Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The decoration of wells and springs with flowers, etc., accompanied by religious observances, practised at set times in England (especially at Tissington, in Derbyshire, on Ascension day) and elsewhere. Also called
well-flowering .
Etymologies
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Examples
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Things like the well-dressing ceremonies in the Peak look so much like pre-Christian water deity rituals, for example.
Land of Angels, by Fay Sampson. Book review Carla 2007
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But the origin of well-dressing must have been of much greater antiquity: the custom no doubt had its beginnings as an expression of praise to God from whom all blessings flow.
From John O'Groats to Land's End Robert Naylor
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The origin of well-dressing is unknown, but it is certainly of remote antiquity, probably dating back to pagan times.
From John O'Groats to Land's End Robert Naylor
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Here she came with the other children, at the festival of the well-dressing, to spread their garlands around it, and sing, and eat their supper on the green.
The Broken Soldier and the Maid of France Henry Van Dyke 1892
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Pins, nails, and rags are still offered, and the custom of "well-dressing," shorn of its pagan associations and adapted to Christian usage, exists in all its glory at Tissington, Youlgrave, Derby, and several other places.
Vanishing England 1892
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Here she came with the other children, at the festival of the well-dressing, to spread their garlands around it, and sing, and cat their supper on the green.
The Valley of Vision : a Book of Romance an Some Half Told Tales Henry Van Dyke 1892
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Jeanne, like all the other damsels of the countryside, took her part in the well-dressing.
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 Anatole France 1884
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At the well-dressing the young men and maidens of Domremy went to the old beech-tree together.
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 Anatole France 1884
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This was their well-dressing when they went together to drink from some spring and to dance on the grass.
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 Anatole France 1884
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The hosts are very well-dressing and so good-looking and the sets are nice too.
Gaea Times (by Simple Thoughts) Breaking News and incisive views 24/7 Ruchika Kher 2010
treeseed commented on the word well-dressing
Well Dressing is a custom practised in rural England in which wells, springs or other water sources are decorated with designs created from flower petals. The origins of the tradition are alternatively said to lie in pagan tradition or in giving thanks for the purity of the water drawn from certain wells during the period of the Black Death.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008