Alchemy Dragons at Norwich Cathedral.
Norwich’s innovative street heritage event the Dragon Festival will take over the city’s medieval city-centre again this February. Buried treasures, myths and legends will be exposed as the three-week event reveals the dragon’s longstanding importance in the culture and history of the city.
Coordinated by Norwich Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust (HEART) the festival will include around 30 events, the majority of which are free. Events will be held at over 15 venues across the city, many of which are Norwich’s most beautiful and historic buildings.
Across the centuries the dragon has captured the imagination of cultures worldwide. Ancient mythology includes a wide variety of images, from the ancient Greek earth-dragon Python to God of the Egyptian underworld Osiris that have influenced cultures of today. In Asia dragons are traditional symbols of excellence and good-fortune, whilst in Medieval Europe they usually signified Lucifer and often appeared in stories of dragon-slaying saints.
Norwich's Ethelbert Gate.
“Dragons have been a heraldic symbol closely associated with the city of Norwich since the Middle Ages,” said Michael Loveday, Chief Executive of Norwich HEART. “We hope the Dragon Festival will bring the history of dragons to life and that people of all ages will find something to enjoy in the varied events programme.”
Throughout the UK, dragon images can be found not only on the pages of legends but also throughout towns and cities. This is especially evident in Norwich, a city with the largest surviving medieval street pattern in the country. Especially prominent in Norwich are the dragon slaying Archangel St Michael, St Margaret of Antioch who escaped after being swallowed by Satan in the form of a dragon and of course St George.
In the C14th the religious guild of St George was an important power in the city. The guild established an annual St George’s day procession, which was brought to life by Snap the dragon. Starting off this year’s Dragon festival celebrations, Snap Dragon Day will honour the memory of Snap, the crowd taunting, wing flapping, smoke shooting dragon.
Snapdragon and the whifflers. A procession from 1951.
Snap’s traditional procession will be recreated at Norwich Castle on both Saturdays January 31 and February 14. The Castle also hosts George and the Dragon Days on Saturdays February 7 and 21, discover St George’s story and try on his armour.
Following the first Snap Dragon day, celebrations across the city get into full swing. Events will centre around the festival’s Dragon Trail; which leads through many of the UK’s finest individually outstanding heritage buildings belonging to the Norwich 12 group. Included are medieval merchant’s house Dragon Hall, the Victorian-gothic Catholic Cathedral, the Norman Anglican Cathedral and the C20th Millennium Forum.
Further Dragon hotspots range from John Lewis, where the global appeal of dragons will be celebrated with a Chinese Dragon Dance, to the Guildhall Council Chamber with a talk on the Gild of St George (booking necessary).
Norwich's Merlin and Dragon Sculpture
Adults can enjoy Dragon Hall’s Aloft of Dragons art exhibition whilst children will be entertained by a George and the Dragon Puppet Show. Wide ranging events cater for all tastes, with activities on offer also including a manga drawing workshop, children’s crafts, storytelling, meeting real European dragons and much more.
You can pick up a festival leaflet to track down permanent residents, dragons that are normally hidden from the public and some newly arriving for the festival. Leaflets, (available from the Forum, Guildhall and venues across the city) include a trail map, event listings and money off vouchers. A full events programme can also be downloaded from www.norwich12..org.uk.
