Folk Calendar – Find Folk and Traditional Music Events

Sunday 25 October

Monday 26 October Hunter’s Moon

Born on this day: Jim McCann (1944)

Tuesday 27 October

Wednesday 28 October

Thursday 29 October

Born on this day: Tom Clancy (1924)

Friday 30 October

Saturday 31 October

Hallowe'en

Happy birthday to Tom Paxton (89 today)

Sunday 1 November

Folklore from the old calendars

All-Hallowtide revels at the Middle Temple No longer kept LondonThe young lawyers of the Middle Temple counted All-Hallowtide as the start of Christmas, and in the reign of Charles I they chose a Master of the Revels for the season.
The All Saints’ triplets Lore and belief WalesA correspondent signing himself Gwilym Sais sent Hone seven triplets for the first of November, the Welsh Calan Gaeaf, from William Owen Pughe's translations of the elegies of Llywarch Hen.
Dole bread in Monmouthshire No longer kept MonmouthshireBritton wrote in his Cathedral Antiquities that in Monmouthshire the poorer people, Catholic and Protestant alike, went begging bread for the souls of the dead on All Saints' Day.
Seed cake at Allhallows No longer kept WarwickshireBrand's servant, a Warwickshire man, told him that in that county a seed cake was had at Allhallows, marking the end of wheat sowing.
Souling in Staffordshire No longer kept StaffordshireTollett noted that on All Saints' Day the poor of Staffordshire went from parish to parish souling, begging and singing for soul cakes or anything else to make them merry.
The Cheshire souling song Still kept CheshireOn the eve of All Souls' Day parties of boys in Cheshire went souling from door to door, singing for apples, pears, plums, beer or money.
The first three days of winter Lore and belief BanffshireThe minister of Kirkmichael in Banffshire reported a Gaelic weather saying about the first three days of winter, which began at Hallowtide.
Ringing for all Christian souls No longer kept EnglandBefore the Reformation the church bells were rung all night at Allhallowtide for all Christian souls.
Pork, souse and sprats at All Saints No longer kept EnglandAll Saints was the season for pork and souse, the pickled parts of the pig, and for laying in sprats and spurlings.
Slaughter time at Hallowtide No longer kept EnglandHallowtide began the season for killing stock, and with it the husbandman's feasting.
Hallow-fair at Fordyce No longer kept BanffshireFordyce's yearly market was called Hallow-fair, and its charter of 1592 set it at All Hallows, to run for eight days.
The rough first day of winter Lore and belief WalesAn old Welsh triplet held that Calangauaf, the first day of winter, brought hard weather quite unlike the first day of summer, but that only God could foretell what was to come.

Monday 2 November

Happy birthday to Dave Pegg (79 today)

Folklore from the old calendars

Soul-mass cakes No longer kept Herefordshire, LancashireOn All Souls' Day in Lancashire and Herefordshire the well-off used to hand out oaten cakes, called soul-mass cakes, to the poor.
Old Hob No longer kept CheshireA correspondent told Hone of a Cheshire frolic called Old Hob, in which a man carried a dead horse's head covered with a sheet to frighten people.
The Shropshire soul-cake heap No longer kept ShropshireAubrey wrote that in his time, in Shropshire and elsewhere, a high heap of soul cakes was set on the board on All Souls' Day, lying one upon another like the shewbread in the pictures of old Bibles.
Tindles at Findern No longer kept DerbyshireAt Findern in Derbyshire the boys and girls went every year on the evening of All Souls' Day to the common and lit a number of small fires among the furze, which they called Tindles.
The Gill-Bushes dole on All Souls’ Day No longer kept CumberlandEvery year on 2 November the rent of a field called Gill-Bushes was given out to the poor of Blennerhasset in Torpenhow church.

Tuesday 3 November

Born on this day: Bert Jansch (1943)

Wednesday 4 November

Born on this day: Tommy Makem (1932)

Thursday 5 November

Bonfire Night

Friday 6 November

Sunday 8 November

Born on this day: Katharine Briggs (1898)

Monday 9 November New moon

Born on this day: Margaret Fay Shaw (1903)

Wednesday 11 November

Born on this day: Hamish Henderson (1919) and Ian Hardie (1952)

Folklore from the old calendars

Wroth Silver at Knightlow Cross Still kept WarwickshireBefore sunrise on Martinmas morning the parishes of the hundred of Knightlow paid their wroth silver, or ward money, to the lord of the hundred at the stump of Knightlow Cross near Rugby.
The Martinmas mart No longer kept Northumberland, ScotlandMartinmas was the time to kill beasts and salt them down for winter, so in Scotland and the north of England a fat ox for killing was called a mart.
St Martin’s little summer Lore and belief EnglandSt Martin's little summer was the name for the spell of fine days that sometimes breaks into the usual stormy weather about the beginning of November.
Martinmas is past and gone at Wooler Lore and belief NorthumberlandA Wooler rhyme lamented that Martinmas had come and gone with Christmas drawing near and no mutton left in the house for the feast.
Martinmas stray-sheep day at Patterdale No longer kept Cumberland, WestmorlandIn the dales round Ullswater nobody went looking for a strayed sheep; whoever found one simply looked after it.
Martlemas beef hung up for Easter No longer kept EnglandAt Martinmas the farmer killed a beast and hung the beef up to dry in the chimney, keeping it until Easter.
Rose garlands and wine for the singers on St Martin’s Day No longer kept LondonThe City church of St Martin Outwich kept its patron's day with bread, ale, wine and rose garlands for the singers.
Young people on the hill at Martinmas No longer kept WiltshireThe antiquary William Stukeley believed that on St Martin's Day the young people of the neighbourhood used to gather on Martinsall Hill for the drinking of healths to St Martin, the Martinalia of the Saxons and Danes.

Sunday 25 October

Monday 26 October Hunter’s Moon

Tuesday 27 October

Wednesday 28 October

Thursday 29 October

Friday 30 October

Saturday 31 October

Sunday 1 November

Monday 2 November

Tuesday 3 November

Wednesday 4 November

Thursday 5 November

Friday 6 November

Sunday 8 November

Monday 9 November New moon

Wednesday 11 November

Thursday 12 November

Friday 13 November

Sunday 15 November

Monday 16 November

Tuesday 17 November

Image credits

What’s on: folk sessions, morris, customs and folklore

Sunday 25 October

Monday 26 October🌕 Hunter’s Moon

Tuesday 27 October

Wednesday 28 October

Thursday 29 October

Friday 30 October

Saturday 31 October

Sunday 1 November

Monday 2 November

Tuesday 3 November

Wednesday 4 November

Thursday 5 November

Friday 6 November

Sunday 8 November

Monday 9 November🌑 New moon

Wednesday 11 November

Thursday 12 November

Friday 13 November

Sunday 15 November

Monday 16 November

Tuesday 17 November

Image credits

Monday 26 October Hunter’s Moon

Monday 9 November New moon