Well Dressing Festival
Peak District National Park, Eyam
The well-dressing festivals began as tributes to the pagan water gods, but today wells are dressed up with flower petals to commemorate various themes. This area suffered heavily during the plague. Eyam put itself on a self-imposed quarantine in 1665 when 250 of its 350 citizens died of the plague. Food was brought to the outskirts of town and money was left to pay for it in bowls of vinegar to disinfect the coins.
©Bill Yeaton