In Glastonbury, the festive season does not really begin until a sprig is taken from the holy thorn tree and sent to the monarch.

And this year, for the first time in decades, a sprig of the Holy Thorn cut will rest on the table of a King, not a Queen.

The oldest child from St John's Infants School will take the cutting from the thorn in St John's churchyard in the centre of the town on Wednesday, aided by the Mayor and there will be a brief blessing by the Vicar. The ceremony will take place at the churchyard at 10am.

The tradition of sending a cutting, which dates back to Charles I, is to remind the Royals of the historic ties between them, Glastonbury and the church.

According to legend - which some historians dispute - Joseph of Arimathea visited Glastonbury with the Holy Grail. He thrust his staff into Wearyall Hill, which then grew into the original thorn tree.

But following the English Civil War, the execution of Charles I, and the replacement of the monarchy with the Commonwealth of England, Oliver Cromwell ordered that the tree be cut down because it was a relic of superstition.

Legend says that as it fell, its thorns blinded the axe man in one eye. However, as with all good stories, it did not end there and local people protected and cultivated the tree in secret until such a time when a new chapter for the Holy Thorn could begin.

Then in 2010, the new thorn was vandalised once more, and a cutting from it has since been grown by Kew gardens and returned to the town following the passing of The Queen - while another cutting remains at a secret location in the town.

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