Easter Journeys

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Sociopolitical Documentary hosted by Jill Halfpenny, published by BBC in 2022 - English narration

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Jill Halfpenny goes on a personal journey through the north east of England and the Scottish Borders to explore Easter traditions and meet the people who keep them alive. Chapter 1: Jill takes us on a personal journey of discovery through the region, exploring how ancient Christian paths criss-crossed this part of world, inspiring unique traditions and customs, many of which are still celebrated at Easter. Jill travels across the beautiful landscape she calls home, offering us a unique window into this part of the world, its history and its significance to Christianity. The films mark Easter, the coming of Spring and the ancient ideas of renewal that are associated with it as we travel with Jill through this stunning part of the world. Jill visits the historic town of Hexham, joining bellringers in the abbey and having a go herself, and watches the Hexham Abbey choir as they rehearse a favourite Easter hymn, This Joyful Eastertide. At Corbridge Roman Town, she learns about Roman gods and goddesses and Roman links to Christianity. In Lauder in the Scottish Borders, Jill meets a local horseman who explains the tradition of riding the parish boundary, a traditional annual event. In Jedburgh, she is honoured to start the Jedburgh Hand Ba', a traditional event that usually takes place on the first Thursday after Shrove Tuesday. The Hand Ba' is played by hundreds of people in the town and has no rules. These days the participants use a ball; in the past they used the head of an Englishman. Jill joins chocolatier Ruth Hinks in Peebles to find out why we celebrate Easter with eggs, then visits Cherrytrees Farm to talk to farmer Ally about the cycle of farming life and the onset of spring. She also meets walkers who make an annual pilgrimage across the region, following in the footsteps of the area's patron saint, St Cuthbert. After their walk they meet for a chat at Cuddy's Well, said to have been blessed by St Cuthbert himself. Jill's journey ends on the island of Lindisfarne. There she meets Mary Fleeson, an artist who moved to Lindisfarne and was entranced by the place. Mary draws in a style similar to that used by the monks who used to live there, and she shows Jill how the mindful practice can be a form of prayer. Chapter 2: Jill continues her personal journey of discovery through the region, exploring how ancient Christian paths crisscrossed through this part of world, inspiring unique traditions and customs, many of which are still celebrated at Easter. Jill returns to her hometown of Gateshead, visiting the world-famous Angel of the North and meeting its creator, Sir Antony Gormley, who talks to Jill about his own surprising thoughts on angels. She also visits the Hearts of Oak pub in Peterlee, where Jill rediscovers a traditional game from her youth – egg jarping. The pub brought the tradition back to life and now hosts the official world championships every Easter. Walking in the footsteps of the patron saint of Northumberland, St Cuthbert, Jill visits Coquet Island, home to a number of cuddy ducks, eider ducks named after St Cuthbert, who cared deeply about animals and nature. And at the Anglo-Saxon village at Jarrow Hall, she hears about how the Venerable Bede, who lived in the nearby monastery in the 8th century, is thought to have first identified the origins of the term Easter and recorded the calculation of when it should fall. She ends her journey at the magnificent cathedral in Durham, where the canon washes Jill's feet and explains the thinking behind the tradition. Jill then joins gospel choir Voices of Virtue in a celebratory song.