Dewi Lewis Publishing : Homer Sykes : An Annual Affair : Some Traditional British Calendar Customs

Newburgh, Fife, Scotland, UK 31st December 2016. The Caledonian Friendly Lodge of Oddfellows is the last remaining Oddfellows Lodge in Scotland, on New Year’s Eve they parade through the towns High Street. The Caledonian Friendly Lodge of Oddfellows was formed in 1827, members paid a subscription every month or quarter which entitled them to benefits, should they become ill or were made unemployed. The first Hogmanay torchlight procession was held in 1885 and is the only surviving parade in Scotland. Gathering at The Steeple at 7pm the procession works its way along the High Street and back again stopping twice outside the Masonic Lodge for a few drams. An Apprentice – the last person to join the Lodge, rides a horse at the front of the sitting back to front, he wears a double faced mask, so as to scare away evil spirits. He is followed by Oddfellows in modern masks and costumes and then by the Stewards with their staffs of office and regalia along with the Most Noble Grand Oddfellow - Graeme Kirk wearing the blue and red crown and red robes, the highest office in the organization, while Bob Stewart is the Left Hand Supporter to the Most Noble Grand contemplates a dram. © Homer Sykes - Courtesy Dewi Lewis Publishing

Whittlesea, Cambridgeshire, England 12th January 2008. The Straw Bear festival takes place on the Tuesday following Plough Monday (the 1st Monday after Twelfth Night). The Straw Bear, with the Big Bear Keeper, Rob Taylor in the bar of the Childers Social Club. The bears Driver in 2008 was Douglas Kell. A newspaper of 1882 reports that, "... he was then taken around the town to entertain by his frantic and clumsy gestures the good folk who had on the previous day subscribed to the rustics, a spread of beer, tobacco and beef". The custom lapsed during the late 19th century, the Straw Bear appearing once more in 1909. The custom was revived in 1980. These days there is a concert on the Friday night, and on Saturday various folk festival performers from all over Britain performing around the town. The Straw Bear appears only during the Saturday before the Sunday Bear Burning ceremony. © Homer Sykes - Courtesy Dewi Lewis Publishing

Laymore, Dorset, England 6th January 2020. Burning the Ashen Faggot on old New Year’s Eve at The Squirrel Inn. The Ashen Faggot is similar to a Christmas yule log that’s burnt on Christmas Eve and usually put whole into the hearth of a fireplace. Once common in many west country villages, the custom has now largely died out. At Laymore the traditional was revived about 50 years ago, the Ashen Faggot is made by local farmer Mike Turner it's approximately 15 feet long and bound in 12 sections with twelve green lengths of hazel bands or 'beams' holding it together. One section representing each day after Christmas, as a beam bursts into flame everyone is encouraged to sup up. Two pieces from the previous years Ashen Faggot are given by Mike Turner to the youngest person in the pub, in 2020 the bar girl Katie Winkler, 17 years old and the oldest Eddie Holman who’s 77yrs. They light the new Ashen Faggot with these remnants as a symbolic ‘ever lasting flame’. The Ashen Faggot takes approximately five hours to be consumed, being pushed into the hearth from time to time. According to legend straddling the Ashen Faggot will allow you to fall pregnant in the next 12 months. © Homer Sykes - Courtesy Dewi Lewis Publishing

Atherstone, Warwickshire, England 5th February 2008. Shrove Tuesday Football committee members gather at the Angel Inn with the signed football before the start of the annual game. The medieval football game has been played since 1199 between teams from Warwickshire and Leicestershire, according to legend the ëMatch of Goldí was originally a bag of gold, the match has been played ever since. There are few rules, two being that the game must be played in Long Street - the main street through the town and that no one is to be killed. Shops and buildings are boarded up, some local schools give their children the day off. The game starts at 3pm the ball being thrown down from an upstairs window at the ëConnieí ñ the Atherstone Conservative Club. The winner is the person who is holding the oversized ball when the whistle blows at 5pm. There is often a lot of very rough play, so groups of players often representing a local pub compete for possession of a giant ball over the course of two hours, once they have it, that ëteamí then tries to retain ëownershipí forming a huddle around the ball until the whistle blows. © Homer Sykes - Courtesy Dewi Lewis Publishing

Shrove Tuesday Football Atherstone Warwickshire UK . Start of the game ball thrown into the crowd. © Homer Sykes - Courtesy Dewi Lewis Publishing

Horndon on the Hill, Essex, England 25th March 2016. In 1906 Jack Turnell took over the 15th century pubic house, the Bell Inn on a Easter Good Friday and hung a celebratory Hot Cross Bun to mark the occasion from the ceiling rafters. A new hot cross has been added each year since. During the Second World War a concrete bun was hung due to food rationing. These days a prominent local from the village is asked to hang the bun. In 2016 that was Mr McNally. Hot Cross Buns are then served by the Head Chef Stuart Fay and his children to all the Good Friday customers. © Homer Sykes - Courtesy Dewi Lewis Publishing

South Harting, West Sussex, England 25th May 2014. Harting Old Club Friendly Society, club day takes place on Whit Monday. The annual Harting Old Club Friendly Society committee members collect Beech tree boughs from the Warren at dawn and drag them back into the village to decorate St Marys and St Grabiel Church entrance the White Hart pub and to 'plant'a bough in the square at the centre of the village. The Friendly Society can be traced back to 1800, and is believed to have been helping villagers for at least 75 years prior to that, making it one of the oldest or the oldest Friendly Society in Britain. At 11.00 am a roll call is read from the steps of St Marys and St Grabiel church. The Horndean silver band lead a procession of members each carrying a newly peeled Hazel wand, and wearing a red, white and blue rosette through the village and around the ‘planted’ green Beech tree bough. An all male feast is held in the village hall for members and guests. © Homer Sykes - Courtesy Dewi Lewis Publishing

Parwich, Oddfellows. The Loyal Laurel and Crown Lodge. Members carry white sticks with different coloured tops that denote their position within the lodge. All members wear white gloves and link little fingers as they walk in procession around the village. White gloves so that no man can be distinguished as a working man with rough hands not an office man with softer hands. The linking of the little fingers symbolises the strength of a linked chain. Parwich Wakes Week. Parwich, Derbyshire UK 1st July 2023. © Homer Sykes - Courtesy Dewi Lewis Publishing

Brigg, Lincolnshire, England 5th August 2009. At the annual gypsy Brigg horse fair, a trader sells blankets depicting a traditional bow topped horse drawn gypsy caravan. © Homer Sykes - Courtesy Dewi Lewis Publishing

Delph, Saddleworth, Yorkshire, England 25th August 2012. The Saddleworth rushcart is pulled up a hill near Delph on its way to the village of Dobcross. © Homer Sykes - Courtesy Dewi Lewis Publishing

Macclesfield Forest, Macclesfield, Cheshire, England 13th August 2017. The annual Rushbearing church service is held at St Stephens Church (Forest Chapel) conducted by the Revd's Steve Rathbone and Norma Robinson, Associate Vicar of St John's Macclesfield, who was the guest preacher. © Homer Sykes - Courtesy Dewi Lewis Publishing

London, England 22nd September 2012. The Druid Order celebrate the Autumn Equinox at Primrose Hill. © Homer Sykes - Courtesy Dewi Lewis Publishing

Knowlton, Dorset, England 25th September 2021.The Dorset Druid Grove celebration of the Autumn Equinox at Knowlton prehistoric henge monument and ruined church. Rita Andrew, enacts Nerthus, sometimes known as the Earth Mother or Terra Mater. Behind her is the Handmaiden to Nerthus. They are distributing bread and fruits of the earth (apples) which represent the bounty of nature to members of the Grove; who have formed a circle with the prehistoric henge circle. Not all is taken, some is always returned to the Earth. © Homer Sykes - Courtesy Dewi Lewis Publishing

Carshalton, Surrey, England 2nd September 2017. The Straw Jack is a 21st century semi pagan harvest celebration born in 2004 and takes place now annually at the beginning of September. The enormous Straw Jack is led around the towns boundaries – visiting all the pubs, by two white bearded 1970’s latter day hippies with their staffs of office and crowned in laurels. A retinue of musicians, dancers, fire-eaters and painted ladies follow to the surprise and astonishment of the residents in this sleepy prosperous south London suburb. As the day turns to night, Jack Straw is slowly dismantled, cremated on a brassier in garden of The Hope pub. © Homer Sykes - Courtesy Dewi Lewis Publishing

Overton, Hampshire, England 26th December 2014. Overton Mummers their performance in the Greyhound village pub due to extremely bad weather would normally have performed outside of the pub. © Homer Sykes - Courtesy Dewi Lewis Publishing