Inside U.K. Newly-Weds, Drunks and Oasis: Summer in U.K. By Richard Payne	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
夏は屋外で派手なお祭り 夏になると、英国各地でさまざまな催しが開かれます。中でも有名なのはグラストンベリーのイベントで、奇妙な結婚式や、ロックの屋外コンサートなどで盛り上がります。今月からこのレポートを担当するリチャード・ペインさんにその魅力を紹介してもらいます。

Nothing too unusual about that you might think. After all, even though marriage here in the U.K.may be in decline, thousands of couples are still "tying the knot" every day. But none will have done so in quite the same way as these two.

For they are saying "I do" in the middle of a field usually occupied by a herd of grazing cows and before a bunch of bemused on-lookers, who not only don't have an invitation, but are complete strangers to the pair.

Welcome to the summer festival, U.K.-style, where anything goes and usually does.

You must understand that this is a place like no other on these shores, where for a few hedonistic days at least, people dare to be different. It's as much about making a statement to your peers, or even yourself, as it is about enjoying the hundreds of hours of entertainment performed for the thousands of spectators who come from all over the world.

This scene was performed at Glastonbury 2000, Europe's largest open air festival which, officially, lasts three days.

Our happy couple, Ritchie and Kat, steal the limelight for a few magical moments with their unique ceremony. Unique not only in its location, but also in that it is the first marriage presided over by one Reverend BA from the so-called "Church of the Sub-Genius," who explains the act, a blend of Paganism and his own religious doctrine. "It lasts for a year and a day and they renew their vows over the next three years," he explains in an official homepage of the festival. "After three years and three days, the marriage is eternal."

Despite the eccentricity of the ceremony, the marriage is, allegedly, legally binding.

"The stone circle (one of many alternatives to the open field) is too full of drunken idiotswhereas this is more peaceful," declares Ritchie. Quite.

The festival, situated on a 600 acre site in a beautiful part of Somerset in the southwest of England, attracts some 150,000 fans, all parting with nearly 100 ( 15,800) to see some of the biggest names in the world of music.

Traditionally the sanctuary of hippies, Britain's festivals now pull in people from all walks of life.

The cross section of interests isn't surprising when you consider that with more attractions than days in the year, these events have something for everyone. Glastonbury, for example, has a Pyramid Stage, which was formerly a cowshed. There are also stages for jazz, dance and classical music and even places for comedy shows and film.

"I wanted to pay off my mortgage and farm on a low-key, green-orientated basis," explains organizer and friend of the stars, Michael Eavis. "Then I would have been happy for evermore; but actually (I) lost so much money in 1970, my overdraft got worse."

But these days, festivals are big business and a year-round operation. Many are held for charities such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth.

While the stars who travel from the other side of the globe to perform are afforded as many comforts as possible, it's quite a different matter for the paying public, who sleep under canvas, in their cars or simply under the stars. For many, in fact, that's half the fun. But where a free and easy atmosphere flows throughout the fans, the criminal fraternity