What is the Jack in the Green? - Hastings Jack In The Green

What is the Jack in the Green? - Hastings Jack In The Green | Short Documentary

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4 жыл бұрын

The Jack in the Green celebrations are centuries old, but it has died out in most of England. There are very few pockets of places where the Jack in the Green tradition is kept alive. The person who brought back this tradition in Hastings is Keith Leech.
"In a nutshell, somebody has got inside a bush and that bush has come to life and is dancing around the street", he says.
Keith is a semi-retired producer, who is involved in the three major events in Hastings: The Bonfire, the carnival and of course, the Jack in the Green; and has become the ‘go-to man’ for anyone wanting to know about this ancient tradition.
Watch the video to find out more about the man who reintroduced this ancient tradition on Hastings.
#Hastingsvirtualjack2020 - While this documentary was filmed last year, this year the organisers will go ahead with a virtual Jack In the Green: www.hastingsjitg.co.uk/join-i...
#TeamTrees - Nature is precious, support Team Trees at teamtrees.org

Пікірлер: 14

@livw3090 3 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad that this tradition was brought back! I really hope our traditions become even more valued in the future

@angelapluess1862 Жыл бұрын

One of the best days of my year! thank you, Keith, for working so hard to revive it - looking forward to May 2023 already 🙂

@darkangelw8472 2 жыл бұрын

I went back home to Hastings, during 2022s Jack in the Green celebrations, the weekend just gone. It was awesome. I was once an English language student in Hastings in 1996-1997 and I also lived in Bexhill. It'll forever be my home town, and I'm trying desperately to move back from Suffolk, where I currently live. Can't wait til July, when I'll be back again

@phillipthompson6627 3 жыл бұрын

Have you seen Jack-in-the-Green? With his long tail hanging down. He sits quietly under every tree In the folds of his velvet gown. He drinks from the empty acorn cup. The dew that dawn sweetly bestows. And taps his cane upon the ground - Signals the snow drops, it's time to grow It's no fun being Jack-in-the-Green: No place to dance, no time for song. He wears the colours of the summer soldier; And carries the green flag all the winter long. Jack do you never sleep - does the green still run deep in your heart? Or will these changing times, motorways, powerlines, keep us apart? Well, I don't think so. I saw some grass growing through the pavements today.…

@phillipthompson6627 3 жыл бұрын

Jethro Tull, btw.

@paulshirley6383 Жыл бұрын

What is the Jack in the Green? - Hastings Jack In The Green | Short Documentary love louis

@darkangelw8472 3 жыл бұрын

My daughter did May pole dancing in school, and during the school fête, us parents got to try Maypole dancing as well It was loads of fun

@darkangelw8472 3 жыл бұрын

I can't wait til Jack in the Green 2022. I was once an English language student in Hastings, I'm now residing in Suffolk, and during my year as a language student we got to watch The Jack in the Green, Pirate Day and the Guy Fawkes cortege, and I'm not taking my kids down to Hastings and watch it

@stokedcuriosity2358 2 жыл бұрын

It's definitely a sight to see. Seeing such a (relatively) small town with a well organised tradition like this was really enjoyable.

@Queen-of-Swords Жыл бұрын

Why would anyone find this hard to understand, Jack is the life force of the plants and trees. He over-winters and then becomes active again when the weather warms up. Of course it has its connection with the sexual force, reproduction, which all gets going again in the spring for many animals, after the hibernation during Winter. It probably has some pagan origin, a lot like the Green Man. And the Maypole with its phallic symbolism and fertility rites. We celebrate and hope for a good growth season, animals reproducing so our herds grow, a successful harvest, and our own healthy progeny. I think Englishness can be tricky to define. One of my friends overseas doesn't really understand this, I suppose from the outside, he easily sees what Englishness is. However, as a woman, what is my national dress? Unlike a Welsh woman, I don't seem to have anything to represent my Englishness. And Englishness has become a bowler hat. I am lucky that as a child I did country dance, and maypole. In addition I danced the Morris as a child because not enough boys wanted to do it! Perhaps that is where my apparently superior understanding comes from. 😆

@Wotsitorlabart Жыл бұрын

'Jack in the Green' is none of those things. It first appears in the late 1700's and was an urban custom as part of the May celebrations put on by chimney sweeps - particular as a means to collect money to help see them through the lean summer months. Most often found in London as well as Hampshire, Sussex and Kent but rarely elsewhere. It was first seen as an extension to the existing milkmaid garland dances. So, absolutely nothing to do with pagans or fertility rites - these are modern day connotations with no historical evidence. PS. Maypoles have no phallic symbolism and again have nothing to do with fertility rites - they were simply a focal point for a village knees up.

@Queen-of-Swords Жыл бұрын

@@Wotsitorlabart What nonsense.

@Wotsitorlabart Жыл бұрын

@@Queen-of-Swords Actually, all the above points are historically verifiable as opposed to your neo-pagan hippy drippy wishful thinking based upon absolutely nothing. Suggested reading: Roy Judge - 'The Jack-in-the-Green'. A history of the custom based on original research. Professor Ronald Hutton - 'The Stations of the Sun - A History of the Ritual Year in Britain'. Steve Roud - 'The English Year'. A month by month guide to the customs and festivals of England. The last two will also enlighten you as to the history of the maypole.

@Wotsitorlabart Жыл бұрын

@@Queen-of-Swords PS. The 'Green Man' carved faces have no connection whatsoever to 'JITG'. This was a theory put forward in 1939 by Lady Raglan (a member of the Folklore Society) claiming they both represented pagan deities or spirits of nature and fertility. It was Lady Raglan who coined the term 'Green Man' for the carvings. As we have seen 'JITG' is 18th/19th century London and unfortunately for her theory virtually all the GM carvings are from 1300-1500 so also not pagan. It has also been pointed out that the GM's faces are for the most part not benign but menacing - images of evil rather than some lovable spirit of nature.