On May Day bank holiday weekend we celebrated the end of the cooler months and the arrival of summer with the pagan festival called Jack in the Green. The festival is a huge day in Hastings and thousands descend on the Old Town from all over the country wearing green. We made garlands of ivy and flowers for our hair and dressed in as many green clothes as we could find before joining Maria, Lol and Lara and the kids on the High Street. Brilliantly positioned along the route but also withing reach of a pub - for loos and drinks - we had a prime spot for the lavish parade. The Jack is marched through the town before being ceremoniously slain to release the spirit of summer. He is accompanied on his final journey of the year by giants, hundreds of drummers, morris dancers (definitely a uniquely British pastime) and buxom ladies. Onlookers are daubed on the face with green paint and winter spirits are scared away during a real party atmosphere. We had a ball at the parade, settling with a group of friends off the main drag for roast pork rolls and Champagne, before heading back to Maggie and Popi's for more drinks in the sun. Wonderful.
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