Plant and Tree Lore

Trees, flowers and greenery: bringing in the may, oak apples, rushbearing, holly and ivy.

Customs

The year ahead

Today New moon

Tuesday 24 November Beaver Moon

Wednesday 9 December New moon

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 12:30 18:00
Custom

Chepstow Wassail and Mari Lwyd

Chepstow Museum, Chepstow, Monmouthshire

Maintained
Sat 16 Jan from 18:30
Custom

Carhampton Wassail

Butchers Arms, Carhampton, Somerset

Monday 18 January

Mon 18 Jan from 18:30
Custom

Whimple Wassail

Whimple Heritage Centre, Whimple, Devon

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

Tuesday 6 April New moon

Tuesday 20 April Pink Moon

Monday 3 May

Mon 3 May 12:00 15:00
Custom

Laa Boaldyn at Cregneash

Cregneash Folk Village, Cregneash, Isle of Man

Thursday 6 May New moon

Thu 6 May from 11:00
Custom, day 1 of 7

Tissington Well Dressing

St Mary’s Church, Tissington, Derbyshire

Friday 7 May

Fri 7 May Tissington Well Dressing day 2 of 7 · From 11:00

Saturday 8 May

Sat 8 May from 07:00
Custom

Helston Flora Day

Guildhall, Helston, Cornwall
Sat 8 May Tissington Well Dressing day 3 of 7 · From 11:00

Sunday 9 May

Sun 9 May Tissington Well Dressing day 4 of 7 · From 11:00

Monday 10 May

Mon 10 May Tissington Well Dressing day 5 of 7 · From 11:00

Tuesday 11 May

Tue 11 May Tissington Well Dressing day 6 of 7 · From 11:00

Wednesday 12 May

Wed 12 May Tissington Well Dressing day 7 of 7 · From 11:00

Thursday 20 May Flower Moon

Saturday 29 May

Sat 29 May from 18:30
Custom

Castleton Garland Day

Sets off from Market Place, Castleton, Derbyshire

Friday 4 June New moon

Saturday 19 June Strawberry Moon

Sunday 4 July New moon

Saturday 10 July

Sat 10 Jul from 15:00
Custom

Grasmere Rushbearing

St Oswald’s Church, Grasmere, Cumbria

Sunday 18 July Buck Moon

Monday 2 August New moon

Friday 13 August

Fri 13 Aug 09:00 18:00
Custom

The Burryman

Staghead Hotel, South Queensferry, City of Edinburgh

Tuesday 17 August Sturgeon Moon

Tuesday 31 August New moon

Saturday 4 September

Sat 4 Sep 10:00 18:00
Custom, day 1 of 2

Sowerby Bridge Rushbearing

St John the Evangelist Church, Warley, West Yorkshire

Sunday 5 September

Sun 5 Sep Sowerby Bridge Rushbearing day 2 of 2 · 10:00–18:00

Wednesday 15 September Harvest Moon

Thursday 30 September New moon

Friday 15 October Hunter’s Moon

Friday 29 October New moon

From the old calendars

51 to 75 of 223 entries

2 February

4 February

14 February

Shrove Tuesday

22 February

1 March

Folklore from the old calendars

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.
Oats and barley in the clay Lore and belief EnglandRay's collection of English proverbs gives a farming rule for St David's Day: it was the time to put oats and barley into the ground.
Round the leek-bed on St David’s Eve Lore and belief WalesA Welsh love charm said that anyone who walked three times round the leek-bed in silence at midnight on St David's Eve would see their future husband or wife.
The daffodil for St David Lore and belief EnglandThe early daffodil was reckoned the flower of St David's Day, coming into bloom about 1 March and soon filling the fields with its hanging yellow cups.
The leek and the field of Poictiers No longer kept South WalesPeter Roberts believed the leek worn on St David's Day recalled the Welsh archers at Poictiers and Cressy, as Fluellen tells it in Henry V, rather than any Druid rite.
The serjeant-porter’s leek No longer kept LondonThe Flying Post of 1699 reported that on St David's Day the king, according to custom, wore a leek in honour of the ancient Britons.
Wearing the leek Still kept WalesOn St David's Day the Welsh wear a leek, and Chambers collected several reasons given for it.

17 March

25 March

8 days before Easter

Palm Sunday

Folklore from the old calendars

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.
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.
Double flowers from Palm Sunday sowing Lore and belief GloucestershireMr R.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Customs

Today🌑 New moon

Tuesday 24 November🌕 Beaver Moon

Wednesday 9 December🌑 New moon

Thursday 24 December🌕 Cold Moon

Sunday 3 January

Thursday 7 January🌑 New moon

Saturday 9 January

Saturday 16 January

Monday 18 January

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

Tuesday 6 April🌑 New moon

Tuesday 20 April🌕 Pink Moon

Monday 3 May

Thursday 6 May🌑 New moon

Friday 7 May

Saturday 8 May

Sunday 9 May

Monday 10 May

Tuesday 11 May

Wednesday 12 May

Thursday 20 May🌕 Flower Moon

Saturday 29 May

Friday 4 June🌑 New moon

Saturday 19 June🌕 Strawberry Moon

Sunday 4 July🌑 New moon

Saturday 10 July

Sunday 18 July🌕 Buck Moon

Monday 2 August🌑 New moon

Friday 13 August

Tuesday 17 August🌕 Sturgeon Moon

Tuesday 31 August🌑 New moon

Saturday 4 September

Sunday 5 September

Wednesday 15 September🌕 Harvest Moon

Thursday 30 September🌑 New moon

Friday 15 October🌕 Hunter’s Moon

Friday 29 October🌑 New moon

From the old calendars

2 February

4 February

14 February

Shrove Tuesday

22 February

1 March

17 March

25 March

8 days before Easter

Palm Sunday

Image credits

Today New moon

Tuesday 24 November Beaver Moon

Wednesday 9 December New moon

Thursday 24 December Cold Moon

Thursday 7 January New moon

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

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

Tuesday 31 August New moon

Wednesday 15 September Harvest Moon

Thursday 30 September New moon

Friday 15 October Hunter’s Moon

Friday 29 October New moon