What is well dressing all about?
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No-one really knows when well-dressing first began, or even where. But it harks back to a world that was simpler on the surface, but perhaps more mysterious underneath. Simpler in that people appreciated what they needed, food, water, shelter, and these things were not as certain as they are for us in this country now. Life seemed more fragile and to get a good harvest, to have clean water, was seen as a blessing, and something that should be recognised. It was also more mysterious because, before the advent of modern science most people recognised that there was more to life than molecules and cells. We’re at a point now where the view often expressed is that everything can be broken down, measured, recorded. Historically, humans have always looked beyond themselves, to the spiritual if you like, recognising that there are forces beyond us, there are things that exist outside of this realm we can see and touch, but that sometimes, the two realms meet. Well dressing involves decorating sources of water, wells, springs, sometimes even street stand pipes. The rules vary from place to place, some will only use ‘growing things’ others are more flexible in their materials. But why does it happen? The theory goes that this is a hangover from our pagan past. Before Christianity arrived on these shores, the people would have worshipped a range of other gods, some local, some more widely known. The sources of water would be decorated as a kind of sacrifice, or thank offering, to appease or thank the spirit of the well or the god. We still don’t really know well dressing arrived arrived here, the Romans made offering to their gods, but nothing like it survives in modern Italy. If it is ancient, it probably pre-dates the Romans, possibly Celtic, but if so has also managed to survive the invasions that followed, the Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans. A few more random points!!
Despite what you might think, early Christianity in this country was quite sensitive to paganism. It appears to have absorbed and adapted it rather than suppressed it. There appear to be traces of paganism even as late as the 10th century, although whether this was proper paganism or local folk-superstition is unclear. (again, I'd be interested to hear your views on this point) Well-dressing as we know it is fairly recent, although there are claims that it is a revival of something more ancient. One theory says that it began or was revived in Tissington during the Black Death in the 1300s, the second theory is that the Tissington wells kept flowing throughout a long drought in 1651. Whichever (or both) theory you agree with, it prompted the villagers to perhaps perform some half remembered act of thanksgiving. Well dressing does have spiritual significance today , and often uses faith based themes and Christianity would generally see it as a way of thanking God for his provision. However you interpret it, well-dressing is an opening onto something bigger than us. It recognises the importance of water for life and, in its own way, gives thanks for that life giving stream. Neil Midsummer 2011 |
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We went to see a well dressing in Ashford. Here's some general rambling and ponderings on the pheomenon of well dressing. Your comments are invited!
Danu was the chief goddess of the Celts and she was often seen as a friendly goddess of springs and wells. In Irish legend she was the mother of the early gods of Ireland who lived under the hills. Danu is sometimes seen as being 'merged' with St Anne and , apparently, the commonest dedication of wells and springs is to St Anne. (I've not got any statistics on this and would be interested to hear if anyone has)