Animal Customs

Beasts in custom and belief: hunting the wren, telling the bees, blessing the animals and the creatures of the old calendar.

Customs

The year from Sunday 7 February

Saturday 20 February Snow Moon

Monday 8 March New moon

Monday 22 March Worm Moon

Tuesday 6 April New moon

Tuesday 20 April Pink Moon

Saturday 24 April

Sat 24 Apr from 12:00
Custom

Barley Saturday, Cardigan

Cardigan Guildhall, Cardigan, Ceredigion

Saturday 1 May

Sat 1 May from 10:00
Custom

Padstow May Day

Golden Lion Hotel, Padstow, Cornwall

Thursday 6 May New moon

Tuesday 18 May

Tue 18 May from 10:00
Custom

Ballyclare May Fair

Sets off from Main Street, Ballyclare, County Antrim
- Fair or wakes
- Animal Customs

Thursday 20 May Flower Moon

Friday 4 June New moon

Saturday 19 June Strawberry Moon

Sunday 4 July New moon

Sunday 18 July Buck Moon

Monday 2 August New moon

Tuesday 17 August Sturgeon Moon

Saturday 28 August

Sat 28 Aug All day
Custom, day 1 of 4

Ould Lammas Fair

Sets off from The Diamond, Ballycastle, County Antrim

Sunday 29 August

Sun 29 Aug Ould Lammas Fair day 2 of 4 · All day

Monday 30 August

Mon 30 Aug Ould Lammas Fair day 3 of 4 · All day

Tuesday 31 August New moon

Tue 31 Aug Ould Lammas Fair day 4 of 4 · All day

Monday 6 September

Mon 6 Sep 08:00 16:00
Custom

Abbots Bromley Horn Dance

St Nicholas Church, Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire

Wednesday 15 September Harvest Moon

Saturday 25 September

Sat 25 Sep from 10:00
Custom, day 1 of 2

Masham Sheep Fair

Sets off from Market Place, Masham, North Yorkshire
- Fair or wakes
- Animal Customs

Sunday 26 September

Sun 26 Sep Masham Sheep Fair day 2 of 2 · From 10:00

Thursday 30 September New moon

Friday 1 October

Fri 1 Oct All day
Custom, day 1 of 10

Nottingham Goose Fair

Sets off from Forest Recreation Ground, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
- Fair or wakes
- Animal Customs

Saturday 2 October

Sat 2 Oct Nottingham Goose Fair day 2 of 10 · All day

Sunday 3 October

Sun 3 Oct All day
Custom, day 1 of 8

Ballinasloe October Fair

Sets off from Fair Green, Ballinasloe, County Galway
- Fair or wakes
- Animal Customs
Sun 3 Oct Nottingham Goose Fair day 3 of 10 · All day

Monday 4 October

Mon 4 Oct Ballinasloe October Fair day 2 of 8 · All day
Mon 4 Oct Nottingham Goose Fair day 4 of 10 · All day

Tuesday 5 October

Tue 5 Oct Ballinasloe October Fair day 3 of 8 · All day
Tue 5 Oct Nottingham Goose Fair day 5 of 10 · All day

Wednesday 6 October

Wed 6 Oct Ballinasloe October Fair day 4 of 8 · All day
Wed 6 Oct Nottingham Goose Fair day 6 of 10 · All day

Thursday 7 October

Thu 7 Oct Ballinasloe October Fair day 5 of 8 · All day
Thu 7 Oct Nottingham Goose Fair day 7 of 10 · All day

Friday 8 October

Fri 8 Oct Ballinasloe October Fair day 6 of 8 · All day
Fri 8 Oct Nottingham Goose Fair day 8 of 10 · All day

Saturday 9 October

Sat 9 Oct Ballinasloe October Fair day 7 of 8 · All day
Sat 9 Oct Nottingham Goose Fair day 9 of 10 · All day

Sunday 10 October

Sun 10 Oct Ballinasloe October Fair day 8 of 8 · All day
Sun 10 Oct Nottingham Goose Fair day 10 of 10 · All day

Wednesday 13 October

Wed 13 Oct 09:00 21:00
Custom

Tavistock Goosey Fair

Sets off from Bedford Square, Tavistock, Devon

Friday 15 October Hunter’s Moon

Thursday 21 October

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 Yarm Fair day 2 of 3 · 18:00–22:00

Saturday 23 October

Sat 23 Oct Yarm Fair day 3 of 3 · 18:00–22:00

Friday 29 October New moon

Sunday 14 November Beaver Moon

Sunday 28 November New moon

Monday 13 December Cold Moon

Monday 27 December New moon

Wednesday 12 January Wolf Moon

Wednesday 26 January New moon

From the old calendars

1 to 25 of 176 entries

22 November, not tied to the day

23 November, not tied to the day

30 November

1 December, not tied to the day

6 December

17 December

21 December

23 December, not tied to the day

24 December

Folklore from the old calendars

A cake on the horns of the finest ox No longer kept WalesOn Christmas Eve in many parts of Wales the master of the house made a bowl of hot spiced beer and the mistress brought a cake, both decked with holly and ivy, and the household carried them in procession to the stall of their finest ox.
Bees singing on Christmas Eve Lore and belief EnglandAlongside the belief that the cattle knelt in their stalls at midnight on Christmas Eve, it was said that the bees sang in their hives at the same hour.
Hunting the wren in Man No longer kept Isle of ManWaldron wrote that on the evening of 24 December all the Manx servants had a holiday.
Never name the wolf at Christmas Lore and belief WalesWelsh farmers believed that if anyone spoke the name of a wolf between Christmas Eve and Twelfth Night, misfortune would soon visit their homesteads.
The cock crows all night Lore and belief EnglandIt was held that on the night before Christmas the powers of darkness were helpless and no evil could touch mankind.
The kneeling oxen Lore and belief Cornwall, DevonIn west Devon and Cornwall it was believed that at midnight on Christmas Eve the oxen in their stalls knelt as if in prayer, and after the change of calendar they were said to do it only on Old Christmas Eve.
The ox cake at Tretire No longer kept HerefordshireOn Christmas Eve at Tretire the farm men made a cake, pushed a stick through it and fixed it on the horn of an ox, saying words that begged a good crop of corn for the master.
The Whitbeck ox kneels at midnight Lore and belief CumberlandIn Whitbeck it was said that the labouring ox knelt at midnight on the night before Christmas Day.

25 December