Morris dancers greet the dawn and celebrate May Day

Lynn Morris dancers were out at the crack of dawn on Monday as part of a tradition to mark the start of May.

Members of the King’s Morris group assembled about 5.30am at Knights Hill roundabout, and just as the sun was coming up, they blew their cow horns and danced to “wake the sun up”.

The custom of greeting the dawn with Morris dancing is believed to bring good crops to the area.

The Kings Morris dance the dawn
The Kings Morris dance the dawn
The Kings Morris dance the dawn
The Kings Morris dance the dawn
The Kings Morris dance the dawn
The Kings Morris dance the dawn

Arthur Phillips, bagman for the group, said that they “dance the dawn without fail” every year and that blowing cow horns is meant “to ward away evil spirits”.

Later on in the day, they held workshops at the Stories of Lynn museum to teach children about the group and potentially inspire a new generation of Morris dancers.

The children made cow horns, handkerchiefs and mini garments.

The Kings Morris dance the dawn
The Kings Morris dance the dawn
The Kings Morris dance the dawn
The Kings Morris dance the dawn
The Kings Morris dance the dawn
The Kings Morris dance the dawn

King’s Morris then had a procession through town, led by borough mayor Lesley Bambridge, who was followed by children who did a dance that they had learnt during the workshop.

After dancing on the Saturday and Tuesday Market Places, the procession went back to the town hall, blowing cow horns.

The celebrations did not end there, as on Tuesday the King’s Morris dancers gave a special performance, alongside the East Norfolk Militia, at the mayor’s charity fundraising dinner at the Town Hall.

King's Morris's May Day celebrations in King's Lynn
King’s Morris’s May Day celebrations in King’s Lynn
King's Morris's May Day celebrations in King's Lynn, with West Norfolk mayor Lesley Bambridge
King’s Morris’s May Day celebrations in King’s Lynn, with West Norfolk mayor Lesley Bambridge
King's Morris's May Day celebrations in King's Lynn
King’s Morris’s May Day celebrations in King’s Lynn

During the event, the group was presented with a shield from the mayor and a charity donation for Help for Heroes.

Reporting by Rowan Groom



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