Folk Calendar

Friday 5 November

Bonfire Night

Born on this day: Rolf Gardiner (1902)

Fri 5 Nov 12:00 15:00
Session

Three Kings Lunchtime Session

Three Kings Inn, Hanley Castle, Worcestershire
- Mixed
Fri 5 Nov 13:00 16:00
Session

Shepherds Hall Afternoon Session

Shepherds Hall Ale House & Victoria Rooms, Chorley, Lancashire
- Tune
- Traditional
Fri 5 Nov 13:00 16:00
Session

First Friday Folk Gathering

Arts Centre Washington, Washington, Tyne and Wear
- Mixed
- Traditional
Fri 5 Nov 14:00 16:00
Session

Sandy Bell’s Friday Afternoon Session

Sandy Bell’s, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Fri 5 Nov 16:00 00:00
Custom

Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels

Sets off from The Square, Ottery St Mary, Devon
Fri 5 Nov 17:30 19:30
Session

Royal Oak Friday Folk Session

Royal Oak, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Fri 5 Nov 17:30 20:00
Session

Irish Cultural Centre Friday Night Session

Irish Cultural Centre, London, Greater London
Fri 5 Nov 18:00 21:00
Session

Dougal’s Friday Session

Dougal’s Pub, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Fri 5 Nov 18:00 21:00
Session

Seamus’s Friday Session

Seamus’s, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Fri 5 Nov 19:00 22:00
Session

Norwich Folk Club Song Session

Christ Church Centre, Norwich, Norfolk
- Mixed
- Listeners Welcome
Fri 5 Nov 19:00 21:30
Session

Glasgow First Friday Sing

St Ninian’s Scottish Episcopal Church, Glasgow, City of Glasgow
Fri 5 Nov 19:00 21:00
Session

Folk at the Hearth

The Auckland Project, Bishop Auckland, County Durham
Fri 5 Nov 19:00 21:00
Session

Americana Guisborough Brewery Singaround

Guisborough Brewery, Guisborough, North Yorkshire
Fri 5 Nov 19:30 23:30
Session

Cwmdu Folk Night

Cwmdu Inn, Cwmdu, Carmarthenshire
Fri 5 Nov 19:30 21:30
Session

Llangors Session

The Red Lion, Llangors, Powys
Fri 5 Nov 19:30 22:30
Session

Folk Acoustic & Blues Aylesbury Sing-around

Fairford Leys Centre, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
- Mixed
Fri 5 Nov 19:30 23:00
Session

Tamworth Folk Club Floor Spots Night

The Tamworth Tap, Tamworth, Staffordshire
- Mixed
Fri 5 Nov 19:30 21:30
Morris Practice

Furness Morris practice

Swarthmoor Reading Room, Swarthmoor, Cumbria
Fri 5 Nov 19:30 21:30
Morris Practice

Bradninch Millers Morris practice

Bradninch Youth Centre West End Hall, Bradninch, Devon

Maintained
Fri 5 Nov 19:30 21:00
Morris Practice

Leek Morris practice

Westwood First School, Leek, Staffordshire
Fri 5 Nov 19:30 21:30
Morris Practice

Pigsty Morris practice

Kelvin Players Hall, Bristol, Bristol
Fri 5 Nov 19:30 21:30
Morris Practice

Dartington Morris practice

Dartington Primary School, Totnes, Devon
Fri 5 Nov 19:40 22:30
Session

Second Time Around Folk Club

Royal British Legion Social Club (Haig House), Beeston, Nottinghamshire
Fri 5 Nov 19:45 21:45
Session

Kelso Folk & Live Music Club Singers’ Night

Cross Keys Hotel (Oak Room), Kelso, Scottish Borders
- Mixed
- Scottish
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 22:00
Session

Wynnstay Session

Wynnstay Hotel, Machynlleth, Powys
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 22:30
Session

Northwich Folk Club Singers’ Night

The Royal British Legion (Social) Club, Davenham, Cheshire
- Mixed
- English
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 22:00
Session

Bacca Pipes Singers Night

Riddlesden Institute, Keighley, West Yorkshire
- Song
- English
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 23:15
Session

First Friday Folk

The Commercial, Chapeltown, South Yorkshire
- Song
- Listeners Welcome
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 22:00
Session

New Crystal Folk Club

Hill and Cakemore Liberal Club, Halesowen, West Midlands
- Song
- Listeners Welcome
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 22:00
Session

Fibber McGee’s Irish Session

Fibber McGee’s, Sale Moor, Greater Manchester
- Tune
- Irish
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 22:00
Session

Ye Olde Cross Friday Session

Ye Olde Cross Inn, Ryton, Tyne and Wear
- Mixed
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 22:00
Session

An Cruiscin Lan Irish Session

The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
- Tune
- Irish
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 22:00
Session

Bay Folk Club

The Bay Hotel, Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire
- Mixed
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 21:30
Morris Practice

Ely and Littleport Riot practice

Centre E, Ely, Cambridgeshire
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 22:00
Morris Practice

Jockey Morris practice

Highgate Baptist Church, Birmingham, West Midlands
- The Morris Ring
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 22:00
Morris Practice

Hook Eagle Morris practice

Elizabeth Hall, Hook, Hampshire
- Border
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 22:00
Morris Practice

Long Man Morris practice

Willingdon Church Hall, Willingdon, East Sussex
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 22:00
Morris Practice

Greensleeves Morris Men practice

South Wimbledon Community Centre, London, Greater London
- Cotswold
- The Morris Ring
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 16:00
Custom

Shebbear Turning the Devil’s Stone

St Michael’s Church, Shebbear, Devon
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 22:15
Dance

Cambridge Contra Dance

St Andrew’s Hall, Chesterton, Cambridgeshire
- Contra
- Dance
Fri 5 Nov 20:00 23:00
Dance

Club Ceilidh Exeter

America Hall, Pinhoe, Devon
- Ceilidh
- Dance
Fri 5 Nov 20:15 22:15
Session

Oxford Folk Club Open Night

Marston Royal British Legion, Oxford, Oxfordshire
- Mixed
Fri 5 Nov 20:15 22:15
Session

Dragon Folk Club

Bridge Inn, Shortwood, Gloucestershire
Fri 5 Nov 20:30 22:30
Session

Leather Bottle Session

The Leather Bottle, Pleshey, Essex
- Mixed
Fri 5 Nov 21:00 23:00
Session

Sandy Bell’s Friday Session

Sandy Bell’s, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Fri 5 Nov 21:00 23:00
Session

Malones Friday Trad Session

Malones Irish Bar, Glasgow, City of Glasgow
Fri 5 Nov 21:00 23:30
Session

Fagan’s Friday Session

Fagan’s, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
- Mixed
- Irish
Fri 5 Nov 21:00 23:00
Session

Church Inn Folk and Acoustic Club

Church Inn, Prestwich, Greater Manchester
Fri 5 Nov 22:00 00:30
Session

Connolly’s Chiswick Late Session

Connolly’s, London, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish

Saturday 6 November

Sunday 7 November

Happy birthday to Liam Ó Maonlaí (63 today)

Tuesday 9 November

Born on this day: Margaret Fay Shaw (1903)

Thursday 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.

Friday 12 November

Born on this day: Maud Karpeles (1885)

Saturday 13 November

Sunday 14 November Beaver Moon

Monday 15 November

Happy birthday to Rick Kemp (86 today)

Born on this day: Frank Kidson (1855)

Tuesday 16 November

Wednesday 17 November

Born on this day: Luke Kelly (1940)

Saturday 20 November

Born on this day: Vin Garbutt (1947)

Sunday 21 November

Monday 22 November

Happy birthday to Rose Simpson (81 today)

Born on this day: Cecil Sharp (1859)

Tuesday 23 November

Folklore from the old calendars

Old Clem at Woolwich No longer kept Kent, LondonOn the evening of St Clement's Day the blacksmiths' apprentices of Woolwich dockyard chose one of their seniors to be Old Clem, in a greatcoat, a mask, an oakum wig and a long white beard.
Clementing in Worcestershire No longer kept WorcestershireA correspondent born in Worcestershire remembered boys going in a band from house to house on the afternoon of St Clement's Day.
St Clement and the hatters Lore and belief IrelandHatters had a tradition that St Clement, fleeing his persecutors, put wool between his sandals and his blistered feet, and found at the end of his journey that it had pressed into a firm cloth.
The smiths’ ode for St Clement No longer kept LondonThe secretary of the Benevolent Institution of Smiths, writing from Southwark in 1825, asked Hone not to forget St Clement, the smiths' saint.
St Clement’s pot No longer kept StaffordshirePlot's Staffordshire recorded an old custom of going about on the night of St Clement's Day to beg drink to make merry with.
Queen Mary’s St Clement’s Day procession No longer kept LondonOn St Clement's Day in Queen Mary's reign a great procession went through the streets of London.

Thursday 25 November

Born on this day: Peter Opie (1918)

Folklore from the old calendars

Cathar’ning No longer kept England, KentSt Catherine was the patron of spinsters, and on her day young women met to make merry together, which was called Cathar'ning.
St Catherine’s fast Lore and belief IrelandIn Ireland women and girls once fasted every Wednesday and Saturday of the year, and some also on St Catherine's Day.
The charms of St Catharine Lore and belief EnglandMother Bunch's Golden Fortune Teller gave a charm for St Catharine's night.
The Cattern bowl at Worcester No longer kept WorcestershireUntil shortly before Ellis wrote, the dean and chapter of Worcester gave out a rich mixture of wine and spices on St Catharine's Day, the last day of their yearly audit, to the people living in the cathedral precincts.
The ropemakers’ Queen Catherine at Chatham No longer kept KentOn St Catherine's night the ropemakers of Chatham dockyard carried a woman dressed as Queen Catherine, founder of the ropery, through Chatham, Rochester and Brompton by torchlight.
Laurel for St Catherine’s learned men Lore and belief EnglandBy St Catherine's Day only the evergreen laurel was left in leaf, and the rhyme of the saints' flowers says it crowned learned men on her feast, since Catherine was the patron of scholars.
Five hundred lights round St Paul’s steeple No longer kept LondonOn the evening of St Catherine's Day 1553, five hundred great lights were carried round the steeple of St Paul's in her procession.

Saturday 27 November

Sunday 28 November New moon

Tuesday 30 November

St Andrew's Day

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

Friday 5 November

Saturday 6 November

Sunday 7 November

Tuesday 9 November

Thursday 11 November

Friday 12 November

Saturday 13 November

Sunday 14 November🌕 Beaver Moon

Monday 15 November

Tuesday 16 November

Wednesday 17 November

Saturday 20 November

Sunday 21 November

Monday 22 November

Tuesday 23 November

Thursday 25 November

Saturday 27 November

Sunday 28 November🌑 New moon

Tuesday 30 November

Image credits

Sunday 14 November Beaver Moon

Sunday 28 November New moon