Grotters, and the Blessing of the Waters

What the heck are grotters, you ask?  Well, I’ll tell ya….

Last night, we all had a special treat.  We stayed out after it got dark!

After our delicious supper of pasta with bolognese sauce & steamed broccoli (I know, not terribly creative, but the kids love it), we hightailed it out the door to the beach and watched the Blessing of the Waters ceremony.

From the Whitstable Oyster Festival website:

This traditional event, appeasing the cruel seas and giving thanks for its bounty, dates back to 1657. Everyone is welcome to join the procession of clergy and choristers for this very special, historic service, which is held annually as near as possible to the Feast Day of St James, patron saint of oystermen.

The ceremony consisted of the clergy from the local parish church leading prayers and saying a few words about the sea and its bounty and how we’re all thankful to God for the blessings, etc.  The clergy, a few local church choirs, and a small brass group all set up just on the inside of the sea wall (the whole beach is lined with sea walls to prevent flooding), and there were loudspeakers set up so that those assembled all along the beach could hear.

After a few prayers, the clergy, the mayor, and whoever wanted to follow, tramped down the long beach (it was very low tide) to the water to repeat the various prayers and actually bless the waters.  Then, they all tramped back up and sang a lovely modern hymn (Lord of the Sea and Skies, I think).  We enjoyed seeing this historic ceremony.  Whether or not one subscribes to a religion, it’s nice to take a moment to be thankful for whatever natural beauty and edible bounty one might have at one’s doorstep.  I can appreciate that.

This ceremony took place at about 7pm, and we spent the rest of our evening on the beach, waiting for the sun to go down so that we could enjoy the glow of the grotters.

The light was fantastic

Charlie had a ball running around and climbing over the groynes.

Flora and mama sat on a towel watching the sunset, and Flora collected rocks and shells (of course).

It was a pretty great sunset

And now, the grotters.

Look what I found about grotters online:

GROTTO or GROTTER DAY (c. 25 July) was an observance in Chelsea, Mitcham and on the Old Kent Road (the pilgrim road to Canterbury) which was related to the pilgrimages to St. James of Compostela. Internally lit grottos of shells and flowers on the roadside symbolised the saint’s subterranean birthplace and passers-by were urged to contribute. The custom survived until World War II.

Well, this custom still survives in Whitstable! And it’s a very cool custom. They look pretty interesting by daylight:

But look at what happens to them at night….

A massive one that you can walk inside!

And creative shapes.

And a great time was definitely had by all.