Braving the rain to keep a Hastings Boxing Day tradition alive

Mad Jacks Morris on Boxing Day SUS-191227-101855001Mad Jacks Morris on Boxing Day SUS-191227-101855001
Mad Jacks Morris on Boxing Day SUS-191227-101855001
A torrential downpour on Boxing Day failed to deter local Morris dancers Mad Jacks and Hannah’s Cat from gathering on Winkle Island on Boxing Day for their annual seasonal performance.

A few hardy souls braved the rain to watch them before the Morris sides decamped to the Jenny Lind pub in the High Street to continue the revelries with a Mummers Play. The Mummers also performed their play to a large crowd in the Jolly Fisherman micro-pub.

Another tradition which took place in the Old Town on the same date was the annual Boxing Day Hunt, a mad chase around the pubs with people dressed up as foxes and huntsmen and women. The foxes hide a tail in every pub which the huntsmen have to find before they can continue the pursuit. Picture by Kevin Boorman.

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