“Beating the Bounds”
(This is an any weather event!)
Beating the Bounds 2020 will begin at the barn on Wednesday, January 1, at 1:30, as we gather together to walk the perimeter of Brookfield Farm to receive and offer blessings of the land and acknowledge our gratitude for the wonders of our farm. Please feel free to invite friends or family who are not farm members to join us. Dogs on leashes are also welcome!
Beating the Bounds is an ancient tradition heralding from a time before maps were drawn. It has taken place all over the Britain Isles for over 2000 years. The purpose was and still is to protect the line of the Parish Boundary. Residents would perambulate the route, carrying willow wands. At the edges of the parish they would beat the post stones with their wands to mark the boundary. This was serious (and social) business. It was the way the communities avoided land boundary disputes between parishes. In England, the walk took place in the Spring…but we New Englanders are a tougher breed! SO we choose to do it in the Winter…at the turning of the year. I invite you to join in.
We stop at each corner of the farm and mark the boundary with a verse and whatever moves us in the moment: a rousing cheer, a song, a sprinkling of tobacco, whatever speaks to each and all of us. During the first Beating the Bounds, farm member and neighbor Erika Zekos brought a bag of birdseed, and we each tossed a few seeds. It has become a part of this day’s tradition.
Dress for the weather…the first year we walked in a mini-blizzard—like I said, a hardy bunch! If there is snow, feel free to bring cross country skies or snowshoes. The walk takes a little over an hour. Adults, children on foot, children in carriers, leashed dogs, and musical instruments are all welcome!
If you would like to carry out the spirit of the walk, but find that the larger boundaries are more than you care to do, then consider walking the boundaries of the field behind the barn or the
accessible Flower Garden. You are welcome to walk the bounds at any time that afternoon, and I encourage you to form groups of walkers for these walks as well. The barn marks the southeast corner of the farm.
No need to sign up, but if you have any questions, you may email Rosie Pearson at rosieapearson@gmail.com
To learn more about the tradition of Beating the Bounds, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beating_the_bounds and read the fascinating story about its origins and its current practice in the British Isles and in New England.
Warmly,
Rosie
