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Ancient horn dance returns to village

BBC Dancers holding deer horns on their shoulders. The four men and one woman pictured are wearing pink long-sleeved tops and light tunics. The two men near the camera are smiling. BBC
The dance celebrates hunting and the harvest, visiting farms and numerous pubs in the area

An 800-year-old ritual dance involving reindeer antlers is being performed in a Staffordshire village.

The Abbots Bromley Horn Dance is held on the first Monday after 4 September - known as Wakes Monday - and attracts visitors from across the world.

Villagers dress up as deer-men, a fool, hobby horse, bowman and Maid Marian, and wear the antlers as part of a full day of festivities.

Organisers claim its origins date back to 1226 and it was traditionally marked to ensure successful hunting and celebrate the harvest.

The dancers are dancing in a circle holding the reindeer horns. One who is closest to the camera can be shown holding a carved head of a deer on a wooden pole.
The dance draws visitors from around the world to Abbots Bromley

"This is an ancient tradition, it's the oldest tradition in the country," said organiser Terry Bailey.

He added there were two main theories about its origins.

"Some people say it is a celebrational dance of the farmers getting the harvest in or other people say it is a ritual dance," he said.

Mr Bailey added the annual event "puts us on the map" which was also welcomed by publicans.

He said the money made in busy pubs helped their businesses between now and the Christmas period.

The group of dancers and supporters are expected to cover some 10 miles over the day, visiting different locations in the area, including local farms and pubs.

Villagers have worked hard to preserve the dance, with documentary evidence suggesting three soldiers were sent back from overseas to participate in the dance during World War One.

Terry Bailey wearing a red and orange jester costume with dancers behind him carrying the deer antlers. Behind him on the right is Blithfield Hall, one of the venues the dancers visited.
Organiser Terry Bailey said the annual dance put the village on the map

During the Covid pandemic in 2020, a token dance was performed to ensure the tradition was continued. The following year, as restrictions lifted, the event drew hundreds of visitors to the village, with some pubs reported to have run out of beer.

Last year, postcards featuring the horn dance were auctioned as part of a collection showing life in the county about 100 years ago.

A close-up of the dancers holding the deer horns and carved wooden heads of the deers. They wear brown caps as well as light shirts and pink tunics or pink shirts with light tunics. The man closest to the camera is smiling broadly.
The village works to keep the keep the tradition going, including by finding new dancers

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