il Giardino Romantico

Jovial tune, lively steps, colourful costumes, and the lovely smiles on each of the dancers faces together make Morris Dance something you will never forget once you've seen it. Without further adieu, let's continute some Morris-fun!

活潑的音樂、輕快的腳步、繽紛色彩的服裝、以及每位舞者臉頰上的笑容，正是莫里斯舞蹈最令人難忘的地方！那麼，天仙就不在浪費時間廢話，讓大家好好繼續欣賞這個英國傳統舞蹈囉！

Morris dancing is said to date back to early to late 15th century. It is a form of folk dancing accompanied by music and based on rhythmic stepping and choreographed group dancing. Sticks, swords, hankerchiefs, and bells are often used in Morris dancing. During the Oyster Festival, there was a special area exclusively set aside for a whole afternoon of Morris dancing. I'm sure you will find it as satisfying as I found it when I was there watching it live. Please note that there are two parts of Morris Dancing articles. Stay tuned for the sequel after your perusal of this one.

莫里斯舞蹈是一個英國傳統舞蹈。據說最早興起是在十五世紀初或末期。主要的特色是節奏性的踏步以及團體的舞步。常用的舞蹈道具有木棍、劍、手帕以及鈴鐺（鞋子上）。在牡蠣祭當天，有一個特別的區域專門安排給莫里斯舞蹈表演。我想看完這上下兩集，大家也會跟我當時在現場看的時候一樣滿足～

These mastiffs are Newfoundland dogs and are known as 'lifeguards of the sea'. These dogs were here to demonstrate their skills in water rescue and carting. I think we missed the carting (although they were carting during the parade), but we caught a decent portion of the rescue show. 

這些大狗狗們叫做紐芬蘭犬。據說他們有個封號叫做「海上救生員」。今天他們就是要來展現他們的驚人的海上救援以及拉車的能力。除了在遊行上看到的拉車，其實我們好像沒看到其他的拉車表演。不過這個水上救援我們倒是看得很滿足。

After the ceremony of the Landing of the Oysters, immediately following was the Parade Party. It would be a big mistake to underestimate this little town, as seeing the parade, you'll see that everyone's involved. From young ones to old ones, everyone plays a part in this parade. And even though there are a lot of people, everyone seemed to be quite generous in terms of giving way to people in the back could still get a nice shot with their cameras. No pushing, very civilised. Well, enough said, let's take a look at the parade. 

祝福儀式結束後，馬上緊接著進行的就是遊行了！不要小看這小鎮！你看看這遊行的陣容，就可以猜出這活動一定是全民參與的！因為陣容很強大啊！老的小的，胖的瘦的，高的矮的，全部都有！而且把整個牡蠣祭的特色完全的展現出來。而且就像天仙之前說的一樣，雖然觀看的人很多，但一點都感覺不到擁擠。而且大家都很有秩序。看看照片就知道，每一張都可以橋到可以拍照的好角度。一起來看看這個遊行吧！

Staring afar, as if waiting for the arrival of someone or something. Oh, it's oysters they are waiting for. Oyster Festival is held every year, apparently when the tide is at its highest. After the oyster ship lands, blessing is given, and the festival officially begins. The ceremony is short, but meaningful. The entire ceremony takes no more than ten minutes, but it is still extremely interesting. 

遙望著遠方，期待著什麼的到來嗎？原來是牡蠣。「牡蠣登陸」是一個簡單的儀式。這個牡蠣祭特別選在潮水最高的時候舉辦。牡蠣登陸後，給予祝福，整個儀式不過十分鐘上下，非常簡短，但又非常具有象徵性意義。是個很有趣的活動。

Allons-y! To the Whitstable Oyster Festival! This is the shuttle bus that took us straight to where the event took place. It was really convenient, because without this service, finding a parking space would surely have been a pain! 

出發囉！要去惠斯泰布爾的牡蠣節囉！這是活動專屬的接駁車。其實很方便，因為要是開車去，停車位一定是一位難求的啊！

This is a glimpse of the gorgeous Kentish scenery. It is a beautiful place, and we were so lucky to be here with such glorious weather. There was a reason why we came here. Despite the fact that I believe Whitstable would be a lovely place to visit anyway, the day we were there happened to be on the day when the Oyster Festival was held. Lucky, lucky, lucky us!

Before getting into the festival itself, however, please remain patient and allow me to show you around Whitstable.