Morris Dancing: England’s Folk Tradition That Refuses to Fade

A curious spectacle unfolds on village greens and at summer fairs: a troupe of dancers, clad in white with bells jangling at their knees, leaps and sways to the jaunty strains of a fiddle or accordion. Handkerchiefs flutter like captured birds, wooden sticks clack in precise rhythm, and the earth itself seems to pulse beneath their feet. This is Morris dancing—one of England’s oldest living folk traditions. This ritual has survived persecution, war, and changing tastes to endure as a vibrant, if often misunderstood, art form.

Roots Shrouded in Mystery
The origins of Morris dancing are as debated as they are ancient. Some scholars trace its lineage to 15th-century courtly entertainments, while others insist it descends from pagan rites meant to summon fertility and good harvests. The name, first recorded in 1448 as “Morisk dance, ” hints at Moorish influences, possibly imported from Spain. By Elizabethan times, it had become a staple of May Day celebrations, though Puritans later denounced it as “heathenish foolery” and drove it underground.

A Dance of Many Faces
Today, regional styles abound, each with its own quirks:

Cotswold Morris: The most recognizable, featuring white outfits, flowered hats, and the waving of handkerchiefs or sticks.

Border Morris: Wild and raucous, with tattered coats, blackened faces (originally a disguise for winter begging dances), and a thunderous energy.

North West Morris: Processional and military in precision, often performed with garlands or ribbons.

At its heart, the dance is a ritual of renewal. The rhythmic stepping—thought to mimic ploughing—and the clash of sticks (symbolizing sword fights or lightning strikes) were once believed to “wake the earth” for spring planting.

Bells, Beer, and Brotherhood
To modern observers, the sight of grown men (and increasingly, women) prancing in ribbons may seem quaint. But Morris dancing has always been more than mere performance—it’s a living thread of community. Teams (or “sides”) practice year-round in pubs and village halls, bonding over complex steps and post-rehearsal pints. The dances are passed down orally, with variations so minute that aficionados can identify a side’s hometown by the angle of a wrist flick.

Why It Endures
In an age of digital detachment, Morris dancing offers something rare: tactile tradition. The smell of damp grass underfoot, the weight of bells on the leg, the shared breathlessness after a vigorous “jig”—these are sensations no app can replicate. Critics may mock its eccentricity, but as one dancer quipped, “We’re not mad—we’re keeping alive what others forgot to remember.”

As dawn breaks on May Day this year, hundreds of sides will gather on hillsides across England to dance in the sunrise, just as their predecessors did five centuries ago. The world around them may have transformed beyond recognition, but the bells still ring, the sticks still strike, and the dance—stubbornly, joyfully—goes on.

See It At The Central Coast Renaissance Festival
You’ll definitely love seeing Ramtop Morris at the Central Coast Renaissance Festival on July 19 & 20, 2025. See https://ccrenfaire.com/ for details about the festival.