BDO Open Rites & Celebrations (updated May 16th)
Sunday, 11th July 2010
Blessing Ceremony for Tewkesbury Medieval Festival & Reenactors' Market
Every year we team up with members of the Cornovii Grove, OBOD and others to provide a Druid blessing ceremony for the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival, the largest such event in Europe. As well as commemorating the Battle of Tewkesbury that took place during the Wars of the Roses in 1471, there are acres of stalls selling all manner of amazing items from all periods of history from the Bronze Age to the Victorian era, including clothing, boots and shoes, leatherwork, jewellery, swords, bows, armour, hand-tools, musical instruments, craft supplies, food, drinking horns, toys, games, etc, etc. There's also live music, roaming entertainers, many food stalls, and a beer tent. It's a brilliant day (or weekend) out for all the family and what's more - it's FREE!
This year's Festival takes place on July 10th-11th. On the Sunday morning, we will make our Druid Ceremony of Blessing for the reenactors and stall-holders. It will be simple, beautiful and fun ... all the things a Druid ceremony should be. Oh, effective too, in that the weather forecast last year had been for persistent rain all weekend. We managed to re-direct it so that the days were mostly dry and it only rained fairly lightly and overnight. Two years earlier, we managed to engineer pretty well the only sunny weekend in a summer of floods. If you'd like to join us for the ceremony this year and then enjoy a wonderful day at the Festival, please e-mail Elaine for details and so that she can arrange a parking space for you. You'll need to be able to get to the Festival, park and find us before 10am. For more info on the Festival itself, go to their website.
By the way, you may be wondering why there should be a Druid blessing for an event commemorating a battle that took place in 1471, a period when there were not a lot of Druids about in England. Well, the Festival organisers are aware that a number of reenactors are Pagan, plus they feel that, as Druids, we attune well with the spirits of the land. As said, our earlier blessings do seem to have been beneficial and we are pleased to offer them.
Roundhouse Happenings
Our fabulous, magical roundhouse in its beautiful woodland grove in Shropshire is now complete. This means we are about to start the long-promised round of talks, workshops in Druidry and woodland skills, bardic sessions, retreats, rituals, and other events associated with it. Some will be for BDO members, but many will be open to all. Early plans include a launch party featuring brilliant bardic performances, an all-night dreamtime shamanic healing concert, an Otherworld journey based on the old Irish Voyage of Bran, all of which will take advantage of the amazing acoustics inside the roundhouse. Other early events will include Forest Schools training in woodland crafts and skills. Check back regularly for dates and details.
Past Events:
Another annual event in the BDO calendar is this one (check back nearer the time for this year's dates):
The Mistletoe Foundation presents:
As part of the Tenbury Mistletoe Festival, 5th December, 2009 A Mistletoe Procession, meet at the Rose and Crown Pub, (Shropshire side of the River Teme) at 11.30 to cross over the River into Tenbury, Mistletoe held high, and robes a-flappin in the wind!! where we shall hold a Druid Ceremony - a celebration of the fruits of the Teme Valley, mostly Apples, Hops and of Course - MISTLETOE!!!!!!!!! at Midday by the Bandstand in the park known as the Burgage.
Then, there's more!!
Different Twig - A Mistletoe Eisteddfod,
in association with Cranesfield Bardic Arts at the Royal Oak, Tenbury Wells, 8pm. Entry by Donation, please let me know if you would like to perform, as part of the Eisteddfod, its more a Bardic Open Mic than an official competition Eisteddfod, but if you wish to share a song, a poem or a story with a Mistletoe theme, please join in!!
See you there!!!!!!
Sunday, 11th July 2010
Blessing Ceremony for Tewkesbury Medieval Festival & Reenactors' Market
Every year we team up with members of the Cornovii Grove, OBOD and others to provide a Druid blessing ceremony for the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival, the largest such event in Europe. As well as commemorating the Battle of Tewkesbury that took place during the Wars of the Roses in 1471, there are acres of stalls selling all manner of amazing items from all periods of history from the Bronze Age to the Victorian era, including clothing, boots and shoes, leatherwork, jewellery, swords, bows, armour, hand-tools, musical instruments, craft supplies, food, drinking horns, toys, games, etc, etc. There's also live music, roaming entertainers, many food stalls, and a beer tent. It's a brilliant day (or weekend) out for all the family and what's more - it's FREE!
This year's Festival takes place on July 10th-11th. On the Sunday morning, we will make our Druid Ceremony of Blessing for the reenactors and stall-holders. It will be simple, beautiful and fun ... all the things a Druid ceremony should be. Oh, effective too, in that the weather forecast last year had been for persistent rain all weekend. We managed to re-direct it so that the days were mostly dry and it only rained fairly lightly and overnight. Two years earlier, we managed to engineer pretty well the only sunny weekend in a summer of floods. If you'd like to join us for the ceremony this year and then enjoy a wonderful day at the Festival, please e-mail Elaine for details and so that she can arrange a parking space for you. You'll need to be able to get to the Festival, park and find us before 10am. For more info on the Festival itself, go to their website.
By the way, you may be wondering why there should be a Druid blessing for an event commemorating a battle that took place in 1471, a period when there were not a lot of Druids about in England. Well, the Festival organisers are aware that a number of reenactors are Pagan, plus they feel that, as Druids, we attune well with the spirits of the land. As said, our earlier blessings do seem to have been beneficial and we are pleased to offer them.
Roundhouse Happenings
Our fabulous, magical roundhouse in its beautiful woodland grove in Shropshire is now complete. This means we are about to start the long-promised round of talks, workshops in Druidry and woodland skills, bardic sessions, retreats, rituals, and other events associated with it. Some will be for BDO members, but many will be open to all. Early plans include a launch party featuring brilliant bardic performances, an all-night dreamtime shamanic healing concert, an Otherworld journey based on the old Irish Voyage of Bran, all of which will take advantage of the amazing acoustics inside the roundhouse. Other early events will include Forest Schools training in woodland crafts and skills. Check back regularly for dates and details.
Past Events:
Another annual event in the BDO calendar is this one (check back nearer the time for this year's dates):
The Mistletoe Foundation presents:
As part of the Tenbury Mistletoe Festival, 5th December, 2009 A Mistletoe Procession, meet at the Rose and Crown Pub, (Shropshire side of the River Teme) at 11.30 to cross over the River into Tenbury, Mistletoe held high, and robes a-flappin in the wind!! where we shall hold a Druid Ceremony - a celebration of the fruits of the Teme Valley, mostly Apples, Hops and of Course - MISTLETOE!!!!!!!!! at Midday by the Bandstand in the park known as the Burgage.
Then, there's more!!
Different Twig - A Mistletoe Eisteddfod,
in association with Cranesfield Bardic Arts at the Royal Oak, Tenbury Wells, 8pm. Entry by Donation, please let me know if you would like to perform, as part of the Eisteddfod, its more a Bardic Open Mic than an official competition Eisteddfod, but if you wish to share a song, a poem or a story with a Mistletoe theme, please join in!!
See you there!!!!!!
Made by Greywolf
Copyright
British Druid Order 2009
Copyright
British Druid Order 2009
