| Ottery St. Mary is internationally renowned for
its Tar Barrels, which is held on November 5th each year, unless it falls on a
Sunday. It is part of the Ottery Carnival which is split in two parts. The first
part which normally takes place on the Saturday before November 5th, is a
procession of tableuax and a grand firework display. The second part is the
lighting of the annual bonfire and the carrying of the tar barrels through the
streets. It is an old custom originating from
the 17th century, where the barrels are soaked with tar and then hoisted
up onto people's backs and shoulders, originally they were rolled.
During the afternoon and early evening barrels suitable for boys and
women are lit but as the evening progresses the barrels get larger for
the men to carry, with them getting up to 30 kilos in weight by
midnight, which is carried around the square. A total of 17 barrels of
differing sizes are lit, one outside each of the 17 pubs/hotels in
Ottery are lit, and only those who live in the town for most of their
lives may carry a barrel and in fact generations of the same family have
competed over the years. The real origins or reason for this event is
not really known, but it is thought to be a pagan festival to ward off
evil spirits.
On tar barrel day a
Guy is placed on the top of a large bonfire which has taken 3 weeks to
build from material collected from the community. When completed a week
before the event it usually stands about 35ft high and 50ft round. On
the evening of tar barrel day it is lit with a flaming torch watched by
the local community.
The November night sky is alight with fire on
this day. This is primarily an event for the local townspeople, however it does
attract many outside visitors and they have worked with this over the years
including now providing two car parks to allow people to attend. It gets busy,
particularly in the evening sessions with between 15-20,000 people crammed into
the small streets of this small town.
The Carnival procession on the Saturday before
is an evening procession with illuminated floats and marchers and starts at
7.30pm. Finishing off with a grand firework display.
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smaller images to see larger versions
Graham Tait
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