Stuck for something to do at dawn on Wednesday 1st May? Then why not join other sleep deprived revellers watching Rattlejag Morris and friends dance themselves awake in front of the first sunrise of May? You will be helping to keep the old English tradition alive — of welcoming in the summer by watching morris dancing, drinking the refreshment of your choice (beer, tea or coffee) and enjoying a barbecue breakfast (for a small donation).
If this sounds like your cup of tea (beer or coffee) the event is taking place in Laxton on Castle Hill (NG22 ONX) on Wednesday 1st May from 5.20am and all should be over just in time for work.
Most people think of morris dancing as being done by men in flower bedecked hats and white shirts. However, that is not always the case as there are different types of morris dance. What most people picture are dancers performing ‘Cotswold’ morris, usually done with either handkerchiefs or sticks; these dances were largely collected at the turn of the century from villages in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. But local people might have noticed, over the last 17 years, a new phenomenon of strangely dressed people with brightly painted faces dancing to an array of strange sounds and instruments. If you have then it’s probably Retford’s Rattlejag Morris mixed dance side.
Local research dating back to the 19th century has helped Rattlejag create their unique appearance, wearing a stereotypical ‘plough jags’ uniform customised with eye catching ribbons and using percussion such as bell sticks and rattles to dance with. Research didn’t stop there as they have revived a few local dances which also adds to their individual style
If you are interested in comparing Rattlejag’s style to that of a Cotswold’s morris side they will be joined on 1st May by Trentside Holmes Morris, a new Cotswold team based in Sutton-on-Trent.
If this isn’t enough stimulation for the start of your Wednesday, Stuart Rose, local farmer and historian, will be starting his annual Dawn Chorus Walk around Laxton’s unique Anglo-Saxon open field system, meeting up at the Dovecote Inn, Laxton (NG22 0SX) at 5.00am and making a pit stop to join in the May Day festivities with Rattlejag and friends. To access the field that the celebrations will be taking place on, locate the church as the track up to the hill is opposite, then proceed through the gateway at the bend and then northwards across the field. For more information see www.facebook.com/rattlejagmorris or www.rattlejagmorris.org.uk or email enquiries@rattlejagmorris.org.uk.