Folk Calendar

Tuesday 5 January

Twelfth Night

Happy birthday to Georgia Ruth (39 today)

Born on this day: Fred Jordan (1922)

Wednesday 6 January

Born on this day: Bob Copper (1915), Pop Maynard (1872) and Sandy Denny (1947)

Folklore from the old calendars

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh Still kept LondonOn Twelfth Day the king used to go in procession with heralds and the knights of the Garter, Thistle and Bath to the Chapel Royal at St James's, and offer gold, frankincense and myrrh in imitation of the Magi.
Cutting Off the Fiddler’s Head No longer kept Isle of ManWaldron's history of the Isle of Man says that through the twelve days of Christmas every barn was in use and every parish hired fiddlers at the public charge.
The King of the Bean No longer kept EnglandOn Twelfth Night a large cake was baked with a bean inside, and the family and friends cut it by lot: whoever found the bean was King of the Bean for the night, and in England there was always a queen too, sometimes found by a pea.
The Hobby Horse of Paget’s Bromley No longer kept StaffordshirePlot's Natural History of Staffordshire records a Twelfth Day custom at Paget's Bromley, now Abbots Bromley, which had gone out by the seventeenth century.
The Twelfth Night Wassail at Court No longer kept EnglandThe Royalle Book of Henry VII's household laid down how the king kept Twelfth Day, going crowned in his robes and offering gold, myrrh and incense.
Lobscouse and Ponsondie No longer kept CumberlandIn Cumberland and other northern parts of England, Twelfth Night ended the Christmas holidays with a dance in a large room from seven o'clock until twelve.
Hazard for the groom-porter No longer kept LondonThe Gentleman's Magazine for January 1731 reported that on Twelfth Day the king and the Prince of Wales made their offerings of gold, frankincense and myrrh at the Chapel Royal, and that at night the royal family played at hazard for the benefit of the groom-porter.
Presents from the Twelfth Day king and queen No longer kept EnglandWhoever was chosen king and queen on Twelfth Day was once expected to give each other handsome presents and to entertain the whole company.
Stang and swill on Old Christmas Day No longer kept CumberlandIn Cumberland it was a regular Old Christmas Day custom to catch every man in reach, carry him to a public-house on a pole, and fine him a pint of beer.
The Piddle Hinton Old Christmas dole No longer kept DorsetOn Old Christmas Day the rector of Piddle Hinton handed every poor parishioner a pound of bread, a pint of ale and a mince pie.
Yule straw in Aberdeenshire No longer kept AberdeenshireIn parts of Aberdeenshire nobody worked during the three days of Old Style Christmas.
Aderyn bee y llwyd on Old Christmas Day No longer kept WalesOn Old Christmas Day a party in Wales went from house to house with the Aderyn bee y llwyd, the bird with the grey beak, made from the skull of a horse with false eyes and ears, ribbons and coloured paper.
Buying fire with a pin Lore and belief HerefordshireOn Old Christmas Day in Herefordshire nobody might borrow fire from a neighbour; it had to be bought with some trifle, such as a pin.
The Lady Mary’s Twelfth Night banquet No longer kept GloucestershireIn November of about 1525 the council of the young Princess Mary's household wrote from Tewkesbury to Cardinal Wolsey asking how she should keep the coming Christmas.
The Chapel gentlemen’s Twelfth Night play No longer kept EnglandAt the court of Henry VII the Christmas plays were acted by the gentlemen of the King's Chapel, who were well rewarded for playing on Twelfth Night.
Regan the trumpeter and the King of the Bean No longer kept EnglandEdward III's court had its King of the Bean on Twelfth Day.
A bean, a pea and a forked stick on board ship No longer kept EnglandHenry Teonge, chaplain of an English warship, recorded Twelfth Day 1676 at sea in rough weather past Zante.
The golden mountain at Richmond No longer kept SurreyOn Twelfth Night in the second year of Henry VIII a pageant like a glittering golden mountain, with a golden tree of roses and pomegranates on top, was wheeled up to the King in the hall at Richmond.
The first maske in England No longer kept EnglandOn the night of the Epiphany in the third year of his reign, Henry VIII and eleven others came in disguised after the manner of Italy, in long gold garments with visors and caps of gold.
The Lord Mayor’s Twelfth Day sermon at St Paul’s No longer kept LondonOn the afternoon of Twelfth Day the Lord Mayor, the aldermen, all the crafts of London and the bachelors of the Mayor's company went in procession to St Paul's to hear a sermon, after the old custom.
The king’s gold, frankincense and myrrh Still kept EnglandEnglish kings made an offering at the high altar on the Epiphany of gold, frankincense and myrrh, in memory of the gifts of the three kings.
Maidens with the wassel-bowl on Twelfth Night No longer kept EnglandOn Twelfth Night poor maidens carried a wassail bowl of spiced ale with apples from door to door, singing to be let in and hoping for a gift.
The fond-plough on Twelfth Day No longer kept EnglandOn Twelfth Day the youths of each parish or township dragged a plough from village to village, begging money to make merry with that evening.
A Twelfth-tide King chosen at Whitehall No longer kept LondonFor Twelfth-tide at the court of Charles I, Herrick's Star-Song turned the old game of choosing a Twelfth Night king and queen to the Epiphany, with the singers promising to wassail the Christ child at nightfall, choose Him king and make His mother queen.
The riche mount on Twelfth Night No longer kept Kent, LondonOn Twelfth Night in the fifth year of Henry VIII, while the court kept Christmas at Greenwich, a pageant mountain called the riche mount was drawn into the great hall by four wild men.
The Devon carol-singers’ Twelfth Day feast No longer kept DevonCarol singing on Christmas Eve was very general in Devonshire, and the singers pooled the money they were given at the houses.
Nailing coat-tails at the Twelfth-cake shops No longer kept LondonOn Twelfth Night London boys crowded round the pastrycooks' windows, full of iced Twelfth-cakes, and nailed the coat-tails of onlookers to the window frames.
The Anti-Gregorians’ Old Christmas at Worcester No longer kept WorcestershireWhen the calendar changed in 1752, many country people round Worcester went on keeping Christmas by the old reckoning, which now fell on Twelfth Day.
Turning shirts on the night of Epiphany Lore and belief WalesWelsh girls who wanted to see their future husbands washed linen after the household had gone to bed, set it before the fire to dry and watched to see who came at midnight to turn it.

Thursday 7 January New moon

Born on this day: Dave Cousins (1940)

Monday 11 January

Plough Monday

Tuesday 12 January

Happy birthday to Matt Molloy (80 today)

Wednesday 13 January

Happy birthday to Frankie Armstrong (86 today)

Thursday 14 January

Sunday 17 January

Born on this day: Matt McGinn (1928) and Mike Waterson (1941)

Wednesday 20 January

Born on this day: Billy Thom (1937) and Francie McPeake (1917)

Thursday 21 January

Friday 22 January Wolf Moon

Saturday 23 January

Sunday 24 January

Born on this day: Michael Chapman (1941)

Monday 25 January

Burns Night

Born on this day: Ewan MacColl (1915)

Tuesday 26 January

Happy birthday to Ashley Hutchings (82 today)

Friday 29 January

Saturday 30 January

Born on this day: Kevin Danaher (1913) and Paddy Keenan (1950)

Sunday 31 January

Born on this day: Alan Lomax (1915) and Michael Coleman (1891)

Monday 1 February

Born on this day: Bobby Crowe (1933) and Francis James Child (1825)

Tuesday 2 February

Born on this day: Gordeanna McCulloch (1946)

Folklore from the old calendars

The Candlemas King No longer kept ScotlandIn Scottish schools the children made their master a present of money on Candlemas Day, going up one by one to lay it on his desk.
The Candlemas Ba’ Still kept RoxburghshireAnother Scottish Candlemas custom was a football match between the east and west ends of a town, the married men and the bachelors, or one parish and another, which brought the whole community out in high excitement.
If Candlemas Day Be Dry and Fair Lore and belief England, ScotlandChambers found a belief all over Christendom that fine weather at Candlemas meant a long winter and a poor harvest, while a wet and stormy Candlemas was a good omen.
Briid’s Bed No longer kept Outer HebridesMartin, in his Description of the Western Islands, recorded that at Candlemas the mistress and servants of each house dressed a sheaf of oats in women's clothes, laid it in a large basket with a wooden club beside it, and called it Briid's Bed, after St Bride.
Fair Maid of February Lore and belief EnglandCountry people tied certain flowers to the saints whose days fell when they came into bloom.
God Send Us the Light of Heaven No longer kept EnglandCandlemas takes its name from the blessing of candles by the clergy and their carrying in procession on the feast of the Purification.
Throw Candle and Candlestick Away Lore and belief EnglandCandlemas marked the point in the year when the days had grown long enough to manage without lights at evening prayers.
The Candlemas Candle at Lyme Regis No longer kept DorsetA Dorset gentleman told Hone of a household custom he remembered from boyhood at Lyme Regis.
Beans in the Candlemas waddle Lore and belief SomersetRay's Collection of Proverbs has a Somerset rule for Candlemas: sow or set beans on Candlemas waddle.
The smock at the Candlemas fire Lore and belief EnglandOn Candlemas night a smock was to be hung before a charcoal fire as a charm.
Candles for Februa No longer kept EnglandCandlemas processions with lighted candles were said to go back to the Roman custom of carrying torches through Rome in honour of Februa, mother of Mars.
Bull beef at Candlemas No longer kept Northern EnglandBull beef was the proper meat for Candlemas in Denham's list of certain dishes for certain times.
The snowdrop, emblem of the Purification Lore and belief EnglandCountry people took the snowdrop, which reliably flowered through the snow at Candlemas, as an emblem of the Purification of the Virgin.
Candlemas candles for the year in Ireland No longer kept IrelandOn Candlemas Day Irish country people brought to mass all the candles they expected to need for the year, to be blessed by the priest at high mass.
Barristers put out of commons for not dancing No longer kept LondonAt Lincoln's Inn the whole bar was expected to dance before the judges on Candlemas Day, according to the ancient order of the society.
Christmas cheer kept till Candlemas No longer kept EnglandMost ordinary people kept Christmas going not just for the twelve days but until Candlemas, feasting all the while and proud to have some of their Christmas fare still in hand.
The Wives’ Feast Day No longer kept EnglandCandlemas was a day of feasting kept above all by women, and for that reason it was called the Wives' Feast Day.
The Christmas brand burnt again at Candlemas No longer kept EnglandOn Candlemas Day the saved brand of the Christmas log was lit once more and left to burn until sunset, then put out and laid up again until the next Christmas.
The white loaf and the pie end at Candlemas No longer kept EnglandCandlemas Day marked the very end of the Christmas season, when the last of the white bread and the Christmas pie was eaten and the sports laid aside.
Grey peas at Candlemas Lore and belief EnglandGrey peas and runcivals were sown at Candlemas, with a generous hand.
The luck of the Candlemas taper No longer kept EnglandAt the Candlemas procession each worshipper watched his own candle, for whoever carried the largest taper, and whoever's candle burned clear and bright, was held to be fortunate.
A berry left in the pew at Candlemas Lore and belief SuffolkIf a leaf or berry of the Christmas greenery was left in church after Candlemas, the family sitting in that pew would see a death within the year.
The judges’ dance round the coal fire No longer kept LondonOn Candlemas Day the judges and serjeants feasting in the Temple hall kept an ancient custom of dancing round the coal fire while singing an old French song.
Hands on Glanville’s tomb at Wotton No longer kept SurreyEach year on the anniversary of William Glanville's death, five poor boys of Wotton earned forty shillings by kneeling with their hands on his tomb behind the church and reciting the Creed, the Lord's Prayer and the Commandments.
The Candlemas crown at St Andrews grammar school No longer kept FifeAt the grammar school of St Andrews the boys gave the master a Candlemas gift according to their rank and means, from five shillings up to five guineas, and competed keenly for the Candlemas crown.
The horn beaker thrown between the Candlemas candles No longer kept WalesOn Candlemas Day Welsh families lit two candles on a table, and each member in turn sat between them, drank from a horn beaker and threw it backwards over their head.
Candlemas candles against witchcraft Lore and belief EnglandCandles hallowed on Candlemas Day were counted among the things that kept people safe from witchcraft, with holy water, consecrated salt and green leaves blessed on Palm Sunday.

Wednesday 3 February

Thursday 4 February

Friday 5 February

Saturday 6 February New moon

Born on this day: Charles Wheatstone (1802)

Monday 8 February

Tuesday 9 February

Shrovetide

Born on this day: Philip Donnellan (1924)

Wednesday 10 February

Born on this day: Gavin Greig (1856), Hamish Imlach (1940) and Roy Palmer (1932)

Folklore from the old calendars

The Oxford Penny No longer kept OxfordshireOn St Scholastica's Day in the reign of Edward III a battle broke out between the students of Oxford and the townsmen and lasted three days.
Jack-a-Lent No longer kept EnglandOn Ash Wednesday, the Shrovetide cocks being done with, a thin scarecrow of a puppet called a Jack-a-Lent was set up and pelted with sticks.
The King’s Cock Crower No longer kept LondonThrough Lent an officer of the royal household called the King's Cock Crower used to crow the hours each night within the palace instead of calling them like a watchman, in memory of the cock that called St Peter to repentance.
Staying Away from the Commination Lore and belief EnglandOn Ash Wednesday the Church of England reads the Commination, the curses against impenitent sinners, with the people answering Amen to each.
Wind on Ash Wednesday Lore and belief NorfolkIt was a proverb in Norfolk that wherever the wind lay on Ash Wednesday, there it would stay for the whole of Lent.
Ashes that outlived the Reformation Still kept EnglandGiving ashes on Ash Wednesday was said to be almost the only Catholic custom to survive the Reformation under Henry VIII.
Pancakes and grey peas at Leeds Lore and belief YorkshireAt Leeds it was said that anyone who ate pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and grey peas on Ash Wednesday would have money in their pocket all the year.
Jack o’ Lent at Polperro No longer kept CornwallAt the start of Lent, Polperro people carried a straw figure in old clothes round the village and then burnt it, shot at it or otherwise disposed of it.
St Scholastica’s Day pennies at Oxford No longer kept OxfordshireOn St Scholastica's Day the Mayor of Oxford and sixty-two townsmen went to St Mary's Church and each paid a penny in submission to the University.
Herring first, saltfish last No longer kept EnglandThe thrifty farmer ate his herring early in Lent and kept the saltfish for last, because saltfish still ate well once Lent was over.
Clacking at doors on Ash Wednesday No longer kept EnglandOn Ash Wednesday boys went about clacking at doors, begging eggs or scraps of bacon to make a feast among themselves.
Rods for Lent at St Mary-at-Hill No longer kept LondonBefore the Reformation the London parish of St Mary-at-Hill bought rods for the penitential discipline of Lent.
Black clothes for Lent No longer kept WalesSome old people in Wales used to wear black clothes all through Lent as a sign of the season.

Friday 12 February

Saturday 13 February

Born on this day: Judy Dyble (1949)

Sunday 14 February

Valentine's Day

Born on this day: Angus R Grant (1967)

Saturday 20 February Snow Moon

Born on this day: Alan Hull (1945)

Sunday 21 February

Monday 22 February

Thursday 25 February

Happy birthday to Bernard Wrigley (79 today)

Friday 26 February

Born on this day: Patsy Touhey (1865)

Saturday 27 February

Born on this day: Jake Thackray (1938) and Percy Dearmer (1867)

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

Tuesday 5 January

Wednesday 6 January

Thursday 7 January🌑 New moon

Monday 11 January

Tuesday 12 January

Wednesday 13 January

Thursday 14 January

Sunday 17 January

Wednesday 20 January

Thursday 21 January

Friday 22 January🌕 Wolf Moon

Saturday 23 January

Sunday 24 January

Monday 25 January

Tuesday 26 January

Friday 29 January

Saturday 30 January

Sunday 31 January

Monday 1 February

Tuesday 2 February

Wednesday 3 February

Thursday 4 February

Friday 5 February

Saturday 6 February🌑 New moon

Monday 8 February

Tuesday 9 February

Wednesday 10 February

Friday 12 February

Saturday 13 February

Sunday 14 February

Saturday 20 February🌕 Snow Moon

Sunday 21 February

Monday 22 February

Thursday 25 February

Friday 26 February

Saturday 27 February

Image credits

Thursday 7 January New moon

Friday 22 January Wolf Moon

Saturday 6 February New moon

Saturday 20 February Snow Moon