Customs

Thursday 25 February

Friday 26 February

Saturday 27 February

Sat 27 Feb All day
Custom

Aberystwyth St David’s Day Parade (Parêd Gŵyl Dewi)

Sets off from Town Clock, Great Darkgate Street, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion
- Procession
- St David's Day
Sat 27 Feb All day
Custom

St Davids Day Dragon Parade, St Davids

Oriel y Parc, St Davids, Pembrokeshire
- Procession
- St David's Day
Sat 27 Feb from 11:00
Custom

Carmarthen St David’s Day Parade

St Peter’s Church, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire
- Procession
- St David's Day

Monday 1 March

St David's Day

Folklore from the old calendars

St David's Day in the old calendars 11 entriesWearing the leek, Hanging Taffy, The Ancient Britons’ procession, Swig Day at Jesus College, Oats and barley in the clay, The serjeant-porter’s leek, The crows begin to search, The daffodil for St David, Gingerbread taffies on a goat, The leek and the field of Poictiers, Round the leek-bed on St David’s Eve
A peck of March dust Lore and belief EnglandMarch was expected to be a dry, blustery month, and its dust was welcomed because dry weather was wanted for sowing and planting.
Wetting the block No longer kept Berkshire, HampshireThe first Monday in March was when country shoemakers stopped working by candlelight, and they used to meet that evening to wet the block.
Leeks in Lide Lore and belief West CountryIn the West Country March was called Lide, and eating leeks that month was thought to keep the doctor away all year.
Whuppity Scoorie at Lanark Still kept LanarkshireWhen the Lanark town bell began its six months of nightly ringing in March, the young folk gathered at the cross for Whuppity Scoorie.
Blind Days in Devon Lore and belief DevonOld farmers in one Devon parish called the first three days of March the Blind Days, and no farmer would sow any seed on them.

Mon 1 Mar All day
Custom

St David’s Day Pilgrimage and Blessing of the City, St Davids

Sets off from Cross Square, St Davids, Pembrokeshire
Mon 1 Mar All day
Custom

Wrexham St David’s Day Parade

Guildhall, Wrexham, Wrexham
- Procession
- St David's Day

Mon 1 Mar from 12:00
Custom

St David’s Day Parade, Cardiff

Cardiff City Hall, Cardiff, Cardiff
- Procession
- St David's Day
Mon 1 Mar from 18:00
Custom

Lanark Whuppity Scoorie

St Nicholas Parish Church, Lanark, South Lanarkshire

Tuesday 2 March

Wednesday 3 March

Friday 5 March

Sunday 7 March

Mothering Sunday

Monday 8 March New moon

Thursday 11 March

Friday 12 March

Saturday 13 March

Sunday 14 March

Folklore from the old calendars

Carlings on Carling Sunday Still kept Northern EnglandOn the second Sunday before Easter northern families ate carlings, grey peas soaked overnight and fried in butter.
The carling-groat No longer kept Northern EnglandAt carling time a northern drinker's carling-groat was the money he spent at the public-house, and in return the landlord set out the carlings free.
The gy-carling on Carling Sunday Lore and belief NorthumberlandOn the Borders people were told to eat carlings on Carling Sunday until they were too full for the gy-carling to get a grip of their belly.
Boys pelting with carlings No longer kept Northern EnglandIn the North the fifth Sunday in Lent was called Care, Carle or Carling Sunday, and the proper food was grey peas soaked overnight and fried in butter.
Whirlin Sunday and whirlin cakes No longer kept CambridgeshireIn the villages round Wisbech the fifth Sunday in Lent was kept as Whirlin Sunday, when almost every family baked whirlin cakes.

Tuesday 16 March

Wednesday 17 March

St Patrick's Day

Wed 17 Mar from 09:00
Custom

St Patrick’s Day Climb of Slemish

Sets off from Slemish car park, Broughshane, County Antrim
- Procession
- St Patrick's Day
Wed 17 Mar 12:00 16:00
Custom

Downpatrick St Patrick’s Day Parade

Sets off from Market Street, Downpatrick, County Down
- Procession
- St Patrick's Day

Thursday 18 March

Friday 19 March

Fri 19 Mar from 19:30
Custom

Delting Up Helly Aa

Delting Boating Club, Brae, Shetland

Saturday 20 March

Sunday 21 March

Folklore from the old calendars

Going a-palming No longer kept LondonEarly on Palm Sunday men and boys went out from London to gather willow or sallow branches with their grey, velvety buds, which stood in for palms.
The Caistor gad-whip No longer kept LincolnshireEvery Palm Sunday a man from Broughton came to the north porch of Caistor church during the first lesson and cracked a great ox-whip, the gad-whip, three times.
The palm cross in Nantswell No longer kept CornwallBefore the Reformation people went on Palm Sunday to the well of Our Lady of Nantswell at Little Conan in Cornwall, carrying a cross made of palm.
Cakes from the steeple No longer kept EnglandA Protestant dialogue of 1554, quoted by Brand and Hone, mocked the old Palm Sunday processions, saying hardly one in ten thousand knew what they meant.
Hiring an angel for Palm Sunday No longer kept LondonLondon churchwardens' accounts show parishes paying players for the Palm Sunday procession.
No palm, no hand Lore and belief EnglandAn old saying held that whoever did not have a palm in his hand on Palm Sunday would have his hand cut off.
Hail be thou our King No longer kept SurreyDives and Pauper, printed in 1496, describes the priest in the Palm Sunday procession drawing up the veil before the rood and falling to the ground with all the people, saying three times Ave Rex Noster, hail be thou our King.
Fig Sunday at Kimpton No longer kept HertfordshireAt Kempton in Hertfordshire, as the book spells Kimpton, it had long been the custom for the villagers to eat figs on Palm Sunday, which they called Fig Sunday.
A bundle of box for Palm Sunday No longer kept ShropshireDomesday Book records under Shropshire a tenant who paid for half a carucate of land with a bundle of box twigs on Palm Sunday.
Double flowers from Palm Sunday sowing Lore and belief GloucestershireMr R.
Walking the corn on Palm Sunday No longer kept EnglandAfter taking the sacrament on Palm Sunday, young men and maids went out after dinner and walked about the cornfields to bless the corn.
Saugh palms on Palm Sunday No longer kept Northern EnglandMany country people in the North believed the saugh, or sallow willow, was the true palm strewn before Christ in Jerusalem.
Palm crosses on the cottage wall No longer kept Northern EnglandChildren in the North of England carried bright palm crosses on Palm Sunday, made of coloured materials arranged in one, two or even three crosses.
Willow palms from Kepier No longer kept County DurhamAs a boy in Durham, Henderson walked with his friends to the riverbank near Kepier Hospital to gather willow catkins for Palm Sunday.
Pawne bottles at the wells No longer kept YorkshireYorkshire children kept Palm Sunday with "pawne bottles", bottles holding a little sugar.
The Hentland Palm Sunday bun No longer kept HerefordshireOn Palm Sunday the churchwardens at Hentland gave the minister and congregation a cake or bun, and in earlier days a cup of beer as well, which was eaten in church.
Flowering Sunday in South Wales Still kept South WalesIn South Wales Palm Sunday was called Flowering Sunday, when people gathered in the churchyards and laid fresh flowers on the graves of their friends and family.
Bringing in the with before Easter No longer kept LondonIn the week before Easter great shows were made in London by carrying a twisted tree, called a with, into the king's palace and the houses of the nobility and gentry.
The wooden ass in the Palm Sunday procession No longer kept EnglandIn some English parishes before the Reformation, a wooden ass on wheels carrying a wooden figure of Christ was drawn in the Palm Sunday procession while the crowd threw willow branches in its path.
The Mallwyd yew for Palm Sunday No longer kept MerionethshireChurchyard yews once stood in for palms on Palm Sunday: their boughs were blessed that day and some were burnt to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday.
Palm flowers, cakes and juniper in the City churches No longer kept LondonBefore the Reformation London parishes bought palm, box, flowers and cakes for Palm Sunday, and sometimes juniper to sweeten the church.
Ale for the Passion singers at Reading No longer kept BerkshireAt St Laurence's church in Reading the singers of the Passion on Palm Sunday were rewarded with ale and wine.

Customs

Thursday 25 February

Friday 26 February

Saturday 27 February

Aberystwyth St David’s Day Parade (Parêd Gŵyl Dewi)

St Davids Day Dragon Parade, St Davids

Carmarthen St David’s Day Parade

Monday 1 March

St David’s Day Pilgrimage and Blessing of the City, St Davids

Wrexham St David’s Day Parade

St David’s Day Parade, Cardiff

Lanark Whuppity Scoorie

Tuesday 2 March

Wednesday 3 March

Friday 5 March

Sunday 7 March

Monday 8 March New moon

Thursday 11 March

Friday 12 March

Saturday 13 March

Sunday 14 March

Tuesday 16 March

Wednesday 17 March

St Patrick’s Day Climb of Slemish

Downpatrick St Patrick’s Day Parade

Thursday 18 March

Friday 19 March

Delting Up Helly Aa

Saturday 20 March

Sunday 21 March

Monday 22 March Worm Moon

Image credits

Thursday 25 February

Friday 26 February

Saturday 27 February

Monday 1 March

Tuesday 2 March

Wednesday 3 March

Friday 5 March

Sunday 7 March

Monday 8 March🌑 New moon

Thursday 11 March

Friday 12 March

Saturday 13 March

Sunday 14 March

Tuesday 16 March

Wednesday 17 March

Thursday 18 March

Friday 19 March

Saturday 20 March

Sunday 21 March

Monday 22 March🌕 Worm Moon

Image credits

Monday 8 March New moon

Monday 22 March Worm Moon