Sweeps festival, Rochester, Kent, UK

The Rochester Sweeps festival celebrates English traditional Morris dancing every spring in the cathedral city of Rochester in Kent. Rochester, Kent. 04/05/2009.

When the Climbing Boys’ Act of 1868 made it illegal to employ young boys as chimney sweeps the annual May Day procession of sweeps celebrating their hoilday slowly died.
The festival was revived in 1981 by local Medway businessman Gordon Newton who organised a small parade of local Morris men. The local government took over the organisation of the festival shortly after and the Rochester Sweeps` festival is now one of the largest traditional English dancing events in the country, lasting three days and completely taking over the Cathedral city of Rochester in North Kent in the UK.
Tourists and teams of Morris dancers from all over the country attend. Folk muscians and traditional and fringe theatre acts also abound. The ancient roots of the Spring festivals that happened each Spring in pre-Christian Britain are not forgotten however and on nearby Blue Bell Hill, on the first day of the festival there is a Jack in the Green awakening ceremony when this mysterious and traditional symbol of Spring fertility is greeted before dawn with music and dance.