Good Luck on Burrymans Day

Subject: Good Luck on Burrymans Day
From: Pinetop Slim
Date: 03 Aug 01 - 02:09 PM

Came across this item in a newspaper column. I 'spect there is, or was, some music to go along with the celebration described:
"An old superstition says bad luck clings to your skin like burrs, and it is very difficult to get free of them. This led to the myth of the Burryman, who for well into the 19th century was blamed in English lore for many of the hardships and woes of life. On the fourth of August, in South Queensferry, England, it was long a tradition to have a Burryman's Parade. To rid the town of the current curse, someone would be dressed in flannel, covered with burdock burrs and paraded through the streets in a wheelbarrow."

Subject: RE: Good Luck on Burrymans Day
From: katlaughing
Date: 03 Aug 01 - 02:59 PM

How interesting! Thanks!

kat

Subject: RE: Good Luck on Burrymans Day
From: MMario
Date: 03 Aug 01 - 03:05 PM

wonder if the "Burryman" metamorphed into the "boogieman" at some point...

Subject: RE: Good Luck on Burrymans Day
From: Noreen
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 07:17 AM

Hmmm...

I'm afraid I've never heard of a "South Queensferry, England" (though there is a Queensferry in Wales) nor have I heard anything about this supposed English "tradition". This doesn't of itself mean that this is made up, of course- but could we have some further information, please, PS?

Subject: RE: Good Luck on Burrymans Day
From: GUEST,Willa
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 08:21 AM

Burryman's parade is during the 2nd week in August. South Queensferry is in West Lothian, Scotland. Most sites actually say its Aug 14 every year, but I think its actually variable (just some time during the 2nd week of aug). heres what some of websites say:

August 14 Every year on this date, a "burryman" (a man wearing a costume of thistle burrs, and representing an ancient fertility god) walks through the streets in MANY** of the fishing villages along the coast of Scotland, collecting donations from the villagers. The origin of the burryman remains a mystery.

14 August The Burryman, South Queensferry Scotland. On the second Friday of August, a man completely covered in Burdock burs walks the boundaries of the town, a distance of seven miles. The ritual probably has pagan origins

The Burry Man:

The Burry Man has a special place in Scottish tradition and folklore. Every August, for centuries, the Burry Man has walked the streets of South Queensferry, Scotland, a small fishing village near Edinburgh. The residents believe he will bring luck to the town if they give him whisky and money. There's many theories about how he got started, what the ceremony means, why it continues. Basically, though, he walks, collecting whisky and money... because he's collecting whisky and money. The fact that he carries on a tradition thousands of years old (which he does); that he is a symbol of rebirth, regeneration and fertility that predates just about all contemporary religions (which it is); that he is covered in burrs from head to foot - ankle, actually - for long cold and sometimes wet hours perhaps to epitomize a "scapegoat" or "resurrection" mythology, and is uncomfortable at best and in great pain at worst (which he most definitely is); is secondary to the fact that he simply is. Burry Man Day is the second Friday in August.

Subject: RE: Good Luck on Burrymans Day
From: Noreen
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 01:07 PM

Thanks, Willa!

collecting whisky and money... because he's collecting whisky and money

A hard job, but someone has to do it... bet he puts on a layer of Kevlar under the burry costume, and wears a pained expression..:0)

Subject: RE: Good Luck on Burrymans Day
From: Pinetop Slim
Date: 04 Aug 01 - 04:03 PM

Maybe he ends up in a wheelbarrow in England after collecting a sufficient amount of whiskey?