ST. ANDREW’S LANTERNS FESTIVAL
The St. Andrew’s Lanterns Festival is set to return this month where we can all enjoy a pre- Christmas weekend of light and sparkle.
This year we are combining last year’s ‘Window Wanderland’ garden and window displays with our traditional lanterns procession.
For the procession we will be gathering outside the Village Hall at 6pm on SATURDAY NOVEMBER 27th. The procession will leave at 6.30pm following its usual route through the village. Normally we would gather in the Church at the end but with continuing Covid restrictions this is not possible.
Instead, we will finish outside the Church door and from there we invite as many of you as possible to continue your family walks through the village enjoying all the garden and window displays.
The Window Wanderland takes in the whole of the weekend from Friday November 26th to Sunday November 28th. There will be prizes for the best windows, garden displays and hand-held lanterns. Judges will be there on the evening for the hand-held lanterns in the procession. The window and garden displays will all be visited by the judges, but it will be very helpful if you uploaded photos of your displays to Spotted Ipplepen using #lanterns21.
Above all though it is the fun of participating in a great village event in whatever way you wish raising some much-needed cheer for the Christmas season. Please make a note of the date and make this Festival one to remember.
A Little Background
2021 is the 10th anniversary of the Lanterns procession. It was reintroduced in 2011 and was described as the St. Andrew’s Ipplepen Medieval Feast and Fair and Candlelit Procession. It commemorates a Charter from 1317 issued by King Edward 11, to allow our village a Feast, Fair and Candlelit Vigil on the eve of St. Andrew. The Local History Group have in more recent years focussed all their attention on the Candlelit Procession aspect of the Charter and it is this event which has become much bigger and established itself as a fixture on the Ipplepen calendar.
It is a beautiful sight if the weather allows, and the members of the group have been determined to keep the festival going despite all the difficulties of the past few years.
John Marsh
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