Here we go a wassailing

I'm not really one for New Year's resolutions, but I think I'll make a small exception - I really must keep up with this blogging lark a lot more...

Anyway. Christmas is over for another year and to officially mark the occasion a bunch of us joined many hundreds of others on the South Bank of the Thames for Twelfth Night festivities performed by the Lions Part company.

Starting with the Green Man of holly coming from a cutter on the Thames, we the crowd were then led in the traditional wassails or toasting of the people, river and nearby Globe Theatre to bring luck in the coming year.

With a golden biscuit (gingerbread sprinkled with gold glitter) as an interval snack we were led next to the Mummers play. This was a strange mix of old stories and music interspersed with modern jokes and a cast of characters ranging from old Father Christmas and Saint George to the villains Beelzebub and Turkey Sniper. By this point Messrs. 0 tra la la?, TDB and M decided they couldn't see much through the crowds and accidentally "fell into the pub". W and I soldiered on though and were treated to Saint George's fight with Turkey Sniper, his resurrection by tooth extraction!

More images from the festivities are here on Flickr.