Crowds gather for annual Boxing Day sword dance in Grenoside

Dozens of spectators gathered in Sheffield’s Grenoside to watch the historic tradition of the annual Boxing Day sword dance.

Wearing specialised clogs to create a rhythmic tramp, the Grenoside Sword Dancers marked the start of the event by marching into the village before commencing the dance.

Made up of six sword-wielding dancers, the intricate routine includes a mock “beheading” of the captain, a symbolic act representing the end of the old year and the rebirth of the new.

While the exact origins of the tradition are unknown, it is thought to date back to the 18th or 19th Century.


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