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SUMMARY:PLOUGH SUNDAY AT EBRINGTON
DTSTART:20260104T093000Z
DTEND:20260104T103000Z
DTSTAMP:20260425T010910Z
UID:12773452026-01-04 09:30:00+00:00achurchnearyou
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DESCRIPTION:JOIN US FOR PLOUGH SUNDAY AT EBRINGTON - TIME 9:30 AM DATE 4th
  JAN\nOn 4th January  at 9:30 am we will be joining together for a special
  service for Plough Sunday which is traditionally held in Ebrington. It wi
 ll be a family friendly “service of the word” with prayer and readings
  as we ask God to bless the land and those who work with it.\n\nFor people
  wishing to receive Holy Communion there will also be a traditional Commun
 ion service  at St.Lawrence at 6pm.\n\nSome background information on Plou
 gh Sunday published by the Diocese of Winchester.\n\nPlough Sunday is thou
 ght to be a very ancient festival\, abandoned at the Reformation and then 
 revived by the Victorians. Traditionally it was celebrated on the first Su
 nday after Epiphany\, which falls on 6 January\, and then ploughing began 
 the next day\, Plough Monday. Since Victorian times many farms have owned 
 their own plough\, so a representative plough was brought into church for 
 a blessing\, but in the medieval period\, when there was only one plough i
 n each village\, the village plough was drawn through the streets to be bl
 essed at the church\, and was followed with much food\, drinking and revel
 ry. For medieval farmers it was an important occasion. The village plough 
 was cleaned and decorated\, it was then dragged to the church to be blesse
 d and for prayers for a good harvest before the start of the new season’
 s work. During the service the ‘plough light’ - a candle kept lit in t
 he church throughout the year - was paraded ceremonially. After the blessi
 ng\, the plough was pulled through the village again\, led by a Fool and a
  boy dressed as a woman called a ‘Betsy’. The procession stopped at as
  many pubs and friendly houses as possible for revellers to demand drinks.
  Pennies were also collected along route as a contribution towards keeping
  the plough light going in the church throughout the year - though others 
 say it could have been to boost the kitty for “ale” that evening at th
 e tavern. It would appear that anyone not paying a penny was likely to fin
 d a furrow cut across their land by morning! The day ended with a village 
 feast\, ale or beer flowed\, and the traditional centrepiece was always a 
 large Plough Pudding - a suet pudding stuffed with sausagemeat\, bacon\, o
 nion\, and sage. The recipe is readily available on the internet for anyon
 e who wishes to give it a go. Modern farming practices have changed\, of c
 ourse\, and the widespread sowing of winter wheat means that much farming 
 is now carried out in the autumn\, but how marvellous to have two opportun
 ities to celebrate the work of our farmers – both at Harvest Festival an
 d on Plough Sunday
LOCATION:St Eadburgha's Church
URL:https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/14287/service-and-events/events/
 1277345/
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