Wicker Man Festival

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Butser Ancient Farm for the Wicker Man festival to celebrate Beltane.

The walk up there from the car park field was gorgeous, through miles of rapeseed fields.


While waiting to pick up our tickets, we talked to some baby goats that came bounding over. They looked like tiny fluffy sheep with little horns and creepy goat eyes. They were adorable, but sadly I just got pictures of their butts.

Last year the wicker man sported a fetching parasol. This year he was more violent - stabbing a boar. I'm sure there was a meaning to it that I didn't find out.


A closer, more forboding look at him...


I put wishes in his legs so they would go up to the sky in smoke when he burned.

The drummers from the Olympics were there, along with a few bands and some belly dancers that danced below the wicker man with antlers just before the fire started. There were also some Anglo-Saxon re-enactors and a falconry company.


It's hard to take pictures in the dark with a phone, but here is the wicker man on fire. Surprisingly emotional.


He took ages to go up as the wood was damp. Last year he burnt really quickly and was rumoured to have landed on a tent.

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