XPost: uk.music.folk   
   From: dominic@ReplaceThisBitWithMySurname.co.uk.invalid   
      
   On Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:05:40 +0000, John Evans   
    wrote:   
      
   >On Fri, 15 Feb 2008 10:03:55 -0500, Abby Sale   
   > wrote:   
   >   
   >>   
   >>A local church is posting an traditional English Plough Festival.  There'll   
   >>be such traditional stuff as hot dogs and Pepsi...bring your garden tools   
   >>such as rakes or riding mowers.   
   >>   
   >>I'm not familiar with the practice.   
   >>   
   >>I see on Web:   
   >>"'Plough Sunday' (first Sunday after Epiphany) : Traditional rural UK,   
   >>blessing of the farmer's plough in church, with prayers for a good harvest.   
   >>Mumming plays accompany celebrations"   
   >   
   >This is the moderen "sanitised" version.   
   >>   
   >>Is this one of them things that sporadic villages do sporadically when they   
   >>need a few more tourists or is it some regular, fairly fixed as to date &   
   >>place thing?   
   >>   
   >>Do you know any songs directly associated with it.   
   >>   
   >>I'd rather resist the temptation to go to this thing and view all the truly   
   >>authentic practices.   
   >>   
   >>Thanks,   
   >>   
   >>Abby   
   >>   
   >   
   >Originally the local farm workers pulled the plough around the village   
   >in early January and called at the local "big houses" to perform a   
   >Plough Play (or Mumming) and collect food, money etc. The implied   
   >threat was that if they didn't receive any gifts the plough would be   
   >used on the house lawns.   
   >   
      
   This might be relevant:   
      
   http://www.goathlandploughstots.co.uk/history.html   
      
   --   
      
   Dominic Cronin   
   Amsterdam   
      
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