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You probably haven’t had too much to drink if you see grown men dressed in weird garments in the centre’s pub.
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They're back!
20/ 3/2008
ST GEORGE, the King of England, Captain Slasher, Miss Kitty Fair, the Doctor, and the Turkish Knight rampaging the streets can only mean one thing in Middleton – it's Pace Egging time again.
The cast of colourful characters will once again be descending on the town's pubs this Easter Monday and the sound of singing, dancing and clashing swords will be echoing throughout the day.
This year marks the 42nd anniversary of the Middleton Pace Eggers and their Easter story of the triumph of life over death. Pace Egging is an old Lancashire custom thought to date back more than 200 years and folk enthusiasts flock to Middleton to watch the traditional play performed in the towns pubs every year.
The fantastically dressed pace eggers will start the spring ritual with a performance at the Dusty Miller at around 12.30pm before making their way to the Old Roebuck, the Britannia Inn, Wetherspoons, Assheton Arms, Old Boars Head and the Ring O' Bells with performances every half an hour. There will then be an egg rolling game at the parish church at 4pm for local children.
The 20-minute drama revolves around the themes of death and rebirth and a battle between St George and the Turkish Champion. At first, defeated St George is brought back to life by the mysterious Doctor and then finally defeats his enemy. The drama is accompanied by a host of pace egging songs.
The tradition was revived in Middleton in 1966 by folk singer and comedian Mike Harding.
But this year’s event has not been without its problems. Organiser, Martin Gittins said: "After a good run of some six years with a regular cast we have suffered from a couple of blows in recent weeks."
But despite the setback, Martin says the show will go on.
Got an opinion you want to share?Should less emphasis be placed on the results of tests and more emphasis on general education for children?
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