Appleton Thorn in Cheshire, is the only village in England where the annual Bawming of the Thorn ceremony takes place.
A traditional custom that was revived in 1973, the ‘bawming’ or decorating of the village thorn tree with flowers and ribbons takes place every June.
Local legend has it that the thorn tree, which stands beside the church, is an offshoot of the Glastonbury Thorn. The Glastonbury Thorn, a form of Common Hawthorn which flowers twice a year, has its own myth attached to it. According to legend, Joseph of Arimathea visited Glastonbury with the Holy Grail and thrust his staff into the nearby Wearyall Hill. The staff is said to have then grown into a holy thorn tree, known as the Glastonbury Thorn.
Appleton’s bawming event is said to date back to when local landowner Adam de Dutton brought a cutting of the Glastonbury Thorn back to the village in the 12th century.
The Bawming of the Thorn ceremony is accompanied by singing, dancing and a parade. The word Bawming means to decorate with flowers and ribbons, and the Appleton Thorn tree is adorned each year, whilst local school children dance and sing The Bawming Song. Below are the traditional lyrics to the song:
The Maypole in spring merry maidens adorn,
Our midsummer May-Day means Bawming the Thorn.
On her garlanded throne sits the May Queen alone,
Here each Appleton lad has a Queen of his own
Chorus:
Up with fresh garlands this Midsummer morn,
Up with red ribbons on Appleton Thorn.
Come lasses and lads to the Thorn Tree today
To Bawm it and shout as ye Bawm it, Hooray!
The oak in its strength is the pride of the wood,
The birch bears a twig that made naughty boys good,
But there grows not a tree which in splendour can vie
With our thorn tree when Bawmed in the month of July.
Chorus
Kissing under the rose is when nobody sees,
You may under the mistletoe kiss when you please;
But no kiss can be sweet as that stolen one be
Which is snatched from a sweetheart when Bawming the Tree.
Chorus
Ye Appleton Lads I can promise you this;
When her lips you have pressed with a true lover’s kiss,
Woo’ed her and won her and made her your bride
Thenceforth shall she ne’er be a thorn in your side.
Chorus
So long as this Thorn Tree o’ershadows the ground
May sweethearts to Bawm it in plenty be found.
And a thousand years hence when tis gone and is dead
May there stand here a Thorn to be Bawmed in its stead.
Chorus
When: 16th June 2019
Where: Appleton Thorn village, Cheshire
£: Free to watch
More info: appletonthorn.org.uk/bawming-day