Twelfth Night Celebration 2014

London is a wonderful city to visit during the Christmas holidays. From the Christmas lights to the festive events held all over the city, London is a place that truly embraces the magic of this season.

It is the magic of this city that makes London such an excellent setting for the Twelfth Night Celebration; an evening that marks the end of the Christmas period. Held on January 5^th at the Bankside Jetty along the Thames, the Twelfth Night Celebration promises a day of fun for the whole family.

The Twelfth Night Celebration mixes ancient ritual with modern customs in the form of plays and performances that begin near Shakespeare’s Globe and end at the George Inn. The fun to be had at this event is a great way to beat the ‘back to work’ blues after the Christmas holidays.

Starting off the celebrations, the Holly Man, otherwise known as the pagan Green Man, is brought up the Thames on the Thames Cutter by the Master Shipbroker. The Holly Man is covered in green foliage and will make a toast or ‘wassail’ to the prosperity of the river, crowd and the Globe Theatre.

The Mummers will lead the wassailing whilst dressed up as characters such as Clever Legs and the Turkey Sniper. They then perform a traditional, freestyle comic folk play that is based on the life of St. George. This is a play with quite a history and it dates back to the time of the crusades.

Once the play of the Mummers is over, the crowd are given small cakes that contain either a bean or a pea. Whoever gets the cake with a bean is crowned King Bean and whoever receives the cake with a pea is crowned Queen Pea. The new King and Queen then lead the procession along the streets of Bankside, ending at the George Inn where the celebrations and fun continue.

The Twelfth Night Celebration begins at 2:30PM and admission is free to the event. If you are looking to stay in the city during this time, then you can find a hotel to book in London at the Accorhotels website.