Oldest

Customs

Ben Edge - the earl of rone photograph taken in Combe Martin

Customs uncovered: The Hunting of the Earl of Rone

Once a year, over the long Spring Bank Holiday weekend, the occupants of Combe Martin, the Earl of Rone Council, and a fair number of spectators enact this fascinating tradition. Alex Hurr takes a deep dive into its history, but warns of distinct fever-dream vibes along the way.

The Cornmarket Revellers guise dancers ‘guild’ in 2014. Upon entering a pub they played a game called “Spy the Market” that nobody understood, let alone them. Photo by Peter Carter.

Beasts and Giants Christmas Customs

Guise Dancing: the Christmastime mumming tradition of West Cornwall

Tom Goskar, a born-again guise dancer in southwest Cornwall, explores the little-known Cornish tradition that is guise dancing.

A painting of the ritual portrayed in the Eve of St Agnes, by John Keats. The painting is of two young women in their bed chamber, observing a wraith-like character slumped on their bed. The painting is held at the Tate.

Customs

Customs uncovered: St Agnes Eve, dumb cakes, and the prediction of the future

St Agnes Day was traditionally a time when young women were able to bring about visions of their future lovers and husbands. Here's how...

The night before May Day, and the moon is shining bright above a clearing in a forest. The sky is a mixture of dark blue and black.

Customs The Merry Month of May

Customs Uncovered: Bringing in the May

A brief look at the custom known as Bringing in the May, the night before May Day, when nature ran riot.

Customs The Merry Month of May

Customs uncovered: Jack in the Green

Walking bush, Jack in the Green, has a history dating back to the early 1800s. Here's how the character came into being.

People gather around a bonfire on a midsummer's night.

Customs

Customs Uncovered: Midsummer Rituals

While the summer solstice is commonly associated with something seemingly more spiritual, the rituals of Midsummer had more earthy connections.

Customs Interviews Morris Dancing

Ellie Gowers: Morris dancing, Saddleworth Rushcart, and the Dwelling by the Weir

Jon Wilks chats to folk singer and Morris dancer, Ellie Gowers, about her close encounters with history in the making.

The Whittlesea Straw Bear dances through the streets, followed by a bear keeper, several onlookers, and two smaller bears.

Customs

An interview with the Whittlesea Straw Bear

Meet Douglas Kell, occasional Whittlesea Straw Bear and the latest director of the Straw Bear Festival, and find out what it means to be one of the UK's most-loved folk icons.

Customs

This is England [Folk Roots, 1997]

As Boss Morris help to reignite the country's interest in traditional culture, we dig into the fRoots archive to see how these things are cyclical. Back in 1997, Colin Irwin celebrated a culture every bit as exotic as the most distant of World Music destinations.

A traditional maypole dance at Whitchurch, Hampshire, Silk Mill

Customs The Merry Month of May

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