Bermuda Peppercorn Ceremony 2015
From 1816 to Present Day - Bermuda celebrates one of its oldest traditions
Governor George Fergusson (centre) at the 2015 Peppercorn Ceremony, Commanding Officer of the Bermuda Regiment (left of picture) and Mayor of St Georges Garth Rothwell (right of picture)
Bermuda’s annual Peppercorn ceremony took place on 22nd April, attended by Governor George Fergusson and Deputy Governor Ginny Ferson. Also in attendance were Premier Michael Dunkley and Opposition Leader Marc Bean.
The ceremony is an important tradition for St George’s, a UNESCO world heritage site, which was the original capital of Bermuda. After the capital moved to Hamilton in 1815 the Old State House Building was leased to the Masonic Lodge of St George’s for a nominal “peppercorn rent”! Each year a single peppercorn is handed over by the freemasons in a colourful piece of pageantry enjoyed by hundreds of spectators.
This year, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Bermuda Regiment, the ceremony was further enhanced by the Mayor and Corporation of St George’s granting freedom of the town to the Bermuda Regiment. The Governor, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Regiment took the salute as the soldiers marched past.