Customs

Monday 18 October

Folklore from the old calendars

Horn Fair No longer kept KentA three-day fair was held at Charlton on St Luke's Day, where visitors wore horns in their hats and rams' horns, horn toys and even horned gingerbread were sold.
Whip-dog Day at York No longer kept YorkshireDrake wrote in his history of York that St Luke's Day was known in the city as Whip-dog Day, because the schoolboys whipped every dog they found in the streets.
St Luke’s ointment Lore and belief EnglandThe chapbook Mother Bunch's Closet Newly Broke Open held that St Luke's Day was better than St Agnes's for seeing a future husband.
The New Forest keepers’ offerings to St Luke No longer kept Gloucestershire, Hampshire, WiltshireAt St Luke's-tide the keepers and foresters of the New Forest came every year to St Luke's chapel at Stoke Verdon, in the parish of Broad Chalke, to make offerings for luck with their game, deer and cattle.
The ladle in a sling at York Dish Fair No longer kept YorkshireOn St Luke's Day a fair for small wares was held in York, commonly called Dish Fair from the wooden dishes and ladles brought to it.

Wednesday 20 October

Wed 20 Oct All day
Custom, day 1 of 5

Ilkeston Charter Fair

Sets off from Market Place, Ilkeston, Derbyshire
- Fair or wakes
- Harvest and Hiring
Wed 20 Oct 15:00 23:00
Custom

Sloe Fair

Sets off from Northgate car park, Chichester, West Sussex
- Fair or wakes

Thursday 21 October

Thu 21 Oct Ilkeston Charter Fair day 2 of 5 · All day
Thu 21 Oct 18:00 22:00
Custom, day 1 of 3

Yarm Fair

Sets off from High Street, Yarm, North Yorkshire

Friday 22 October

Fri 22 Oct Ilkeston Charter Fair day 3 of 5 · All day
Fri 22 Oct Yarm Fair day 2 of 3 · 18:00–22:00

Saturday 23 October

Sat 23 Oct Ilkeston Charter Fair day 4 of 5 · All day
Sat 23 Oct Yarm Fair day 3 of 3 · 18:00–22:00
Sat 23 Oct from 19:30
Custom

Littlehampton Bonfire

Sets off from The Green by Banjo Road, Littlehampton, West Sussex

Sunday 24 October

Sun 24 Oct Ilkeston Charter Fair day 5 of 5 · All day

Monday 25 October

Wednesday 27 October

Thursday 28 October

Thu 28 Oct 09:00 16:00
Custom

Bampton Charter Fair

Sets off from Newton Square, Bampton, Devon
- Fair or wakes
Thu 28 Oct from 18:00
Custom

Punkie Night

St George’s Hall, Hinton St George, Somerset

Friday 29 October New moon

Saturday 30 October

Sat 30 Oct 19:30 16:00
Custom

Newick Bonfire

Sets off from The Green, Newick, East Sussex

Sunday 31 October

Hallowe'en

Sun 31 Oct from 17:30
Custom

Samhain Fire at Athboy

Sets off from Fair Green, Athboy, County Meath
Sun 31 Oct 18:30 22:30
Custom

Samhuinn Fire Festival

Sets off from Calton Hill, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Sun 31 Oct from 19:00
Custom

Derry Halloween Carnival Parade

Sets off from Guildhall Square, Derry, County Londonderry
- Procession
- Hallowe'en

Monday 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.

Tuesday 2 November

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.
Stot Tuesday at Settle No longer kept YorkshireOn the first Tuesday after 27 October, Settle held a fair for selling stots, or bullocks, known as Stot or Great Tuesday.
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.

Wednesday 3 November

Thursday 4 November

Friday 5 November

Bonfire Night

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 20:00 16:00
Custom

Shebbear Turning the Devil’s Stone

St Michael’s Church, Shebbear, Devon

Saturday 6 November

Sat 6 Nov from 18:00
Custom

Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival

Sets off from High Street, Bridgwater, Somerset
Sat 6 Nov from 18:30
Custom

Edenbridge Bonfire

Sets off from Recreation Ground, Edenbridge, Kent
Sat 6 Nov 19:30 22:00
Custom

Battle Bonfire

Sets off from Abbey Green, Battle, East Sussex

Sunday 7 November

Tuesday 9 November

Thursday 11 November

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.

Monday 18 October

Wednesday 20 October

Thursday 21 October

Friday 22 October

Saturday 23 October

Sunday 24 October

Monday 25 October

Wednesday 27 October

Thursday 28 October

Friday 29 October🌑 New moon

Saturday 30 October

Sunday 31 October

Monday 1 November

Tuesday 2 November

Wednesday 3 November

Thursday 4 November

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

Image credits

Friday 29 October New moon

Sunday 14 November Beaver Moon