Property News · November 4, 2016

Let’s move to Ottery St Mary, Devon: ‘It’s fond of its quaint customs’


We can only applaud this plucky townWhat’s going for it? “Tradition has it”: three words to strike terror into the souls of the sane. Tradition has it that on 5 November the people of Ottery St Mary shall run through the streets of the town carrying flaming 30kg barrels of tar above their heads. Why? Why not? Tradition has it. The West Country is full of fire and light festivals as autumn tumbles towards winter. No stranger, after all, than throwing effigies of catholics/Donald Trump on a bonfire. Some say Ottery St Mary’s Guy Fawkes night tradition was to cleanse the streets of evil, or maybe rats. Whatevs. These days it’s all about prowess. Only Ottery families born and bred can take part in the dozens of barrel runs around the town’s old streets from pub to pub. In these days of banned bonfires and ’elf and safety gawn mad, we can only applaud this plucky town. Indeed, Ottery is fond of its quaint customs. The parish church peals out the Ottery Song three times a day, and just wait till you hear what the townsfolk get up to with the bellringers on Pixie Day.The case against No butterfingers, please! There are hills in Ottery. A little Wicker Man from this end of the A303. Continue reading…

Source : theguardian.com
Read more…Let’s move to Ottery St Mary, Devon: ‘It’s fond of its quaint customs’

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