, drama, humour and emotion of these quaint events with an artist s eye. An oddly moving book.' --F22 (Eyes Wide Open) Magazine
'It's primarily a photographic book - a snapshot of some parts of the ritual year that have caught Hannant's eye and lens - and it is gorgeous… It deserves to be widely seen and enjoyed.' -- http://humphreywithhisflail.blogspot.com/
'Hannant's eyecatching, reportage-style photographs capture the mystery and eccentricity of customs which for her "play such an important role in the cultural identity of present day England"…' -- The Countryman
'Sara has captured the energy and vibrancy of her selected customs' --English Dance & Song magazine, www.efdss.org
Runner-up in the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award 2012
These photographs are fabulous, and the author has clearly taken the time to find out what these customs mean to their participants. Her consideration of revived, invented and semi-institutional customs alongside the traditional is welcome, and the whole is backed with a sober and thoughtful text. --The Folklore Society
'It's primarily a photographic book - a snapshot of some parts of the ritual year that have caught Hannant's eye and lens - and it is gorgeous… It deserves to be widely seen and enjoyed.' -- http://humphreywithhisflail.blogspot.com/
'Hannant's eyecatching, reportage-style photographs capture the mystery and eccentricity of customs which for her "play such an important role in the cultural identity of present day England"…' -- The Countryman
'Sara has captured the energy and vibrancy of her selected customs' --English Dance & Song magazine, www.efdss.org
About the Author
Sara Hannant has been a freelance photographer for more than 20 years. She was awarded Resurgence magazine's photography prize in 2006, and her social documentary work has appeared in the Sunday Times, The Guardian, Marie Claire and Time Out, among other publications.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Marvellous! I went to see the exhibition and bought the book. It's a wonderful observation of English seasonal rites and rituals. The photography is stunning and captures beautifully contemporary folkloric practice. A rich and often surprising heritage is revealed in these images. I particularly like the juxtaposition of tradition and modern life. A unique insight into Englishness.
Mark Hewitson
Mark Hewitson
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Victorian
I've just been given a copy of 'Mummers, Maypoles and Milkmaids' by a friend, who knew I like history, English culture and documentary photography.
While the documentary tradition is a natural genre for Merrie England, photographers have often approached the landscapes of the traditional event as over-romanticised, minus the incongruous incidentals cropped out to sell us a product of tourist-led Morris Men - all that a modern Britain has shunned. The ignorant auslander perceiving them nowadays as bearded fruitcakes.
I've seen various other books and articles on this subject, the most obvious is the photography that Tony Ray-Jones undertook in the 70s as part of his English series. Although structurally brilliant, his pictures often treated his subjects as part of a laughable circus, rather than an important record of our heritage.
But here in 'Mummers .. ' we see a photographer in tune with a nation desperately hanging on to its ancient roots through a healthy revivalist calendar. Before industrialised agriculture, we were connected to the land for survival in ways we can barely nowadays comprehend and Sara Hannant shows us how the locals of England's rural backwaters, the lovers of nostalgia, still indulge their sense of our precious pagan past.
A lorry laden with local straw charges through Sowerby Bridge where by chance, the Rush-bearing festival is in full flow. On the days of yore, these people would have brought in their own harvest and then found time for their community carnival until the advent of stone instead of the rush mat floor. How many other such practices are now lost forever?
I love the Mayor of Ock Street as he passes the local chippy in Abingdon, its fish avatar perfectly spaced between the dignitaries; or the druid-like cult of the digital camera, seemingly proffered to an unknown sky deity amid the sarcens at Stonehenge.
My favourites however are the Hunting of the Earl of Rone where the community of Combe Martin turns out to forget its economic woes: ".. the evolution of a pre-Christian scapegoat ritual," followed by the fantastic burning of the David Cameron effigy, the blaming and subsequent exorcising of a latter-day bogyman.
Thankfully there is someone dedicated and undeterred like Hannant who can take herself across our counties to find and record these lores and communal customs. As an outside, she is nonetheless among kindred spirits.
This book of reportage is important and well worth the price. But one word of complaint: I do wish publishers wouldn't wrap books about the 'countryside' in green gloss.
While the documentary tradition is a natural genre for Merrie England, photographers have often approached the landscapes of the traditional event as over-romanticised, minus the incongruous incidentals cropped out to sell us a product of tourist-led Morris Men - all that a modern Britain has shunned. The ignorant auslander perceiving them nowadays as bearded fruitcakes.
I've seen various other books and articles on this subject, the most obvious is the photography that Tony Ray-Jones undertook in the 70s as part of his English series. Although structurally brilliant, his pictures often treated his subjects as part of a laughable circus, rather than an important record of our heritage.
But here in 'Mummers .. ' we see a photographer in tune with a nation desperately hanging on to its ancient roots through a healthy revivalist calendar. Before industrialised agriculture, we were connected to the land for survival in ways we can barely nowadays comprehend and Sara Hannant shows us how the locals of England's rural backwaters, the lovers of nostalgia, still indulge their sense of our precious pagan past.
A lorry laden with local straw charges through Sowerby Bridge where by chance, the Rush-bearing festival is in full flow. On the days of yore, these people would have brought in their own harvest and then found time for their community carnival until the advent of stone instead of the rush mat floor. How many other such practices are now lost forever?
I love the Mayor of Ock Street as he passes the local chippy in Abingdon, its fish avatar perfectly spaced between the dignitaries; or the druid-like cult of the digital camera, seemingly proffered to an unknown sky deity amid the sarcens at Stonehenge.
My favourites however are the Hunting of the Earl of Rone where the community of Combe Martin turns out to forget its economic woes: ".. the evolution of a pre-Christian scapegoat ritual," followed by the fantastic burning of the David Cameron effigy, the blaming and subsequent exorcising of a latter-day bogyman.
Thankfully there is someone dedicated and undeterred like Hannant who can take herself across our counties to find and record these lores and communal customs. As an outside, she is nonetheless among kindred spirits.
This book of reportage is important and well worth the price. But one word of complaint: I do wish publishers wouldn't wrap books about the 'countryside' in green gloss.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
I very much enjoyed the book. The photographs give an inspirng account of the resilience and longevity of traditional rites, re-interpreted for today's realities. Unselfconscious ritual behaviour meets flamboyant acting out, rural customs rub against suburban realities - all meet in this marvellous collection of photographs, shot with real sympathy to the emotional richness that participation in these celebratory acts gives to each and everyone depicted in the photographs. England seems different and richer in its cultural rituals after reading and looking at this book.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see the review
5.0 out of 5 stars
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Went down very well
Bought this for someone who's into border morris - went down very well. A beautiful book with a lot of pictures.
Published 4 months ago by M
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mummers pleases
Although not in depth in its desscriptions it is a wonderful introduction to these customs and the photography is wonderful.
Published 10 months ago by Mr. Dixter
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sara Hannant brings English Rituals into the 21st century
Sara Hannant brings English Rituals to life through her unique photographer's eye in this informative, surprising book. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Carol
5.0 out of 5 stars
mummers, maypoles and milkmaids
Astonishingly beautiful images, exquisitely executed, make a magical trip through the rituals of the English year. Fascinating, informative and inspiring, a book to keep forever.
Published 16 months ago by germaine dolan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just what I have been waiting for.
This is a beautiful,atmospheric and informative book,and just what I have been waiting for.
Beginning in January and working its way through to december, we are taken on a... Read more
Beginning in January and working its way through to december, we are taken on a... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Sonya
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic - a book that would be at home anywhere.
What a great book that so many people would enjoy were they to see it. Who couldn't be interested in our very own English folk traditions that embellish our local and national... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Jack
5.0 out of 5 stars
A New Ritual Year
This is magnificent contemporary photo book with informative text. The fascinating images include a range of communal rites and rituals that mark the turning year, from fire... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Michael Rudd
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Britain & Ireland
- Books > History > Cultural History
- Books > Mind, Body & Spirit > Mythology > Folklore
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Anthropology > Customs & Folklore > Customs
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Anthropology > Customs & Folklore > Folklore
- Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > United Kingdom
- Books > Travel & Holiday > Speciality Travel > Photo Collections
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
