Herring Queen Festival
Encyclopedia
The Eyemouth Herring Queen Festival celebrated in Eyemouth
in the Borders
, owes its origins to what was called the Peace Picnic or Fisherman's Picnic. The first Peace Picnic was organised by the late Mr J. C. Chrystie to celebrate the end of the 1914-1918 war
. This day came to be celebrated throughout the following years and to be looked upon as a local holiday for the fishermen of the town and all connected with their calling.
During the preliminary arrangements for the 1939 Picnic, the committee felt that the crowning of a Queen would not only be of interest to the young folk of the town but would prove to be a ceremony in which they could symbolise, in many ways, the ideals as well as the everyday things associated with the life of a fishing community.
The modern way of life brought about many changes since the days of Mr Chrystie but the symbolism is still the same: the children still enjoy their picnic and the Queen is still crowned. For a long period up to 2001, the Herring
Queen was selected by popular vote in the local High School but this changed to a process whereby a panel of local townspeople make the selection after nominees were interviewed.
Eyemouth
Eyemouth , historically spelt Aymouth, is a small town and civil parish in Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is east of the main north-south A1 road and just north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. It has a population of circa 3,420 people .The town's name comes from its location at...
in the Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
, owes its origins to what was called the Peace Picnic or Fisherman's Picnic. The first Peace Picnic was organised by the late Mr J. C. Chrystie to celebrate the end of the 1914-1918 war
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. This day came to be celebrated throughout the following years and to be looked upon as a local holiday for the fishermen of the town and all connected with their calling.
During the preliminary arrangements for the 1939 Picnic, the committee felt that the crowning of a Queen would not only be of interest to the young folk of the town but would prove to be a ceremony in which they could symbolise, in many ways, the ideals as well as the everyday things associated with the life of a fishing community.
The modern way of life brought about many changes since the days of Mr Chrystie but the symbolism is still the same: the children still enjoy their picnic and the Queen is still crowned. For a long period up to 2001, the Herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
Queen was selected by popular vote in the local High School but this changed to a process whereby a panel of local townspeople make the selection after nominees were interviewed.