In Scotland: What is Burryman's Day?

We've been to Scotland but had not  heard of Burryman's Day until this year. BBC News reported about the special and odd day in mid-August. He looks like a kind of Scottish version of the DC Comics weird hero, The Swamp Thing!   In today's blog, you'll learn who he is, the celebration, and the possible origins of the day. Then the BBC News story from Scotland:  

(Caption: Burryman Andrew Taylor undergoes final preparations for the parade. Credit: PA Media/BBC News)

WHAT IS BURRYMAN'S DAY ? The Burryman or Burry Man is the central figure in an annual ceremony or ritual, the Burryman's Parade. The custom is associated with, but separate from, the town's Ferry Fair. It takes place in the South Queensferry area of Edinburgh, Scotland on the south bank of the Firth of Forth in Scotland, on the second Friday of August. 

WHERE IS THE "FIRTH OF FORTH"? The Firth of Forth is the estuary of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south

WHAT IS BURRYMAN COVERED WITH?  On the Friday morning of the fair, a local man is covered from head to ankles in burrs (the sticky flowerheads or seedheads of two species of burdock, that grow locally, and walked through the town for over nine hours. The meaning of this ceremony has long been forgotten, but it has been the cause of much speculation. The right to hold the Ferry Fair was first granted in 1687.

WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE ORIGINS? There are many theories about the origin of the custom, what the ceremony means, and why it continues. One idea is that the parade was intended to ward off evil spirits - it can certainly ward off children, some of whom are terrified at the very sight of the Burryman, and avoid looking him in the eye.^[  It has been suggested that he carries on a pagan tradition thousands of years old; that he is a symbol of rebirth, regeneration and fertility (similar to the Green Man) that pre-dates almost all contemporary religions; that he is a "scapegoat"  and may even originally have been a sacrificial victim.

(Image: Locals line the route to capture pictures of Mr Taylor, who has participated in the event for nearly a decade./ Credit: PA Media/BBC News)

'Hip hip hooray, it's the Burryman's Day'

BBC NEWS August 13, 2021

Burryman Andrew Taylor undergoes final preparations for the parade Residents of a town near Edinburgh have gathered for a quirky tradition which features a man covered in thousands of seeds to bring them good luck.

Andrew Taylor was hidden under hundreds of seedheads from burdock plants that grow locally for the Burryman's Day celebration through South Queensferry.

Residents and curious onlookers guide him along the streets for nine hours or more. And they greet him with the cry: "Hip hip hooray, it's the Burryman's Day".

The exact meaning of the Burryman parade has been lost through the years, although it is believed to have been first recorded in the 17th Century.

But there was no need for a bubble around Mr Taylor this year as he was once again led from the Stag Head Hotel, where the Burryman traditionally gets ready.

PEOPLE GET INVOLVED - Locals pick burrs in the week leading up to the parade and on Friday one woman had to keep replacing the seeds as they fell from the suit.

GOOD LUCK BURRS - Crowds from the town followed behind Mr Taylor as part of the celebration with many taking the fallen burrs as good luck.

GETTING TIPSY ON HIS MARCH - Kathleen Hamblin was among those who gave him a nip of whisky - which he had to drink through a straw to get it through the Burryman suit. Mr Taylor will make more than 20 ports of call before 18:00 - and have a dram on each occasion.