Food and Drink

Customs with their own fare: pancakes, simnel cake, soul cakes, frumenty and the wassail bowl.

Customs

The year from Sunday 15 November

Tuesday 24 November Beaver Moon

Wednesday 9 December New moon

Wednesday 23 December

Wed 23 Dec All day
Custom

Tom Bawcock’s Eve

The Ship Inn, Mousehole, Cornwall

Thursday 24 December Cold Moon

Sunday 3 January

Sun 3 Jan from 12:00
Custom

Bankside Twelfth Night

Shakespeare’s Globe, London, Greater London

Thursday 7 January New moon

Saturday 9 January

Sat 9 Jan 17:30 21:00
Custom

Much Marcle Wassail at Westons

Westons Cider Visitor Centre, Much Marcle, Herefordshire

Saturday 16 January

Sat 16 Jan from 18:30
Custom

Carhampton Wassail

Butchers Arms, Carhampton, Somerset

Friday 22 January Wolf Moon

Saturday 6 February New moon

Saturday 20 February Snow Moon

Monday 8 March New moon

Monday 22 March Worm Moon

Monday 29 March

Mon 29 Mar from 13:45
Custom

Hallaton Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking

St Michael and All Angels Church, Hallaton, Leicestershire

Tuesday 6 April New moon

Tuesday 20 April Pink Moon

Thursday 6 May New moon

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

Wednesday 15 September Harvest Moon

Thursday 30 September New moon

Friday 15 October Hunter’s Moon

Friday 29 October New moon

Sunday 14 November Beaver Moon

From the old calendars

1 to 25 of 301 entries

11 November

Folklore from the old calendars

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.
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.

the first Sunday on or after 20 November

23 November

25 November

30 November

6 December

the first Thursday on or after 11 December

the first Sunday on or after 18 December

21 December

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.
Christmas beer for the Cornish carol singers Still kept CornwallIn the west of Cornwall carol singers went from house to house at Christmas wherever they were encouraged, and in some parishes met in church on Christmas Eve to sing in the morning.
Frumenty on Christmas Eve No longer kept YorkshireMr Beckwith told the Gentleman's Magazine in 1784 that in the country about Rotherham frumenty had always been the breakfast and supper on Christmas Eve within his memory.
Ivy and holly to deck the house Still kept EnglandAt Christmas the farmer's wife decked the house with ivy and holly and boiled and soused the brawn.
Keeping back the yule-cake Lore and belief LincolnshireOn Christmas Eve in Lincolnshire the yule-clog blazed and the yule-candle burned while the family ate slices of yule-cake toasted and soaked in spiced ale.
Lamb’s-wool on Christmas Eve No longer kept EnglandOn Christmas Eve apples were roasted on a string until they dropped into a large bowl of spiced ale, and the mixture was drunk as lamb's-wool.
Old folks’ night in Cumberland No longer kept CumberlandA Cumberland correspondent told Hone that with Christmas Eve began a round of feasts and merrymakings that kept farmhouse fires and candles burning until the small hours night after night.
Pepper-cake and the Christmas cheese No longer kept YorkshireIn Cleveland the master of the house cut the Christmas cheese on Christmas Eve, and it sat on a platter beneath a thick gingerbread called pepper-cake.

Customs

Tuesday 24 November🌕 Beaver Moon

Wednesday 9 December🌑 New moon

Wednesday 23 December

Tom Bawcock’s Eve

Thursday 24 December🌕 Cold Moon

Sunday 3 January

Bankside Twelfth Night

Thursday 7 January🌑 New moon

Saturday 9 January

Much Marcle Wassail at Westons

Saturday 16 January

Carhampton Wassail

Friday 22 January🌕 Wolf Moon

Saturday 6 February🌑 New moon

Saturday 20 February🌕 Snow Moon

Monday 8 March🌑 New moon

Monday 22 March🌕 Worm Moon

Monday 29 March

Hallaton Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking

Tuesday 6 April🌑 New moon

Tuesday 20 April🌕 Pink Moon

Thursday 6 May🌑 New moon

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