Some may say it is evidence of the onset of senility in The Green Man but, over the years of attending the National Folk Festival, Morris Dancing has moved from a quaint English idiosyncrasy to something that is rich in culture and tradition.

This is the time for Morris, it is an integral component of the Northern Hemisphere spring and ancient Pagan fertility rituals are kept alive in the attire and dances, well not all of them obviously otherwise it would hardly be suitable for public performance. Still one can only speculate what goes on in private, secret Morris business no doubt.

The origins of Morris are lost in time although the name is thought to be a corruption of Moorish Dancing. This is from a time around the 12th and 13th centuries when the Muslim Moors were the dominant and enlightened culture in Europe and the Middle East. As well as music and dance they were pioneering medicine, mathematics and the sciences.

The photos are of Molonglo Mayhem Border Morris, a Morris group from Canberra who are keeping alive the traditional Morris from the Welsh border region of England. Those of you who are aware of Morris will note that their costumes are quite different from those that you may be familiar with. Whilst the dances have a commonality across the English countryside each region developed their own style of dress.

On a related matter it is good to see that President Bush is keen on the perpetuation of Pagan fertility rituals himself and that the fertility egg hunt will once again take place at the White House.