The Peak District Villages’ Unique Custom
They dress their wells
Have you heard of it? I hadn’t. The origins of this strange custom are obscure, but what’s certain it has become an annual event on more than 100 villages’ calendars.
It’s believed it could have possibly started as a pagan veneration of water gods, water from the wells being vital to life. Perhaps the custom began in medieval times after a community survived the scourge of the Black Death. The custom of well dressing had almost disappeared by the late eighteenth century but sprang up again in a few villages.
More recently, it’s been revived as a part of the annual community celebration of Wakes Week — wakes referring to the observance of patron saints’ days. Many villages stage all-night vigils (wakes) which have been extended to include flower festivals and carnivals.
The week-long community celebration of Wakes Week began during the Industrial Revolution when factories, collieries and mills closed for a week during summer (often for maintenance). The workers in the nearby villages took this opportunity to celebrate often with a day trip to the seaside, a visit to a fun fair, or, in the Peak District, the dressing of the local wells.
Enough history of the custom of well dressing. Each well dressing is on display for only a few days…
