Batley's Torchlight Procession, 7th October

 

Tomorrow night, in Batley, it’s the annual torchlight procession. This historic tradition, sometimes called the "Lourdes of the North," brings together the Catholic community of Batley and surrounding areas in a display of faith and devotion to the Virgin Mary.

The first I ever saw of it, I was 11 years old. There were hundreds of people walking past our maisonette, each with a candle glowing in a paper holder. They sang, or chanted“Ave Maria.”  The line of reverential people went on, in the cold Autumn night, for almost half an hour.

My own family was not religious. I’d been to a protestant church two or three times in my childhood, and a Catholic church never. I had never seen churchy people outside a church or churchyard, and the effect on me was much like that of a somehow unsuspecting local of seeing the Padstow ‘Obby Oss come past unexpectedly. To my eyes, it was a “folk tradition” of people venerating an unfamiliar entity – a Wicker Man scenario, but reversed, as I was the pagan, and they were the Christians. (And, as far as I know, they didn’t barbecue anyone afterward.) There are many Festivals of Light at this time of year, and now, fifty years later, I can slot the procession in as one of these – comparable with Diwali, held this year on October 31^st, Imbolc and Kwanzaa. It’s one thing to read about it in a book, quite another to see people enacting it on your literal doorstep.

The procession was kicked off in 1951 by the arrival at St. Mary’s of Father Gallon, lately of St. Patrick’s Sheffield. The event is still organized by St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church on Cross Bank Road and has become a significant part of Batley's cultural and religious calendar.

The procession begins at St Mary's Catholic Primary School and wends its way to St Mary of the Angels Church. This route through the streets of Batley creates a river of light and sound. The sight of hundreds of flickering flames moving through the streets is visually stunning and moving for spectators and participants alike.

Like many public events, the Batley Torchlight Procession went into hiatus due to the pandemic. The 2022 procession marked a triumphant return, with the community embracing the opportunity to participate in this august tradition.

"Good fortune will nod, if you carry upon you Joan the Wad"

 

Joan the Wad is a figure from Cornish folklore, known as the Queen of the Pixies. (Jack O’Lantern is their king.)  In Devon and Cornwall, to the south of England, pixies are little mischievous sprites. The word is often pronounced “piskies.”

My Joan the Wad

They are depicted, rather uncharitably I thought, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as a kind of flying Gremlin.

In folklore, they are fairy folk, little people with a supernatural aspect, associated with both streams and fire. They can appear as a kind of will o’ the wisp. Both Jack O’Lantern and Joan the Wad carry a torch. (A “wad” is a dialect term for a bundle of straw, used as a torch.) Joan the Wad was said to use her torch to lead travelers astray on the moors, but on other occasions could be helpful to people who were lost. Joan is often depicted nude, symbolizing her connection with nature.

During the 19^th and 20^th centuries, little figures of Joan the Wad were produced for humans to wear as lucky charms or carry in their pockets. They’re still made, I understand, as souvenirs for visitors to Cornwall. They are made of brass and depict Joan nude, seated, with her arm over her head. My mother carried one in her purse all her adult life. Unfortunately, I don’t know where her Joan ended up after she passed away, but a few years ago I was fortunate to find one exactly like it, and I keep it in a pocket.

"Good fortune will nod, if you carry upon you Joan the Wad"