Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Hastings Festival - Jack in the Green - 4th May 2009









This was the first festival I have been to in the UK.
I really enjoyed my time with my friends and people who were participating in this festival.
I liked their costumes very much, as they were different from group to group.
Some wore tree costumes and others had painted their faces and their bodies with different colours.
I saw two uniquely strange figures.
The 'Jack' is the centrepiece of the celebration.
'Jack' is a traditional May Day figure.
Some believe it is just a garland dating from the 17th century; other think he is a much older character and more significant.
The second figure was the 'Bogeyman', part bush and part man.
He is Jack's friend, and he stays with Jack from the beginning to the end of the festival to protect him.
The participants were divided into many bands, and most of them played different musical instruments and nice music.
After the procession had arrived in Hastings Castle, we had lunch on Castle Hill and enjoyed a nice view of the sea.
It was an absolutely wonderful festival.

Twin in Eastbourne.
Mohannad Bafail, Saudi Arabia.

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