Whalton Baal Fire 4th July

At about 6.30 p.m. on the 4th July the Whalton Baal Fire will be lit on the small green in front of the Beresford Arms. Local schoolchildren will sing and dance around the fire and the villagers old and new will gather and celebrate over a hot dog and perhaps a pint of beer. What many do not realise is that this little festivity has been taking place continuously since at least 1752. 

On the ancient tradition of midsummer fires the renowned folklorist Ronald Hutton writes:
'Their disappearance during the nineteenth century was rapid and ubiquitous. By 1900 only one remained, at the isolated village of Whalton in the Blyth Valley of Northumberland. Having thereby acquired the status of a relic, it has been preserved as such, being still lit on Old Midsummer Eve, which has fallen on the 4th July after the calendar change of 1752.'
Ronald Hutton (2001)), The Stations of the Sun. Oxford University Press

Yes, the Whalton Baal Fire is a true living relic - a relic of ancient pagan divination of the crops. All over Europe and North Africa these fires were lit until the nineteenth century after which they rapidly disappeared becoming increasingly a rural activity. As summer fires have come and gone and in some instances come again, Whalton has continued uninterrupted. No longer do farmers look anxiously at the fire for signs of plenty, nor do couples jump the fire to secure fruitful unions. So why does it still happen? Is there still some folk memory at work? Or is this a small show of rural pride and of village identity? Whatever the reason, it will also happen because there is a determined rhythm to to the heart of village life and between the weekly whist drive, the gardening club, the carpet bowls, the famous village show and across the flower beds, leek trenches and the bar of the Beresford Arms the ancient Baal Fire shines a light on the character on a tiny community surviving in the twenty first century.

It is a simple and joyous event. You are very welcome to join us.