Mummers, Maypoles and Milkmaids: A Journey Through the English Ritual Year
by Sara Hannant
Runner-up The Katharine Briggs Award 2012
“These photographs are fabulous, and the author has clearly taken the time to find out what these customs mean to their participants. Her consideration of revived, invented and semi-institutional customs alongside the ‘traditional’ is welcome, and the whole is backed with a sober and thoughtful text.” The Folklore Society
“Sara Hannant’s remarkable photographs convey, with joy and compassion, the mystery, charm and exuberance of traditional English ritual”. Shirley Collins, President of the English Folk Dance and Song Society
“…Sara has a rare gift for capturing peak moments in such celebrations … the human participants emerge as vivid characters in their own right, adding depth to the drama and humour of the local seasonal rites in which they are involved. She is a genuinely talented artist, and a great boon to a scholar” Professor Ronald Hutton, University of Bristol
“Wonderful photographs – funny, moving, lovely and very human” Mali Morris RA
“Folklore, myth and tradition mingle in photographs of English rituals taken throughout the year” The Guardian
“Full of wonderful photos” Bad Witch’s Blog
“…Hannant’s charming and informative photo essay brings to life this quintessentially English obsession…and she captures the warmth, drama, humour and emotion of these quaint events with an artist’s eye. An oddly moving book. F22 (Eyes Wide Open)
“Hannant’s eye-catching, reportage-style photographs capture the mystery and eccentricity of customs which are for her integral to the cultural identity of present day England’…” The Countryman
“In this fantastic book… you get a real glimpse of what it was like to be there; jostled by crowds at the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge, or listening to the clink and rustle of the saucy milkmaids, decked out in silverware, who parade with the Deptford Jack. The images are compelling, at once capturing the vividness, excitement and mystery of these events…” Pagan Dawn
“A gifted and inspired photographer, Sara Hannant shows us just ‘how we do it’ today… A visual jewel of delight” The Goddess and Green Man
“Hannant’s vibrant images reveal her keen eye for the unexpected, offering a captivating and surprising glimpse of contemporary ‘Merrie England” British Photographic History Blog
“Highly recommended” The Cauldron
“Sara Hannant’s beautiful new book …is an attractive celebration of a wide range of seasonal observation. It deserves to be seen widely and enjoyed” Humphrey With His Flail Blog