• 30 January 2023
  • Art
    Art
    An Abbots Bromley Horn Dancer clutches the antlers of an old reindeer skeleton. He is wearing his traditional dancing costume. The photo is by Henry Bourne and was taken in 2009.

    Making Mischief: Folk Costume in Britain – an exhibition

    Alex Merry's painting of Boss Morris dancing under the Cold Moon during winter. “Boss Morris are a’leaping on Haresfield Beacon under a full December ‘Cold’ moon. The beasts play by firelight, as the dancers wave their hankies to beckon in the festive season.”

    The Tradfolk guide to Christmas gifts for folkies

    Rhia Davenport of Weven, Stroud, stands in front of a white wall wearing a corn crown and a folkie white dress.

    Weven, Stroud: keeping traditional folk crafts alive

  • Customs
    Customs

    Discover traditional folk customs, rituals and traditions on the Tradfolk.co website. From wassailing to Yule, and the arc of the year in-between.

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

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

    An interview with the Whittlesea Straw Bear

    A painting of Old Father Christmas by William Ewart Lockhart, showing an old man with a long white beard, a white smock, a holly crown on his head, and a glass of wine in his hand. He is smiling and gesturing towards a feast on the table in front of him.

    Twelfth Night, Old Christmas and St Stephen’s Day… revisited

  • Music
  • Performance
    Performance
    John Spiers, or Squeezy as he is known, playing the melodeon in a black and white photograph advertising his appearance on the Old Songs Podcast discussing The Princess Royal.

    The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep8 – ‘Princess Royal’, ft. John Spiers

    Huginn and Munnin dance two-man Border Morris at an event. They are wearing tatter jackets and plague doctor masks.

    Huginn and Muninn: The Norse mythology-inspired Border dancers taking Morris to metalheads

    Tom Williams and Daniel Burston from Beltane Border Morris stand face to face, yelling as they dance. One of them has his tongue sticking out. They are both wearing top hats with pheasant feathers, as well as tatter coats.

    Tradfolk readers’ favourite Morris dance performance of 2022

  • Events
  • Podcasts
    Podcasts
    John Spiers, or Squeezy as he is known, playing the melodeon in a black and white photograph advertising his appearance on the Old Songs Podcast discussing The Princess Royal.

    The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep8 – ‘Princess Royal’, ft. John Spiers

    Jon Wilks plays guitar at Dorking Folk Club, 2018

    The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep7 – ‘The Gloucestershire Wassail / The Wassailing Song’, ft. Jon Wilks

    Burd Ellen, Debbie Armour and Gail Brogen, with flowers in their mouths. The image is black and white.

    The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep6 – ‘When I was on Horseback/ The Unfortunate Rake’, ft. Debbie Armour (Burd Ellen)

    • Podcasts
    • Our folk music playlists
  • Shop
  • Tradfolk 101
    Tradfolk 101

    Handbags and Broomsticks: Molly Dancing for the uninitiated

    A woggle hopping obstacle in the wild. The picture is actually of a red postbox in Wiltshire on a pretty summer's day, but woggle hopping often involved postboxes

    Customs uncovered: Woggle Hopping

    The source singer Cecilia Costello - photo by Bob Etheridge

    Women in folk: celebrating the source singers

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    John Spiers, or Squeezy as he is known, playing the melodeon in a black and white photograph advertising his appearance on the Old Songs Podcast discussing The Princess Royal.

    The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep8 – ‘Princess Royal’, ft. John Spiers

    Two people stand by a fire against a darkening sky. The air is alight with sparks and they are wassailing an apple tree spruce.

    The Tradfolk Wassail Directory, 2022-23

    The Best British Folk Songs as chosen by some of the country's favourite folk singers

    The Best British folk songs, as chosen by British folk singers

    The Old Songs Podcast main logo and image featuring an old man singing unaccompanied in a pub.

    The Old Songs Podcast – A full list of episodes

    Fay Hield stares into the camera. She is holding the neck of a five-string banjo.

    Fay Hield on Access Folk and the Folk Singing Symposium

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Customs Uncovered

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...
Read More
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.
Read More
An Abbots Bromley Horn Dancer clutches the antlers of an old reindeer skeleton. He is wearing his traditional dancing costume. The photo is by Henry Bourne and was taken in 2009.
Arts & CraftsNews

Making Mischief: Folk Costume in Britain – an exhibition

Making Mischief is a new exhibition to be staged at Compton Verney, Warwickshire, dedicated to British folk costumes. It's the first of its kind. Here's all you need to know.
Read More
A painting of Old Father Christmas by William Ewart Lockhart, showing an old man with a long white beard, a white smock, a holly crown on his head, and a glass of wine in his hand. He is smiling and gesturing towards a feast on the table in front of him.
Christmas

Twelfth Night, Old Christmas and St Stephen’s Day… revisited

As Halwyn Folk release a new video exploring Old Christmas, we take a look at some of the commonly asked questions around Twelfth Night.
Read More
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 GiantsChristmasCustoms

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.
Read More
Sheffield Carols in the Winter Gardens. Photo credit, James Merryclough
ChristmasCustoms

A Beginner’s Guide to the Sheffield Carols

Heading to the Sheffield Carols? Want to know where to go, what songs to sing and a little of the etiquette? We've got you covered.
Read More
Morris DancingTradfolk 101

Handbags and Broomsticks: Molly Dancing for the uninitiated

Everything you ever wanted to know about Molly dancing: the hows, the whys, the history, and the dating hazards...
Read More
A woggle hopping obstacle in the wild. The picture is actually of a red postbox in Wiltshire on a pretty summer's day, but woggle hopping often involved postboxes
Tradfolk 101

Customs uncovered: Woggle Hopping

Can woggle hopping be classed as a British custom? Probably not, but it still deserves a mention as an eccentric activity that briefly caught the public imagination.
Read More
Men chase a cheese down the extremely steep Cooper's Hill in the 2015 Gloucester Cheese Rolling contest
Customs, Rituals and Traditions

Customs uncovered: the Cooper’s Hill cheese rolling contest

Of all the esoteric traditions and rituals that take place across the UK, the Cooper’s Hill cheese rolling contest is...
Read More
Bampton Morris dancing on the streets of Oxfordshire for Whit Monday
CustomsMorris Dancing

Customs uncovered: Bampton Morris dancing, Whit Monday

Bampton Morris dancing is known worldwide for its extraordinary lineage. We chat to one of the tradition bearers and dig into the history.
Read More
Ben Edge - the earl of rone photograph taken in Combe Martin
Customs

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.
Read More
The eyes of a hobby horse partaking in the Sidmouth Horse Trials
Beasts and GiantsMorris Dancing

Customs uncovered: Beasts, Hobby Horses and ‘the suspension of the normal’

Newcomers to the world of traditional customs and rituals very quickly come face to face with beasts and hobby horses. In this article, we attempt to offer some explanation for the inexplicable.
Read More

Popular Articles

John Spiers, or Squeezy as he is known, playing the melodeon in a black and white photograph advertising his appearance on the Old Songs Podcast discussing The Princess Royal.

The Old Songs Podcast: Se2Ep8 – ‘Princess Royal’, ft. John Spiers

Two people stand by a fire against a darkening sky. The air is alight with sparks and they are wassailing an apple tree spruce.

The Tradfolk Wassail Directory, 2022-23

The Best British Folk Songs as chosen by some of the country's favourite folk singers

The Best British folk songs, as chosen by British folk singers

The Old Songs Podcast main logo and image featuring an old man singing unaccompanied in a pub.

The Old Songs Podcast – A full list of episodes

Fay Hield stares into the camera. She is holding the neck of a five-string banjo.

Fay Hield on Access Folk and the Folk Singing Symposium

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Exploring folk culture, folk music, folk arts, rituals and events, and how these living traditions continue today.

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  • Martin Carthy

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