The English Ale is a unique seasonal gathering that takes place in the picturesque Adelaide hills town of Mylor every May. It is an autumn gathering celebrating the village customs and ritual traditions from the UK that occur within the seasonal wheel of the year.  

The event acknowledges the end of the hot dry summer and the fire season and moving into the ‘greener’ time of the year. The first of the winter rains has arrived and the land that was so parched and dry is now coming back to life.  

Jack In The Green has returned.

The leafy faces of green men peek out from behind the trees as King George and his mummers players ring their bell to summon all to gather. A bonfire is built with a wicker man waiting to light the night. Masked guisers in rag coats beat their drums to lead the procession along the path while Morris dancers with their bells, sticks and hankies accompany the giants, Petal, Rufus, and the Mari Llwyd, to watch the lighting of a ritual fire.

All are invited to join in for a day and night of music, mumming, merriment, dance, giants, hobby horses and guisers. Wear a mask and take part in the torchlight procession to the bonfire!

South Australia has officially started winter, the storms have blown in, and red and orange leaves have been snatched from the branches of the European trees by icy southern winds and are laying in slushy pools on the ground. Leaves are glistening on the eucalyptus trees in the chill, misty mornings and the kookaburras are waking people later.  

Adrienne Piggot, director of the English Ale, explains: “I am obsessed with the seasons and the customs and traditions that herald the turning of the wheel. I think this is because of my being of northern hemisphere ancestry. I yearn to connect to those seasonal traditions that are being celebrated at this time of the year but, of course, can’t because we are topsy turvy. It would be wrong, wouldn’t it, to mess with ancient customs at an incorrect time of the year?”

The English Ale is attended by many magical creatures: pageant giants, hobby horses, Mari Llwyds, hooden horses, Jack In The Green, guisers and dancing monsters. All of these characters come from various village calendar customs from around Great Britain and now find themselves adapting and settling into life in the Australian festival landscape.

Jack In The Green

Jack is the green man of the woods, a figure who is covered in greenery who cavorts in the spring. A dancer carries him along the procession route, accompanied by other dancers, musicians, and general revelry. Traditionally, Jack is ‘killed’ in a ceremony that releases the spirit of summer. However, at The English Ale, they don’t kill their Jack because they don’t want to mess with the seasons, so he is put to bed in the forest after the Ale to await Australia’s spring in September.

Hobby Horses, Hooden Horses and Dragons

These are costumed characters that feature in traditional seasonal customs, processions, and similar observances around the world. They are particularly associated with May Day celebrations, mummers’ plays and the Morris dance in England. They are beasts who make merry but may also wreak chaos and mayhem. May here is our Samhain time, but the hobbies still like to pull unsuspecting revellers under their skirts no matter what the time of year!

The Mari Lwyd

Mari is an ancient pre-Christian tradition which takes place in parts of Wales during the time of Samhain and the winter festive season in which a horse’s skull is draped in bells and ribbons. Each year, the Mari Lwyd is taken from house to house asking for entry via song. The name Mari Lwyd translates as Grey Mare or Grey Mary. Thought to have originated from Celtic mythology, the pale horse is known to be able to pass to the underworld. She is perfect for The English Ale as the veil is thinning and the ancestors are close by.

Guisers

The ancient tradition of guising goes back centuries in Scotland and Ireland. Guising derives from the word disguise. The tradition of guising, going house to house at Halloween and putting on a small performance to be rewarded with food or treats, goes back at least as far as the 16th century, as does the tradition of people wearing costumes at Halloween. It was believed that, by disguising themselves, they would blend in with any wandering spirits and remain safe from harm. The English Ale guisers carry the flaming torches in the procession and enjoy a bit of mischief and mayhem.

Morris Dancers

Hot for Joe are an Adelaide women’s Morris team dancing ‘Border’ Morris, a dance tradition from the border counties of England along the Welsh border. Border dancing is considered a winter tradition. Hot For Joe presents a highly styled, unique form of Morris dancing focusing on precise, energetic and dramatic dancing. It is an inspiring, modern interpretation of an ancient dance tradition.

Pageant Giants

Dancing or pageant giants are folkloric manifestations, larger than life characters that parade along with hobby horses and Jack In The Green, a seasonal figure commonly seen at folk rituals and seasonal events. The English Ale’s giants are ‘Petal’, named after Helen ‘The Petal’ Lyons, and Rufus of the Wildwood.

The Wicker Man

A wicker man is part of a seasonal festival and is burnt specifically for the celebration of a fire feast or at harvest time. The English Ale’s wicker man is lit after the torchlight procession and Druid peace ceremony, a ritual where they acknowledge the traditional owners of the land where they gather, the Peramangk people, and call for peace. It is a call to put aside conflict and come together to celebrate the turning of the season on Mother Earth!

• The English Ale 2024 will be held in the picturesque Adelaide hills village of Mylor, South Australia on Saturday, 18th May, from12pm to late at night.

There will be food and drink available, including cider, whisky bar and food trucks.

Dress up in your greenery, finery, magical costumes and wear a mask if you wish. 

Everyone is invited to join in the magic that is the English Ale!

All the information you need and tickets are available at www.theenglishale.org and www.facebook.com/TheEnglishAle

Pictures: Cover: English Ale Procession and, top of story, Hot For Joe Morris dancers. Mari Lwyd and Guisers performing. Pictures: JIayuan Liang/Supplied by The English Ale