Trooping the Colour
The custom of Trooping the Colour dates back to the time of Charles II in the 17th C when the Colours of a regiment were used as a rallying point in battle. The Colours are the flags which were carried into battle by different regiments, these flags were the rallying point of each regiment and in order to ensure that each soldier could recognise their own Colours the flag was carried (trooped) in front of them every day. In London, the Foot Guards used to do this from 1755 onwards as part of their daily Guard Mounting on Horse Guards and the ceremonial of the present parade is along similar lines. In 1805 the parade was carried out for the first time to celebrate the Sovereign's birthday.
If you want to know more about it's history visit this web site all about Pageantry.
Royal Ascot
Royal Ascot is one of the most spectacular race-meetings in the world, it has been held for nearly 300 years since 1711 during the reign of Queen Anne. For just four days each year the aristrocracy, sports celebrities and fashion gurus of England hobnob in grand style at one of the highlights of their social calendar. It is called Royal Ascot because the Royal family attend every year and I believe the land is actually owned by The Crown.
Royal Ascot is more than just your run of the mill horse race, it is a place to see and be seen, everbody seems to be wearing designer outfits and spectacular hats, especially on the highly popular Gold Cup Day, which is better known as "Ladies Day". The TV commentary is just as likely to be about what Lady so and so is wearing as it is to be about who won the 4.30! However if you do attend make sure you don't lose your shirt!
To find out more about this event visit The Official Ascot web site.
Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury festival started as a free party in a Somerset field in 1970 and went on to become one of the world's most famous outdoor cultural events. So it's time for everyone actually living in the area to move out and everyone else from all over the UK to move in!
Tickets sell like hot cakes, nowadays they generally sell out within 24 hours of going on sale. In fact in 2005 112,500 ticket quota sold out in just 3 hours 20 minutes, leaving thousands of potential attendees frustrated.
Every five years the festival is cancelled, a "fallow year", in order to give the villagers and surrounding areas a rest from the yearly disruption.
Summer Solstice
The Summer Solstice is also known as Midsummer's Day, it is the time of the year when the distance of the Sun from the equator is at its greatest distance. Pagans believe it is a time to celebrate the achievement of man under the guidance and protection of 'Mother Earth' and 'Bel' (hence Beltane) resulting from their mutual veneration. In ancient Celtic and Wiccan beliefs such a time and event is symbolized by the 'Cauldron' and the 'Spear'. The druids name for this solstice was Alban Heruin (literally the light of the shore).
The main focus of the Solstice is Stonehenge, the most famous prehistoric site in Europe. Over 5,000 years old this prehistoric monolith is one of the great mysteries of Britain. How were these enormous stones transported from South Wales, erected and aligned to the movements of the heavens?
If you want to read more about the Summer Solstice access to Stonehenge you can visit the English Heritage website here.
If you want to know more about the mystery of the stones at Stonehenge then visit the longest running Stonehenge website.
Do you want to know more about UK music festivals? Then check out the Virtual Festival's web site.
