This weekend just passed (Friday 16th, Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th) saw the annual Kent County Show. Three days of agricultural appreciation, Kentish customs and pride in the County's traditional practices.
Please don't get me wrong though, I do realise that we are all in the 21st Century and this was made perfectly apparent with stands trying peddle such wares as 'hot-tubs' and up-market cars. The romanticism of upholding old rural customs held it's own against such modern commodities though, with Horse-drawn Timber dragging, archery, woodcrafting, cider, ales, hops etc.
One of my personal highlights were those who were crafting of traditional country walking-sticks, some crowned with deer-antler, some with a deer hoof, and some with a natural fork in the wood at the top. I succumbed, my new stick, stang, pole, pillar (whichever you want to call it), 'Auld Hornie', is crowned in traditionally-styled 'horns' carved from oak, majestic indeed!
It is refreshing to see that the County is so 'green' conscious, with 'eco-this' and 'eco-that', organic foods (and local produce) heavily promoted. Clothes made from organic materials and no synthetics, facial and body washes and soaps made purely of natural ingrediants..... what a direction we are moving in!
Kent's County Show had shown me that the rural customs of the County are still alive, locally produced ale, the roasting of the hog, a county as all should be, reclaiming the pride and importance of local produce and having our community appreciative and aware of the agricultural cycles once more.
The old ways aren't dead anymore, they are gaining new strength within this 21st century and a new awareness will carry them through.
John Barleycorn is dead, long live John Barleycorn!
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