Green Man Pageant
The Green Man Pageant is a dramatic representation of how the church incorporated ancient beliefs into Christian ideology. The story of how The Green Man ultimately meets The Prior has always been at the core of the annual Pilton Green Man Day.
The Green Man is an ancient Pagan symbol of nature and fertility frequently depicted in carvings in old churches as a face sprouting foliage. A splendid green man carving can be seen on the screen between the Chancel and the Raleigh Chapel in the ancient Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin in Pilton.
The Prior of the Benedictine Priory of Pilton may have lived at The Bull Hill House below the Church until the Reformation.
The Ritual enacted on Pilton Green Man Day is believed to represent the initial antagonism of the two characters, Prior and Green Man, represented by the red and green masks (left), and the subsequent inclusion of the pagan figure within the Church. Since last year, the Pageant has been under the directorship of Bev Neighbour and without the guiding hand of Hamish Patrick, who died in December 2014.
As always, it will take place at 12 noon and then again at 3pm. As last year, it will take place in its new location at the top end of Rotary Gardens. And also as always, there is a need for more volunteers to take part in the Pageant. Please contact a member of the Pilton Green Man Committee or email us through this website - click on the link below - if you are interested. There are no words to learn as there are no speaking parts; it is all mimed.
piltonfestival@googlemail.com