Augurs Of The Waters
British rockers Marillion took centre stage on Saturday for the annual Wianki ('Floating of the Wreaths') extravaganza. Those of us who used to have plastic walkmans were secretly hoping for an encore of that eighties corker 'Kayleigh', but alas, it was not to be. But let's not grumble. All in all it was a cracking night, not least due to the 21st century version of Carmina Burana, complimented by a troop of mysterious characters on jet-skis and a mystical singer with the air a warm-hearted witch-doctor.
The annual party, whose traditions stretch back to pagan times, celebrates the coming of Mid-Summers Eve. You may have spotted that quite a few young maidens - some of them rather tipsy - were sporting wreaths of flowers. This is because back in pagan times, lasses would read their futures from the fate of their wreaths. If a strapping young chap retrieved your wreath from the river, that signified a happy future. But if the garland sank, well, things did not look rosy. But never fear. On our way along the river the following morning we noticed a fair few wreaths still floating on the waters - a hearty sign that there will be weddings on the horizon!