Mummers, Maypoles and Milkmaids: A Journey through the English Ritual Year will be showing at the Horniman Museum in London from 22 October 2011 – 5September 2012.

I have travelled to rural and industrial locations throughout England to photograph costumed processions, symbolic and sacred drama, traditional dance, street music and fire ceremonies that celebrate the cycles of nature. Ranging from the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, which is claimed to date from 1226, to such relatively new inventions as the environmental charity Common Ground’s annual Apple Day. Many of these customs incorporate ancient imagery, and are kept alive by local communities. The people I have photographed believe that rituals can forge a dynamic connection between past, present and future. My aim has been to explore the coexistence of tradition and modernity, and how folkloric practice has evolved in response to changing social needs.

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

Wonderful photographs – funny, moving, lovely and very human

MALI MORRIS RA

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, BRISTOL UNIVERSITY