Arts & Culture

The Burryman is as he sounds, a man made from burs. Dressed head to toe in the spiked and painful seeds, he parades around Queensferry on the second Friday in August every year. He is accompanied by two aides who help him with his difficult task and a number of other helpers who make up the rest of the entourage. He cannot move his arms to his sides, walk particularly well or even sit down, yet he tours Queensferry for the whole day. The small whiskies the Burryman receives throughout his tour help fortify him in his task and also offers a way for the public to show their gratitude. Even with the pain and discomfort caused by the outfit the Burryman tradition lives on.

John Nicol transforms into the Burryman

John Nicol, the man underneath the burs, has been keeping the tradition going for the last 11 years. "First and foremost it is an honour to do it. It's an ancient tradition, it's one that's meaning is a little bit blurred in time. No one really knows what it means and I see that as being important."

The origin of the Burryman is unknown, although there are numerous theories as to why he is the way he is. It is thought that the Burryman could have come from pagan festivals of harvest and life, or possibly the Green Man Festival.

The tradition itself is a fluid one and has grown and changed with time. New rituals emerge from years of friendships. For example, Doc Rowe, someone who has been attending the festival for 30 years, now has the honour of dressing the Burryman with the first patch of burs, this being a force for luck on the day. People now bring their own burs from different places in the country and John Nicol even changed the route to try and encompass more of Queensferry.

The Burryman receiving a whisky

Certainly the Burryman tradition is an important event for Queensferry and the annual Fair Festival. People appear throughout the day on the Burryman's long journey around the town. They come to be a part of a tradition that is possibly 900 years old and to see their friends who make the effort every year. No matter what the origins of the Burryman are, it is clear that it still means a great deal to the community of Queensferry.