The 25th July marks the feast day of St James (brother of Jesus) and is also the Sussex Horn Fair, so called because one of the revellers wore a set of horns upon their head. The horns were thought to represent the Pagan Horned God often referred to as Cernunnos or Herne the hunter and were believed to bring luck and fertility to the wearer.
In Kent at the Charlton Horse Fair, (records of which date back to the 16th century) tell us that everyone who attended wore horns and ate rams horns made from sugar and gingerbread,
A similar festival takes place in Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire during September where a group of dancers all wear a set of antlers and dance their way around the whole village stopping at every inn on the way. This is a ritual that dates back at least 1000 years and is said to bring luck to everyone in the village who sees the dancers.
Regardless of whether you have access to a set of horns, this is a great excuse for a summer get together to celebrate the gift of male energy before it begins to diminish at the festival of Lammas early in August.
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