Penistone Well dressings

[panik]

Yes, this is the kind of thing we get up to in Yorkshire. Be afraid...

Penistone Morris men strut their stuff. Probably my favourite fertility rite. (o:




Well dressing... I don't know why we do this, but we do...

It doesn't really show on the picture, but the designs are
made up completely of flowers.

Comments

[madmogs.livejournal.com]

I am having an extremely juvenile moment here. That WAS why you posted the entry, wasn't it?

(And yay for morris dancing! In honour of it I will spare you the rant about the English and our lack of identification with our own folk culture.)

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

"I am having an extremely juvenile moment here. That WAS why you posted the entry, wasn't it?"
Urm... what? Why do you *think* I posted the entry... Luicat wanted pix, and I posted them...?

And do rant away, if it pleases you. We can give as good as we get (o:

[karieflybabe.livejournal.com]

ok that second pic... you know from that angle all you can see is the word... um... *fuck Karen, where is that open-minded brain of yours?*

Penis... all I can see in that spot is the word Penis... please tell me that is not what the town is really named for...

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

Penis*tone* - it's the name of the town. Good grief!

It's Celtic; it mean's head - Penistone being on a tall, prominent rock. I'm assuming the two words have the same derivation but, not named for an actual ckck, no. ::giggle::

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

or cock... no idea what a ckck is (but it sounds *damn* exciting!)

[mashfanficchick.livejournal.com]

Heh, a friend of mine once typed "xoxk" when discussing slash writing. I asked her if it was a typo, or a new euphemism! *g*

[slipperieslope.livejournal.com]

Very midsummery of you all.

Penistone!

*Bronte sigh*

Morris dancers!

Here it would be firetrucks, barbershop quartets and Shriners... politicians, too. Be more afraid!

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

"Here it would be firetrucks, barbershop quartets and Shriners... "
Nothing wrong with that.

"politicians, too. "
Oh, now I'm scared.

What, no jibe about the Penis, young slipperieslope? heh heh.

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

That really is the name of the town? I've been seeing your icon for months and thinking it was something made-up, because...well...never mind. Must be my brain hasn't outgrown adolescent sniggering as yet. Interesting to read where the name comes from.

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

Heh heh. Oh yeah, completely not made-up by me!

It's pronounced pennys-ton btw, in case anyone wondered.

[zebra363.livejournal.com]

It's pronounced pennys-ton btw, in case anyone wondered.

I was just about to ask.

"Penis" definitely shows up much more clearly than "tone" in that second photo!

What is Morris Dancing?

[roslynsmuse.livejournal.com]

Whoa, wild goings on there! But the history of the area is fascinating - http://www.visitpenistone.co.uk/history.html

But the dancing escapes me. . .

Re: What is Morris Dancing?

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

Fascinating...? Hmmm ::is unconvinced:: ::G::

I do like this (from the website); "the Domesday Book described the settlement in 1089 as 'wasted'."
Much like the town's youth, most weekends, then. Bwahahaha!

(Ooops; mustn't mock the harrowing. I apologise.)

Morris dancing goes on everywhere, the Wikipedia entry says it began in the 15th century
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_dance
but most morris men would tell you it's an ancient tradition connected to mumming (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummers_Play) and the maypole dances. If you google 'morris men' you get a ton of hits for all the indivdual groups.

"Why did God invent line-dancing?"
"So the Morris dancers would have something to laugh at."

Re: What is Morris Dancing?

[roslynsmuse.livejournal.com]

Fascinating...? Hmmm ::is unconvinced:: ::G::

Ah, but you have to understand that we very young Americans are often fascinated by the long histories of older civilizations. I've always been geekily interested in British history and liked tracing back the history of this area to the Norman conquest, the derivation of the name etc.

But I didn't want to wade through a dozen links to rituals and fertility rites, so I thought I'd ask about the dancing :-)

Yes, I can imagine line dancing would evoke that reaction. I've never figured it out either except that it appears to be an anti-fertility rite. So very unattractive. . .

Re: What is Morris Dancing?

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

"except that it appears to be an anti-fertility rite. So very unattractive. . ."
::is giggling uncontrollably::

[duckbunny.livejournal.com]

Hey. I followed you here solely on the basis of a Bonzo Dog icon. May I friend you?

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

LOL! Oh yes please! Any lover of the BDDDB *has* to be a friend of mine!

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

Oh and feel free to use the icon any time - I'm rather pleased with that one. (o:

[arnie1967.livejournal.com]

Add me to the list of all the people who only saw the 'penis' part of Panistone in that sign. I suspect they did that on purpose. :oD

[arnie1967.livejournal.com]

Sheesh, that's Penistone, not Panistone. Lord!

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

Panistone sounds like something bready, cheesy, herby - like a calzone. It's making me hungry.

"I suspect they did that on purpose"
Oh, I think not! they're kinda sensitive about it. ::giggle::

Ahem

[vamysteryfan.livejournal.com]

::dragged mind out of gutter::

But you really should post a picture ofwhat that "tall, prominent rock" looks like.

I love what I've seen of Morris dancing.

Re: Ahem

[gillyp.livejournal.com]

"But you really should post a picture ofwhat that "tall, prominent rock" looks like."
I've scoured the internet for a picture but - nothing. I'll try to remember to take one next time I'm over at Mum and Dad's.

Morris dancing... hmmm. Its entertainment value relies heavily on the hotness, or otherwise, of the dancers. ::is shallow::