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, Rituals and Traditions
Discover traditional folk customs, rituals and traditions on the Tradfolk.co website. From wassailing to Yule, and the arc of the year in-between.
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...
...tell everyone about Stone Club! And if you're not sure what that is, dig into our interview with founder, Lally Macbeth.
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 brief look at the custom known as Bringing in the May, the night before May Day, when nature ran riot.
Everything you ever wanted to know about the maypole tradition, but were too uncomfortable to ask.
Walking bush, Jack in the Green, has a history dating back to the early 1800s. Here's how the character came into being.
Following on from his article about Penzance’s Midwinter festival - Montol - and the Christmastime mumming tradition called ‘guise dancing’, Tom Goskar turns his attentions to Midsummer and the Cornish festival of Golowan.
“We’re not doing the Stick and Bucket dance! I never want to hear any more ever about the Stick and...
The Salisbury Giant is a rare example of a processional giant from the late medieval period, commonly associated with midsummer celebrations.
While the summer solstice is commonly associated with something seemingly more spiritual, the rituals of Midsummer had more earthy connections.
A highlight of Sidmouth Folk Festival, the Sidmouth Horse Trials take place on the first Sunday of the festival. Tradfolk Rach investigates.