#rituals — Public Fediverse posts

Rituals – a folk journey through the seasons by Tim Downie (ARC review)

This is a review of an ARC from Netgalley and publisher Ebury/Penguin.

Not quite what I was hoping for, this was nevertheless an engaging tour of the country and the calendar, dipping into various rituals and traditions. It’s not all guising in blackface, but there is quite a bit of that, and no real explanation for the sooting up. 

The book itself, or the facsimile of it I had in the Netgalley app, was beautifully designed, with lovely typography and illustrations. That cover, though: you see so many books with a similar design, your eyes are likely to just skate over it.

There are quite a lot of these rituals that seem to involve frightening levels of violence and danger, as in the mob football games or the tar barrels. If not mob football, then huge scrums of men chasing veils or bottles/barrels.

Many of the rituals are modern revivals of older ceremonies, with modern elements added, to keep them alive. There’s mention towards the end of the orange rolling in Dunstable, which I remember from my own childhood, but which was eventually discontinued—largely due to large scrums of violent men.

I mentioned ‘dipping in’ above, and that’s about the level, with the history and tradition behind the rituals dispatched in short, efficient order. It’s not superficial, but it’s also not terribly detailed. The author, Tim Downie, is an actor, and it really comes across as a personal journey rather than an academic exericse. He does travel: west to Wales and Devon/Cornwall, south to Sussex and Kent, North to Scotland and Northumberland. He even visits Glastonbury, which comes across a place to avoid if you are allergic to charlatans and bearded men with no shoes.

Made me nostalgic for that big ol’ Reader’s Digest encyclopaedia of Folklore, Myths and Legends.

Rituals – a folk journey through the seasons by Tim Downie (ARC review)

This is a review of an ARC from Netgalley and publisher Ebury/Penguin.

Not quite what I was hoping for, this was nevertheless an engaging tour of the country and the calendar, dipping into various rituals and traditions. It’s not all guising in blackface, but there is quite a bit of that, and no real explanation for the sooting up. 

The book itself, or the facsimile of it I had in the Netgalley app, was beautifully designed, with lovely typography and illustrations. That cover, though: you see so many books with a similar design, your eyes are likely to just skate over it.

There are quite a lot of these rituals that seem to involve frightening levels of violence and danger, as in the mob football games or the tar barrels. If not mob football, then huge scrums of men chasing veils or bottles/barrels.

Many of the rituals are modern revivals of older ceremonies, with modern elements added, to keep them alive. There’s mention towards the end of the orange rolling in Dunstable, which I remember from my own childhood, but which was eventually discontinued—largely due to large scrums of violent men.

I mentioned ‘dipping in’ above, and that’s about the level, with the history and tradition behind the rituals dispatched in short, efficient order. It’s not superficial, but it’s also not terribly detailed. The author, Tim Downie, is an actor, and it really comes across as a personal journey rather than an academic exericse. He does travel: west to Wales and Devon/Cornwall, south to Sussex and Kent, North to Scotland and Northumberland. He even visits Glastonbury, which comes across a place to avoid if you are allergic to charlatans and bearded men with no shoes.

Made me nostalgic for that big ol’ Reader’s Digest encyclopaedia of Folklore, Myths and Legends.

Rituals – a folk journey through the seasons by Tim Downie (ARC review)

This is a review of an ARC from Netgalley and publisher Ebury/Penguin.

Not quite what I was hoping for, this was nevertheless an engaging tour of the country and the calendar, dipping into various rituals and traditions. It’s not all guising in blackface, but there is quite a bit of that, and no real explanation for the sooting up. 

The book itself, or the facsimile of it I had in the Netgalley app, was beautifully designed, with lovely typography and illustrations. That cover, though: you see so many books with a similar design, your eyes are likely to just skate over it.

There are quite a lot of these rituals that seem to involve frightening levels of violence and danger, as in the mob football games or the tar barrels. If not mob football, then huge scrums of men chasing veils or bottles/barrels.

Many of the rituals are modern revivals of older ceremonies, with modern elements added, to keep them alive. There’s mention towards the end of the orange rolling in Dunstable, which I remember from my own childhood, but which was eventually discontinued—largely due to large scrums of violent men.

I mentioned ‘dipping in’ above, and that’s about the level, with the history and tradition behind the rituals dispatched in short, efficient order. It’s not superficial, but it’s also not terribly detailed. The author, Tim Downie, is an actor, and it really comes across as a personal journey rather than an academic exericse. He does travel: west to Wales and Devon/Cornwall, south to Sussex and Kent, North to Scotland and Northumberland. He even visits Glastonbury, which comes across a place to avoid if you are allergic to charlatans and bearded men with no shoes.

Made me nostalgic for that big ol’ Reader’s Digest encyclopaedia of Folklore, Myths and Legends.

Rituals – a folk journey through the seasons by Tim Downie (ARC review)

This is a review of an ARC from Netgalley and publisher Ebury/Penguin.

Not quite what I was hoping for, this was nevertheless an engaging tour of the country and the calendar, dipping into various rituals and traditions. It’s not all guising in blackface, but there is quite a bit of that, and no real explanation for the sooting up. 

The book itself, or the facsimile of it I had in the Netgalley app, was beautifully designed, with lovely typography and illustrations. That cover, though: you see so many books with a similar design, your eyes are likely to just skate over it.

There are quite a lot of these rituals that seem to involve frightening levels of violence and danger, as in the mob football games or the tar barrels. If not mob football, then huge scrums of men chasing veils or bottles/barrels.

Many of the rituals are modern revivals of older ceremonies, with modern elements added, to keep them alive. There’s mention towards the end of the orange rolling in Dunstable, which I remember from my own childhood, but which was eventually discontinued—largely due to large scrums of violent men.

I mentioned ‘dipping in’ above, and that’s about the level, with the history and tradition behind the rituals dispatched in short, efficient order. It’s not superficial, but it’s also not terribly detailed. The author, Tim Downie, is an actor, and it really comes across as a personal journey rather than an academic exericse. He does travel: west to Wales and Devon/Cornwall, south to Sussex and Kent, North to Scotland and Northumberland. He even visits Glastonbury, which comes across a place to avoid if you are allergic to charlatans and bearded men with no shoes.

Made me nostalgic for that big ol’ Reader’s Digest encyclopaedia of Folklore, Myths and Legends.

Rituals – a folk journey through the seasons by Tim Downie (ARC review)

This is a review of an ARC from Netgalley and publisher Ebury/Penguin.

Not quite what I was hoping for, this was nevertheless an engaging tour of the country and the calendar, dipping into various rituals and traditions. It’s not all guising in blackface, but there is quite a bit of that, and no real explanation for the sooting up. 

The book itself, or the facsimile of it I had in the Netgalley app, was beautifully designed, with lovely typography and illustrations. That cover, though: you see so many books with a similar design, your eyes are likely to just skate over it.

There are quite a lot of these rituals that seem to involve frightening levels of violence and danger, as in the mob football games or the tar barrels. If not mob football, then huge scrums of men chasing veils or bottles/barrels.

Many of the rituals are modern revivals of older ceremonies, with modern elements added, to keep them alive. There’s mention towards the end of the orange rolling in Dunstable, which I remember from my own childhood, but which was eventually discontinued—largely due to large scrums of violent men.

I mentioned ‘dipping in’ above, and that’s about the level, with the history and tradition behind the rituals dispatched in short, efficient order. It’s not superficial, but it’s also not terribly detailed. The author, Tim Downie, is an actor, and it really comes across as a personal journey rather than an academic exericse. He does travel: west to Wales and Devon/Cornwall, south to Sussex and Kent, North to Scotland and Northumberland. He even visits Glastonbury, which comes across a place to avoid if you are allergic to charlatans and bearded men with no shoes.

Made me nostalgic for that big ol’ Reader’s Digest encyclopaedia of Folklore, Myths and Legends.

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