My DS teaches English for the International Baccalaureate in an international school. One of the warm up topics for his students who come from up to 50 countries - Botswana to Finland; Brazil to Mongolia - is talking about traditions in their countries. We’ve come up with bonfire night; “proper” Halloween; Morris dancing ... but can’t think of many for Britain. Help! Any further ideas?
Sunday roast (Dad rolling back from the pub, late) Breakfast fry up. Yorkshire puddings . Welsh cakes. Village fete, tombola School fete. Jumble sales. Lots of these don't seem to happen any more.
Cheese rolling, maypole dancing, afternoon tea (everything stops for tea) how to queue, country fairs, blessing the apple trees, beating the boundary’s etc
This is a proper regional/social history, love it! Appleby horse fair, selling lucky white heather door-to-door, door-to-door sales people selling household items from a suitcase - more likely a sports bag these days - or travelling knife/garden tool grinder (not sure if that's different from other countries). Bride traditions - 'something old something new, something borrowed, something blue', throwing the bouquet, carrying over the threshold. A few not so fun too - closing curtains as a mark of respect for a deceased neighbour, covering mirrors in the deceased's house.
Preston has Easter egg rolling every Easter Monday on Avenham Park and Preston Guild every 20 years which has provided the old saying- Once every Preston Guild.
Does Nottingham still have the Goose Fair (or Fayre) I wonder?
mischief night is the day before plot, so 4th November, you might ring doorbells and run away, tie strings to door bells and run away, take gates off their hinges, steal wood from another bonfire, understand in some parts of the country it happens on 30th october
Silver sixpences or charms in Christmas puddings. Making a wish on your first mince pie or when stirring the Christmas pudding. Boat races (there are different versions on lots of rivers) Beating the bounds University Rag Weeks Travelling fairs (Nottingham Goose Fair, Hull Fair, Newcastle Hoppings-all the same circuit) New Year or Christmas swims.
What a fun thread! Here are some Scottish ones: Stonehaven fireballs at Hogmanay. Cleaning the house and opening the windows at midnight on Hogmanay to let the old year out. Paying all your debts on Hogmanay. A "scramble" at a wedding - the father of the bride throws out pennies for the local children to collect Blackening the bride-to-be - not such a nice one!
I haven't read all the replies, but Morris Dancing immediately came to mind. Also the Lord Mayors Show in London, swan upping, Trooping the Colour, the Changing of the Guard, and egg and spoon races. Thinking about them makes me miss London again.
Lent isn’t a British tradition it’s a religious one and Shrove Tuesday as well. Pancake day on the other hand is definitely British, although a lot of other countries have a special day of using up all the goodies before Lent.
pncake races at olney, first foting, bringing in a lump of coal on new year's day S Yorkshire/Derbyshire carol singing in pubs in December, Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, Whittlesea straw bear, plough monday plays, the burry man, mischief night,brass bands, coconutters in Bacup, pace eg plays in the Calder valley, mumming plays, rushcarts, Castleton garland day, Far too many to mention calendarcustoms.com/ and there are no doubt more than here
Mothering Sunday. All the other ‘Days’ are recent and probably started by greeting card manufacturers.
It's probably the other way round, 00mam00 - the special days were festivals, religious or otherwise and Hallmark greetings cards companies jumped on the bandwagon!