SYSTON FEAST

Feast Sunday falls on the first Sunday after 10th July although the church is dedicated to St Peter, whose day is on 29th June. The discrepancy is said to be due to the change of calendar in September 1752 when 11 days were added, but Syston continued to observe the Feast according to the old calendar. The feast was commonly called the Wake. Its origin is with the Church. In olden times the Saturday was kept as ‘awake night’ watching and preparing to come to the Lord’s Table on the Sunday morning. It was a family occasion, boys and girls on farms or in service would come home for the feast.
Along with the services came booths with sweetmeats etc and dancing in the churchyard and on the village green!
The dancing was replaced with a funfair on the Recreation Ground (Central Park) and Feast Monday was a half day holiday and the Church held a Feast Tea, usually in the vicarage garden often combined with a sale of work.
The traditional meal for the feast was roast duck and green peas, washed down with homemade cowslip or parsnip wine.
For many years Holland’s was the fair to visit Syston and in later years the fair was set up in High Street in the field between Turn Street and the railway line, on the St Peters football ground (now Millers Close) and also on East Avenue on the Dog Track field.
We have now come full circle as the fair is now back on the Central Park but in September, not July.
The picture above of about a hundred years ago shows Syston ladies on the Recreation Ground, the nearest sign on the marquee reads ‘Ye ancient rite of ye pastrie cookes’ and the legible part of the other sign reads Syston Feast… The Symphony… Wednesday…