Burning the Clocks
The celebration
The Burning of the Clocks is a pagan festival that takes place in Brighton, UK, each year on the winter solstice since 1993. The celebration centres round a procession of lanterns and costumes, made from withies (willow canes) and white tissue paper, lead by local bands with a carnival atmosphere. The procession makes it's way through Brighton city centre to the seafront where the festivities culminate in a lantern bonfire, accompanied by fireworks. The costumes all include a clockface to represent the passing of time, although each year has a slight change of theme.
Same Sky, an arts initiative first organised the event to comemmorate the Co-Op's 150th Birthday. They explain: "Burning The Clocks is an antidote to the excesses of the commercial Christmas. People gather together to make paper and willow lanterns to carry through their city and burn on the beach as a token for the end of the year ... The lantern makers become part of the show as they invest the lanterns with their wishes, hopes, and fears and then pass them into the fire. Same Sky are masters at creating new urban rituals to replace those traditional festivals that were lost in the dash to be new and non superstitious." [1]
In 2000, Brighton Museum comissioned a costume from Same Sky artist Nicky Gunson [2]. She created "Mother Time Keeper" and performed it in the parade before returning to the museum. Incidentally the festival took place on New Year's Eve' that year. Local colleges also participate; Lewes 6th Form College have been contributing since 1998 and, in a more traditional participation, enjoy seeing their work go up in flames [3].
Although the spirit of the festival is carried unanimously, there is a small confusion. Same Sky confidently share that "...(they) take elements of the past… the delight in seasons… the celebration of place and home… the giving and sharing of thoughts and wishes… and put them into a secular format that can be enjoyed by all regardless of faith or creed". Local rag, The Argus seem to pointedly prefer "modern, secular and non-superstitious" as written here, though elswhere they make little mention of it [4]. Public oppinion is vague but topical blogs and galleries often cite the parade as pagan. [This quote needs a citation]