Only a week or so to go now until the Royal Wedding and the planning is in overdrive.
The main type of celebration being organised seems to be the street party. As a local event, it ticks lots of boxes — it’s the perfect mixture of neighbourly camaraderie, national pride and British tradition, all rolled into one. My village is organising one, as is my son’s school for the day before. I’d better get a paper hat strong enough to last for a couple of days of partying!
Trestle tables and Union Jacks
The idea of dragging tables into the road and getting all the neighbours out of their houses to a communal sit down meal is not a new one. They seem to have been formalised in July 1919 as ‘Peace Teas’ — a celebration of the signing earlier in June of the Versailles Peace Treaty. The focus was on children getting a decent plateful in a time of hardship and the meal was a relatively formal affair. Since then, street parties have evolved into a more relaxed event and have been held at coronations, royal weddings and jubilees, as well as being part of the millennium celebrations. The picture is one of trestle tables, Union Jack bunting, bring and share food and party hats. The message is clear — there’s a national holiday and no one will need to drive anywhere, so let’s reclaim the streets for the community. Let’s enjoy ourselves!
