Broadwater Midsummer Skeleton Dance Oak
‘There stood, and still may stand, upon the downs, close to Broadwater, an old oak-tree, that I used, in days gone by, to gaze at with an uncomfortable and suspicious look from having heard...
Category: Festivals
Toddel Well
‘No one now seeks Toddel Well in the township of Longrigg. It was formerly the belief in this parish that the waters of this well had a similar efficacy to the pool of Bethesda,...
Bell Hill, Eskdale
To the north of the church (St Catharine’s) is a rock called Bell Hill, where the chapel bell is said to have been hung. It is more likely a relic of the old fire-worship...
Christmas, Yule and the Winter Solstice
The 25th of December is associated with the birth of Christ and the celebration of the nativity, but it is also an amalgamation of pagan festivals and traditions dating back before the birth of Christ.
Giant’s Cave, Edenhall
At Giant’s Cave, near Eden Hall, it has been the custom from time immemorial for the lads and lasses of the neighbouring villages to collect together on the third Sunday in May, to drink sugar and water, when the lasses give the treat: this is called Sugar-and-Water Sunday. They afterwards adjourn to the public house, and the lads return the compliment in cakes, ale, punch, etc.
The River Ouse, York
‘There is an old tradition, possibly credited by some at the present time, that if anyone casts five white stones into a particular part of the river Ouse, near the city, as the clock in the Minster tower strikes one on May morning, he will see on the surface of the water, as if looking into a mirror, whatever is desired of the past, present, and future. .
Midsummer’s Day
The festival is primarily a Celtic fire festival, representing the middle of summer, and the shortening of the days on their gradual march to winter. Midsummer is traditionally celebrated on either the 23rd or 24th of June, although the longest day actually falls on the 21st of June.
Hull Christmas Traditions
According to ‘County Folk-Lore Volume VI – Examples of Printed Folk-Lore Concerning The East Riding of Yorkshire (1911)’ edited by Eliza Glutch. ‘On Christmas morning in Hull the children come in droves, pealing at your door-bell in order to wish you "a merry Christmas." The following is a favourite doggerel:
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