An ancient and unusual midsummer tradition to celebrate bringing the harvest home will take place on Monday in a Northumberland village.
The village of Whalton, near Morpeth, has been the only village to maintain a midsummer bale-burning tradition in Northumberland since 1903, with the event going ahead on July 4 every year, no matter what day it falls on. On the village green a seven foot Kern Baby (also known as a Corn Dolly) has been built and will stand outside the village hall before the traditional Baal Burning ceremony on Monday.
Traditionally, children danced around a bonfire before the Kern Baby is thrown onto it and then burned. However, that no longer happens and instead, it is a small community event with Morris dancers and Northumbrian pipers.
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The 15 foot figure was originally created by artist Faye Claridge as part of a project by Birmingham Library to commemorate the work of Victorian photographer Sir Benjamin Stone. One of the photographs taken during his travels in 1902 was of the annual Kern Baby at Whalton Village, inspiring artist Faye's creation.
After being exhibited in Birmingham, the giant figure was transported to Whalton for a month-long exhibition in 2016. Though the figure is no longer in the village, original images from 1902 and 1903 can be seen as part of a bigger collection of old images displayed in the village hall.
Entry to the Midsummer celebrations on Monday are all free.
Bev Wales, Trustee of Whalton Village Hall, said: "It certainly brings the community together. It doesn’t matter whether it’s raining or not, most of the village do turn out on that evening.
"It’s only a very short procession, there’s no formality to it, they come and watch the children dancing and maybe have a pint at the pub during and after. It’s just an occasion for the villagers to all meet one another - just being part of a community really."
Are there any unusual traditions where you live? Let us know!
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