Saturday, March 22, 2008

The odd things we do at Easter

'
This week the prompt on Sunday Scribblings is 'I just don't get it'. There are many strange traditions associated with the Easter holiday in England. These are just a few with an explanation of their origins in order to help you to help you 'get it'!
.


On Good Friday sailors used to take a hot cross bun to sea as it was thought this would prevent sea sickness throughout the next year. In the early nineteenth century, a sailors mother baked her son a bun, but he was drowned the previous day, so she took it to a pub in Bromley by Bow in the east end of London where it remained. And on each Good Friday since, a new bun has been added to the collection, most of which hang from the ceiling.
,

On Easter Saturday the annual Nutter Dance takes place in Lancashire. The 'Nut Dance' is performed by dancers who black their faces to resemble coal miners. Each dancer wears wooden discs or 'nuts' on his hands, knees and belt. During the dance the discs which are made of maple wood are struck together in time to the music. The name Coconuts was given to the discs, probably, since they resembled the coconut shell knee protectors used by miners crawling along narrow seams in the mines.

Their usual accompaniment is the English concertina but for Easter Saturday a silver band is used. The music like the dance steps has been handed down over the years. Every year no matter what the weather they gather at the Travellers Rest Pub on the Rochdale to Bacup road and dance their way through the streets calling at every hostelry on route.

A tradition that has endured is to make Paste Eggs which are named after Pesach or Passover. Eggs are wrapped in onion skin then hard boiled resulting in a colourful pattern appearing on the skin said to signify rebirth or spring.

These eggs are used in villages all over the country in Egg Rolling competition on Easter Sunday when they are rolled down hill. The winner is the contestant whose egg survived the most descents undamaged.

Egg Jarping is still popular. This is a game similar to conkers where your egg is taped against your rival’s egg. The one whose egg cracks drops out and the victor continues until, all the other eggs are broken.

Although having no religious significance, the Monday after Easter is a holiday in England when the first big outdoor events of the year start. One of the most famous is the Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking which takes place between the villages of Hallaton and Medbourne.


The day starts with the blessing of a hare pie which is then broken up and thrown to the crowd. Then three barrels of ale are given to the two teams and the object is to run with them until all three are in one or other of the villages.
.

Up to 2000 people take part in this unruly game which is said to be the inspiration behind the sport of Rugby, after its founder witnessed the spectacle before returning to Rugby School after the Easter holiday.

On the Tuesday after Easter the Hocktide Festival takes place in Hungerford. It dates back to the 14th century when the commoners were granted the right of free grazing and fishing. The town crier blows his horn and calls together the Hocktide Court in the town hall. There, all 'commoners' pay a ‘fine’ to ensure that their rights continue. While the court sits, Tutti-Fruiti men with florally decorated poles are led through the streets by the Orange-Man to collect kisses from all the ladies resident in the High Street. They receive an orange in return.

They are just some of the weird and wonderful things that go on at Eastertide in England. Long may they continue.
.
.

16 comments:

  1. wow... our little neighborhood easter egg hunts stand pale in comparison to all this!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What an utterly fascinating post!

    We humans are certainly a weird but fun bunch!

    Gemma

    ReplyDelete
  3. You crack me up. I love to hear the traditions that you have and the way you describe it all so very interesting. I love the way you call them Tutti Frutti men lol. Nice article.

    ReplyDelete
  4. How fascinating. I love the story behind the origin of rugby - who would have guessed...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very interesting! I love to hear the "going-ons" outside my little bubble of a world.

    Thanks for visiting my site earlier and leaving me a chuckle. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Keith,
    Folks the world round will always find a reason to celebrate.
    rel

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is amazing...going to church, having ham dinner and deviled eggs seems pretty tame. Happy Easter!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I had no idea you guys were having so much fun on Easter over there. Fun!

    HAPPY EASTER!

    ReplyDelete
  9. ` I must relocate to the UK. o_O

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow! You have far more fun than this spot. Thanks for the informative and fun post! I learned a lot!

    ReplyDelete
  11. It's so nice to read about the customs of other places - thanks Keith! I'm going to share some of this with my kids - they'll be facinated! :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. he, he, I wasn't aware of half of these going-ons. interesting to know the rational origins behind our seemingly eccentric traditions.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you for writing this post. These are such interesting traditions. As other folks said, ours are positively pedestrian in comparison. I'm trying the paste eggs. That's a gorgeous color.

    I would send you some of the bunny cake, but the little pigs that live in my house devoured it. (Actually it looked better than it tasted - basically just a mix with homemade buttercream frosting.)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Interesting. I have noticed that all traditions have some "non-logical, unanswerable" customs. I am sure they might have a good reason when they were originated but with time, they have lost the meanings but not the fun.

    ReplyDelete
  15. ` If people were to do that in America, they'd be brutally beaten!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Keith, long live these traditions...have seen the Past Eggs, but the inspiration behind the Rugby is very interesting...thanks for sharing. Very informative.

    ReplyDelete