What is The Burryman? One of Scotland's 'most intriguing' folk traditions explained

A centuries-old ritual is set to return to a Scottish town as part of annual festivities believed to bring good fortune.

The Burryman Parade will take place in South Queensferry, near Edinburgh, on Friday.

The tradition is thought to date back about 400 years, possibly tied to welcoming the harvest or marking the change of seasons.

Held every year on the second Friday of August, the parade has been described by historians as “one of Scotland’s most intriguing folk traditions still celebrated.”

Custom holds that the Burryman is to be “a stout man or robust lad”, according to 19th-century author William Wallace Fyfe, who warned that “weakly persons have been known to faint under the heat and fatigue of the dressing.”

For the 14th time, 43-year-old Andrew Taylor will take on the physically demanding role.

His predecessor interviewed him before passing on the torch, making sure he had the right attitude to take on the job.

Andrew, who works as an environmental warden for Edinburgh council, said he had been taught that the Burryman represented a scapegoat for the town who would take away bad luck.

“It brings everybody out, you sense the good community spirit while you’re doing it,” he told PA.

“I think it’s very important to keep going.”

Over the years, he’s seen all kinds of weather – but an overcast day tends to make the walk easier.

“Over the 13 years I’ve been doing it, we’ve encountered every bit of weather you can imagine.

“The weather’s never defeated us, put it that way.”

Fortunately, Andrew likes whisky, though he is careful to pace himself as he will be taking about 20 drams throughout the day.

He will drink it through a straw due to his restrictive costume, which is decorated with thousands of burdock burrs.

The burrs, which have a natural Velcro-like quality, are attached to large sections of material, which are fixed onto a bodysuit and balaclava.

Traditionally, they are collected by family members, though neighbours have helped in recent years.

The costume also includes a garland of flowers worn on his head and two staff-like poles decorated with flowers and Lion Rampant flags, which help support him as he walks.

The parade begins at 9am when the Burryman emerges from the Stag Head Hotel on the High Street. Over the course of the day, he covers around nine miles and makes around 20 stops before he finishes at the town’s waterfront near the Forth Bridge at around 6pm.

The Burryman is accompanied by two attendants and a bell ringer who shouts “Hip hip hooray, it’s the Burryman’s Day”.

Locals follow the Burryman along his procession, with many collecting fallen burrs as tokens of good luck.

According to tradition, those who offer the Burryman a dram of whisky or a cash donation will receive good luck in return.

Andrew said he is happy to continue being the Burryman for years to come, saying it is one of very few similar local traditions associated with Scottish towns or villages.

He said: “The most amazing thing about it is, I don’t think anybody can say for certain why the Burryman started, we’ve all have our different stories.

“It’s got that lovely mystery about it, I really think that’s what makes it what it is.”