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<H1><A HREF="avalon-culture1.html">Glastonbury Culture</A></H1>
<H2>Glastonbury Culture</H2>
<H3>and annual events</H3>
<H6>Frances Howard-Gordon</H6>
<P CLASS="smaller2">adapted from the book <I><A HREF="http://www.gothicimage.co.uk/makerofmyths.html" TARGET="new" TITLE="Find out more about the book">Glastonbury - Maker of Myths</A></I> <BR>by Frances Howard-Gordon, published by <A HREF="http://www.gothicimage.co.uk" TARGET="new" TITLE="Visit the Gothic Image website">Gothic Image of Glastonbury</A>.</P>
<BR>
<P><I>As with most things relating to Glastonbury, nothing is quite as it
seems. Any attempt here to describe the culture or in any sense pin it
down immediately involves sweeping generalisations. The truth
remains elusive but for my purposes here, it will have to be subjective.</I></P>
<P>Regarded as the oldest and holiest of England's spiritual
sanctuaries, Glastonbury has always had its pilgrims, the 'hippies' or
'New Age travellers' being merely current versions of the wild
specimens of humanity who would have come here in ancient and medieval times.
History has a way of repeating itself – and just as Glastonbury was a
pagan centre before it became a Christian shrine, so now the 'new
pagans' have made their home here.</P>
<BR>
<H4>History</H4>
<P>The spiritual revival of Glastonbury could be traced to the founding
of the Theosophical Society in London in the 1880s. At that time
many were influenced by strange yet inspiring tales brought back from
India and various corners of the British Empire. It was rumoured that
the West lacked all spirituality and was entirely given over to
materialism, whereas the East was full of sages and spiritual wisdom.
Madame Blavatsky, founder of the Theosophical Society, was inspired
by Himalayan Masters, but Dr Anna Kingsford split with her to form
the Hermetic Society in order to delve more deeply into the spiritual
legacy of the British Isles.</P>
<P>Various magical orders with a Western
approach followed suit, including the Golden Dawn and a ritualistic
group calling itself the Liberal Catholic Church. The poets Tennyson
and William Blake began to write about a new spiritual awareness in
Britain and socialists as well as new occult groups began to see that
our own British myths and legends have much to teach us. Both
Blavatsky and Dion Fortune had resurrected the Goddess and the
subject of Women's Mysteries, but it was Dion Fortune who finally
wrote about Glastonbury as a centre of the Western mystery tradition.
(See <I>The Avalonians </I>by Patrick Benham for details.)</P>
<P>Along with its reputation as a spiritual centre, Glastonbury was
famous throughout the country in the 1920s for its culture. The
National Festival Theatre of Music and Drama, which came to be
known as the 'Glastonbury Festival', began on 5 August 1914 in the
Assembly Rooms in Glastonbury. It was established by the British composer Rutland
Boughton and became the model for art and music festivals such as
Bath, Aldeburgh, Glyndebourne and subsequent rural festivals.</P>
<P>During his stay in Glastonbury, Boughton wrote a series of music dramas
based on the Arthurian legends, a choral drama <I>Bethlehem</I>, <I>The Queen of
Cornwall</I> and others including <I>The Immortal Hour</I>, which is based on
Fiona Macleod's Celtic legend about a faery female and her human
lover. Boughton put on performances of these and other works with
his Glastonbury Players. In its heyday, patrons, visitors and
performers included such cultural giants as George Bernard Shaw, Edward
Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Thomas Hardy, D.H. Lawrence, T.E. Lawrence and John Galsworthy.</P>
<P>The Glastonbury Arts Festival was revived in 1996 and saw the
performance by local Glastonians of the opera <I>The Immortal Hour</I>.
Lunchtime concerts at St John's Church, evening concerts in various
venues, <I>son et lumiêre</I> in the Abbey grounds, and an arts and crafts
exhibition and fair were some of the events planned to take place
yearly at this festival from mid-August to mid-September. The project did not last long, but its core intent of promoting the creative arts has instead been taken up by the annual Music and Dance Festival and the Classical Extravaganza in the Abbey, both happening each year in August.</P>
<P>Of course the hippies of the late 1960s had much to do with
making Glastonbury famous for a whole new generation. With their
nomadic instinct, new-found mysticism and quest for the meaning of
life, they came to Glastonbury and the surrounding countryside, set
up communes and craft workshops, and experimented with new ways
of living.</P>
<P>Then, in 1971, the Glastonbury Fayre was held to celebrate
the summer solstice. This was England's 'Woodstock'. It was the first of what became an almost annual
event in the fields at Pilton five miles away from Glastonbury, and the views of
Glastonbury Tor and the tales of magic and alternative lifestyles
attracted a whole new wave of young people to settle in the area.
Glastonbury was the perfect environment with its natural sanctuaries
alive with myths and legends and, of course, the magic spell of its
sacred landscape.</P>
<H4>The present</H4>
<P>In the late 1970s there were few outward signs of alternative spiritual
aspirations in the town, although spiritual groups like the Winds of
Truth had met for years. The Glastonbury Fayre, full-moon
meditations and the Gothic Image shop with its Mystical Tours of
Glastonbury were the only obvious signs of another kind of thinking
in the town.</P>
<P>The <A HREF="http://www.assemblyrooms.org.uk"><B>Assembly Rooms</B></A> was restored and revived as an arts centre for the community in the early 1980s and in the 1990s it was purchased by a collective of
Friends who continue to run it in a cooperative, community-spirited way. <B>Gog Theatre</B> played a large
part in bringing the place to life with their theatre performances. Notable also were the spectacular mystery plays, <A HREF="http://www.kathyjones.co.uk/ariadneproductions.html"><B>Ariadne Productions</B></A>, often with a cast of 50 people, produced by Kathy Jones in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It became home to the <A HREF="http://www.assemblyrooms.org.uk/history/history6.html" ><B>Gothic Relief Theatre</B></A>, pantomimes and all kinds of community activities.</P>
<P>A host of New Age shops emerged in the 1980s, alongside vegetarian cafes and a wholefood shop, and the setting up of talks, lectures and workshops on spiritual matters.</P>
<P>In the late 1990s Glastonbury was a safe haven for the road-protest movement and for the camps movement, initially founded in Glastonbury in 1984 and now a national phenomenon, who came here for their 'tribal gatherings'. Glastonbury now hosts a younger generation and 'tribe' from the dance movement of the 1990s. The annual <A HREF="http://www.glastonburysymposium.co.uk"><B>Glastonbury Symposium for Crop Circles and Signs of our Time</B></A>, for crop-circle enthusiasts and esoteric thinkers, takes place annually in July, now in the Town Hall, together with the world-famous <A HREF="http://www.goddessconference.com"><B>Goddess Conference</B></A> in early August.</P>
<P>For more information on dates and venues, contact the
<A HREF="http://www.glastonburytic.co.uk"><B>Glastonbury Tourist Information Centre</B></A>, The Tribunal, 9 High Street,
Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 9DP; telephone (01458) 83 2954 or
fax 83 2949. Or visit the <A HREF="http://www.gcircle.co.uk/listings/gcisligc.html"><B>Glastonbury Circle</B> information site</A></P>
<BR>
<P><B>Druid gathering</B> – on the Tor<BR>
<B>Beltane Celebration</B> at the <A HREF="http://www.chalicewell.org.uk">Chalice Well</A><BR>
<B>Glastonbury Road Run</B> – 6 miles around the Tor</P>
<P><A HREF="http://www.glastonbury.co.uk/whats_on/vintageroadrun/" TARGET="new">Vale of Avalon Vintage Vehicle Road Run</A> – early June<BR>
<A HREF="http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/"><B>Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts</B></A> – much
more than pop music, at Worthy Farm, Pilton (last weekend in June)<BR>
<B>Flower Festival</B> in St John's Church (usually around John-Baptist day)</P>
<P><A HREF="http://www.glastonburyabbey.com"><B>Church of England Pilgrimage</B></A> to the Abbey – solemn Eucharist at noon, procession to Evensong at 15.30 – on a Saturday<BR>
<B>Roman Catholic Pilgrimage</B>, from Tor to Abbey – the Sunday<BR>
<B>Miracles at Glastonbury</B> – medieval-style plays in the Abbey ruins<BR>
<A HREF="http://www.glastonburysymposium.co.uk"><B>Glastonbury Symposium</B></A> - Crop Circles and Signs of Our Times – Town Hall</P>
<P><A HREF="http://www.goddessconference.com/"><B>The Goddess Conference</B></A> – Town Hall<BR>
<A HREF="www.glastonburydancefestival.org.uk"><B>Glastonbury Dance Festival</B></A> – various venues<BR>
<B>Classical Extravaganza</B> – orchestral and modern music in the Abbey grounds<BR>
<A HREF="http://www.childrensworldcharity.org"><B>Children's Festival</B></A> – four days of fun and entertainment for children</P>
<P><I><B>Son et Lumière</B> </I>in the Abbey<BR>
<B>Tor Fair</B> – traditional travelling fairground<BR>
<A HREF="http://www.somersetartweek.org.uk"><B>Somerset Arts Week</B></A> (SAW) – Somerset artists and makers open their
studios and workshops to the public, with terrific talent on show<BR>
<B>Equinox celebration</B>, <A HREF="http://www.chalicewell.org.uk">Chalice Well</A></P>
<P><A HREF="http://www.glastonburycarnival.co.uk"><B>Glastonbury Carnival</B></A> – huge illuminated procession (usually the second Saturday in the month)</P>
<P><B>Cutting of the Holy Thorn</B> to send to the Queen for Christmas, by the vicar, mayor and schoolchildren in St John's churchyard<BR>
<B>Frost Fair</B> – pre-Christmas fair on the High Street<BR>
<B>Solstice Celebration</B> – Chalice Well</P>
<BR>
<P>There is also a changing programme of events at:<BR>
<A HREF="http://www.somerset.gov.uk/somerset/culturecommunity/museums/somersetmuseums/rurallife/"><B>Somerset Rural Life Museum</B></A> – exhibitions and demonstrations<BR>
<A HREF="http://somerset.gov.uk/somerset/cultureheritage/heritage/pmc"><B>Peat Moors Visitor Centre</B></A> – demonstrations and activities<BR>
<A HREF="http://www.isleofavalonfoundation.com"><B>Isle of Avalon Foundation</B></A> – talks and courses<BR>
<A HREF="http://www.assemblyrooms.org.uk"><B>Assembly Rooms Community Arts</B></A> – music, dance, theatre, events<BR>
<A HREF="http://www.chalicewell.org.uk"><B>Chalice Well</B></A> – quiet and contemplation<BR>
<A HREF="http://www.glastonburyabbey.com"><B>Glastonbury Abbey</B></A><BR>
<A HREF="http://www.abbeyhouse.org"><B>Abbey Retreat House</B></A></P>
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<IMG SRC="images2/culture-festival1-ld.gif" WIDTH="199" HEIGHT="150" BORDER="0" ALT="Glastonbury Festival 2004"><BR>
<IMG SRC="images2/culture-festival2.gif" WIDTH="200" HEIGHT="228" BORDER="0" ALT="Glastonbury Festival 2004"><BR>
<IMG SRC="images2/culture-festival3.gif" WIDTH="200" HEIGHT="150" BORDER="0" ALT="Glastonbury festival 2004"><BR>
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