The Brittania Coconut Dancers

On Easter Saturday the 'Nutters' perform their unusual dance over the seven miles across the town of Bacup. The 'side' of eight dancers have blackened faces (in pagan times it was believed that the disguise created by 'blacking up' made ritual magic effective) and wear black breeches, clogs, white shirts and stockings and plumed caps. Wooden discs known as 'nuts' are attached to their waists, knees and the palms of the hands, and the dancers clap these together in a complex rhythm as they move along to music played by a silver band. The dancers are led by the 'whiffler' or 'whipper in' who drives away winter, ill fortune and evil spirits.