Celebrating Other Spirituality 365 Days A Year– Swan-Upping

                             July 30thru August 6                 

Swan-Upping

This weeklong festival is held on the River Thames,between Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, and Pangbourne, Berkshire. Since the 14thcentury the swan, the largest and most impressive of British birds, has been onthe badges of the English royal house. Regarded as a royal bird, all swans areguarded by the crown and considered the property of the monarch. The only

exception to this rule is a certain number of Thamesswans that have belonged to the London Guilds of the Vintners and the Dyers,who are the last survivors of the various bodies once entitled by royal grantto “swan rights” on the river.

From the days of the first Queen Elizabeth, the twogroups have organized an “annual swan voyage” along the Thames at the time whenthe new broods of cygnets are about two months old. All of the swans that areencountered are “upped” from the water, and the adults are examined for thebeak marks that distinguish the guilds swans from the unmarked royal birds, andthe cygnets are marked according to their parentage and ownership. During the17th and 18th centuries, when the Vintners and the Dyers still used flamboyantstate barges, the “upping” was accompanied by captivating processions,elaborate ceremonies, and a good deal of feasting. Today, even though much ofthe pomp and circumstance surrounding the “upping” has ceased, it remains asound tradition and colourful event.