Southwell Gate celebration
On 28th June 2025 Southwell Nottinghamshire town steeped in history held it's Southwell Gate annual celebrations.
This is a tradition that goes back many centuries in recognition of the building of Southwell Minster Cathedral.
On the day, several Morris Dance teams wearing their own distinctive attire displayed different Morris Dance styles for the onlooking crowds around the town..
I was enticed to join in with the procession finale outside the Minster Cathedral. This gave me a more dynamic experience with the crowds of cheering people.
The building commencement of the Cathedral began in 1108, replacing the old Saxon Church. In 1109, funding to initiate this was derived by Thomas Archbishop II decreeing parishes within his diocese in Nottingham to contribute a percentage of their income for this purpose. Offerings were collected on May Day. According to folklore legend, a procession on foot or horseback started close to the Weekday Cross in Nottingham to Southwell Minster to ensure the offerings arrived safely.
It involved the Mayor of Nottingham, the clergy, and lay people. Adding to the ambience were musicians playing tabors and pipe instruments, along with Morris dancers dressed in bright or dark attire with bells and rattlers, performing their honed sequenced dance and singing routines.
Men dressed in costumes as mythical creatures, the Hobby Horse and Green Dragon, accompanied by a fool, mingled with crowds. Even Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream," with the quote "As fit as a Morris for a May Day," resonates to this day.
Written records date back to 1448 on this celebration. It's now a 900-year-old custom. There is evidence Morris dancing stems back to the Crusades in the 11th century, along with pagan influences. Morris dance styles include the use of Rapper swords and Long swords originating from the 15th century in several English counties. These rituals were to bring good omens for good crop harvests.
In our modern era, Morris dancing has been engrained into more diverse attributes within the Arts, including books and the film sector. The 1972 film "The Wicker Man," starring actors Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward, personified Morris dancing procession in a musical, foolery, and sinister way. The story theme with a cult sect, pagan influences, and plots, ending with a Wicker Man sacrifice, made this film an iconic British film success.
Michael Knowles, Mansfield.