Beasts Unite Procession Sat 19 Feb 2011

What a day we had!! Take a look at the Gallery to see what happened.

Featuring: a first for Norwich – the Original Sailor’s Horse from Minehead

At 3pm on Saturday 19 February 3 dragon and mythical beast processions will parade through Norwich meeting at the Forum. Come along and take part or just watch.

The starting venues are:

• The Castle Museum (NR1 3JQ)
• The Great Hospital (NR1 4EL)
• St Gregory’s Centre for the Arts (NR2 1ER)

The Minehead group will depart from the Castle Museum following a free mask-making workshop available in the Museum itself from 1.30pm.

Community groups taking part include the Phoenix Centre and Future Projects

After Party 4pm – 7pm

From the Forum the united procession of dragons and beasts will return to St Gregory’s Centre for the Arts for an after party (4pm-7pm) featuring;

• mask-making
• story-telling
• live music and refreshments - Folk jam session from 6pm.

This event is presented in collaboration with Spirit of Carnival and St Gregory’s Centre for the Arts.

The Minehead Sailors Horse is a unique English folk tradition that has celebrated the coming of May in and around the Minehead area for at least 300 years (that’s when it first appears in written records).

It is a spectacular display of colour, dance and music provided by drums and accordions. It is rare to see it outside it’s traditional May season and this is the first time it has come to Norwich.

The Minehead tradition has links with many carnival and masquerade characters throughout the world including the snap dragon who has taken to the streets of Norwich since Medieval times (read more by clicking the link to St George’s Dragon and How he Came to Norwich on this website as well as a great page of information on the Norwich 12 site)

Beasts Unite Flyer (produced by Naked Marketing)

Also on Sat 19 Feb…

11 am – Cinema City in collaboration with Culture Crossroads is showing two short films about the related folk tradition from Padstow. Click here for link to Cinema City listings.

• Oss Oss Wee Oss (1953) 18mins – The complete film by George Pickow, Peter Kennedy and Alan Lomax in a new digital transfer.
• Oss Tales (2007) 25 mins – Re-engages the Padstow May Day in 2004. The film includes footage from Oss Oss Wee Oss and commentary by Peter Kennedy and Ronald Hutton, and people of Padstow.
• The films will be presented by folklorist and performer Phil Underwood.

See below film clip from Phil Underwood’s archive of Minehead’s Original Sailors Horse in its natural environment for a taste of what Norwich is in for!