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Culture of Sussex

The Flag of Sussex is based on a design that dates back to at least 1622[1]

The culture of Sussex refers to the pattern of human activity and symbolism associated with Sussex and its people. It is informed by Sussex's history as an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, English county, diocese of the church and present-day cultural region.

Sometimes thought by outsiders to be some sort of rural adjunct to London, Sussex has a cultural identity as unique as any other English county.[2] The last Anglo-Saxon kingdom to be Christianised,[3] Sussex has a centuries-old reputation for being separate and culturally distinct from the rest of England.[4] This relative isolation until recent times is due to Sussex's geography, with the sea to the south, the forest and sticky clays of the Weald to the north and coastal marshes to the east and west.[4] Sussex escaped the wholesale rearrangements of life and customs which the Norse invasions brought to much of England and the Germanic culture of the South Saxons remained much more intact than that of the rest of England.[3] The people of Sussex have a reputation for independence of thought [5] and an aversion to being pushed around, as expressed through the Sussex motto, We wunt be druv. The reputation for independence also extends to admiration of the independence of others and toleration of others.[6] Other regional characterisations include the sharp shrewd stubborn Sussex Wealdsman and the more deferential Sussex Downsman.[7][8]

Sussex is known for its strong tradition of bonfire celebrations and its proud musical heritage. Sussex in the first half of the 20th century was a major centre for modernism, and saw many radical artists and writers move to its seaside towns and countryside.[9] The county is home to the Brighton Festival and the Brighton Fringe, England's largest arts festival.[10] Brighton Pride is one of the UK's largest and oldest gay pride parades and other pride events take place at most other major towns including Crawley,[11] Eastbourne,[12] Hastings[13] and Worthing. Chichester is home to the Chichester Festival Theatre and Pallant House Gallery. The feast day of Sussex's patron saint, St Richard of Chichester, 16 June, has been observed since 2007 as Sussex Day to celebrate the county's culture and history.[14]

  1. ^ "Sussex". UK Flag Registry. Archived from the original on 1 October 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  2. ^ Weeks, Marcus (2008). Sussex Music. Alfriston: Snake River Press. ISBN 978-1-906022-10-5.
  3. ^ a b Lowerson, John (1980). A Short History of Sussex. Folkestone: Dawson Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7129-0948-8.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference SxPeople was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "A Cultural Strategy for East Sussex County Council" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  6. ^ Collins, Sophie (2007). A Sussex Miscellany. Snake River Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-1906022082.
  7. ^ "The Local Historian - Review". British Association of Local History. Archived from the original on 22 September 2011. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  8. ^ "Death of our county". 21 September 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  9. ^ "Dr Hope Wolf's exhibition focusing on Sussex modernism". Sussex Life. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  10. ^ James, Ben (4 October 2013). "Brighton fringe celebrates best year yet (From The Argus)". Theargus.co.uk. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  11. ^ Dunford, Mark (22 June 2021). "Crawley Pride 2021: When is it? Who is performing? What will there be to do? - All you need to know". Crawley Observer. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Eastbourne Pride". Eastbourne Pride. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Hastings Pride". Hastings Pride. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Sussex Day". Sussex Living Magazine. June 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2012.

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