The Holy Thorn Ceremony: Revival, Rivalry and Civil Religion in Glastonbury

• Published in: Folklore (London) Vol. 117; no. 2; pp. 123 - 140
• Main Author: Bowman, Marion
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 01.08.2006; Taylor & Francis Group LLC; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Attitudes; Ceremonies; Children; Christian mythology; Christianity; Churches; Civil religion; Clergy; Cultural customs; England; English; Evaluation; Flowers & plants; Folklore; Glastonbury; Historic buildings & sites; Historic sites; Joseph of Arimathea; Learning; Lecture; Legends; Mayors; Myth; Nonfiction; Orthodox Church; Plant spines; Religion; Religious aspects; Religious change; Rites & ceremonies; Rivalry; Spirituality; United Kingdom; England; Glastonbury England
• ISSN: 0015-587X; 1469-8315
• DOI: 10.1080/00155870600707805

Glastonbury's current status as a significant and sacred site for a great range of people is unparalleled in the British Isles (Ivakhiv 2001; Bowman 2005), being variously considered the Isle of Avalon, the site of a great Druidic centre of learning, a significant prehistoric centre of Goddess worship, the "cradle of English Christianity," the "New Jerusalem," a communication point for alien contact, the epicentre of New Age in England, and the "heart chakra" of planet Earth. Contemporary Christianity in Glastonbury is also varied, not simply in terms of denominational divisions, but in attitudes to Glastonbury's myths and their significance, the degree of interaction there might be with the "alternative" community, and how best to promote Christianity in the twenty-first century.