An ancient and unusual midsummer tradition to celebrate bringing the harvest home will take place on Monday in a Northumberland village.
The village of Whalton, near Morpeth, has been the only village to maintain a midsummer bale-burning tradition in Northumberland since 1903, with the event going ahead on July 4 every year, no matter what day it falls on. On the village green a seven foot Kern Baby (also known as a Corn Dolly) has been built and will stand outside the village hall before the traditional Baal Burning ceremony on Monday.
Traditionally, children danced around a bonfire before the Kern Baby is thrown onto it and then burned. However, that no longer happens and instead, it is a small community event with Morris dancers and Northumbrian pipers.
