BLESSING THE WATERS
More than 3000 people stood bareheaded by a famous salmon run at Mudeford, near Bournemouth, England, recently, to take part in a revival of the ancient ceremony of blessing the waters. The crowd stretched along the shores of the run from which the fishermen of the village get their livelihood, while robed clergy and choristers, headed by a golden cross, walked in procession from the village church to the edge of the water, where a short service was held. The custom of blessing the waters—so that they may yield a good harvest for the fishermen —was revived by the Rev. Eric Dixon, priest in charge of All Saints, the village church. While the choir sang hymns on the shore he,went out in a boat and, standing facing the sea, prayed, aloud that a blessing should "descend and abide on these waters for ever." After the ceremony Mr. Dixon said that the fishermen and others who earned their livelihood by the sea appreciated the ceremony, just as people in agricultural districts liked to have their fields blessed to ensure a good crop.
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Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 98, 27 April 1935, Page 10
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184BLESSING THE WATERS Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 98, 27 April 1935, Page 10
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