The Feast of Llamas

As everyone knows the start of August is traditionally the feast of Lammas.

 It is less well known that (between 1801 and 1816) in the village of Stourton at the start of every August, the local Lord of the Manor invited the villagers into his gardens. There they would feast on roast llama, wear llama masks, dance llama themed dances to llama themed music and watch llama races.

 This strange tradition ended when it was pointed out to the Lord of the Manor that he had a terrible ear for the local accent.

The festival had been repeated for so long because no-one had the heart to tell him that he had misheard and misinterpreted the Feast of Lammas in this way. They also really liked roast llama.

The village of Stourton does pay homage to this mistaken tradition still in their annual Lammas rite by baking  Llama’s bread and crowning the village Llama as Lord of the Manor and forcing the incumbent Lord of the Manor to  live in the Llama stable for a night in a llama mask made by local children.