At The World’s Biggest Sideshow – The Edinburgh Fringe
26 Aug 2010 1 Comment
in Artists, Comedy, music, Old English Traditions, Society & Culture, theatre Tags: abstract, art, attention, edinburgh, expression, fringe, Kevin Eldon, music, performance, reginald d hunter, richard herring, sarah millican, show
There are so many crazy and curious things happening out on the street in Edinburgh during the sweltering month of August. Enough to keep you occupied, to cloud your mind and make you lose track of time. Beware if you have other Fringe shows to go to!
Hunting For Ghosts
01 Aug 2010 2 Comments
in Old English Traditions, Society & Culture, theatre Tags: bump, dark, dead, ghost, ghosts, haunted, hunt, hunting, ouija, scary, seance, spirit, spooks, wolverhampton
Down in the dark, humid cellar of a building that had hosted 300 years worth of occupants, activities and events – a group of intrepid ghost hunters huddled around a spirit board. Guided by the brightness of only one torch, the members called out into the darkness – encouraging lost spirits to communicate with them.
Free Wedding Photography
24 Jul 2010 3 Comments
in Love, Old English Traditions, Society & Culture Tags: bonding, civil partnership, contract, love, rites of passage, sacred oath, wedding
Currently working as a documentary artist, but seeking to use this experience to expand into wedding & civil partnership photography.
Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross
05 Jul 2010 1 Comment
in Old English Traditions, Society & Culture, theatre Tags: banbury, banbury cross, cock, cock horse, fertility, Festival, film, hobby horse, medieval, military, pagan, photos, toys, video
The Hobby Horse Festival in Banbury is a relatively recent creation, having started a decade ago in the year 2000. It is based around the English nursery rhyme: ‘Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross, to see a fine lady upon a white horse; rings on her fingers and bells on her toes and she shall have music wherever she goes.
From Dusk Till Dawn – Summer Solstice at Stonehenge
22 Jun 2010 6 Comments
in music, nature, Old English Traditions, Society & Culture Tags: celebration, Druid, earth, film, hippy, nature, pagan, photos, stonehenge, summer solstice, videos
20,000 people celebrated the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge gathering on 20th June 2010. From dusk till dawn with the sun setting at 21:26 on Sunday and rising at 04:52 on Monday, a vast array of people danced and sang throughout the night.
Hare Pie Scramble & Bottle Kicking
06 Apr 2010 4 Comments
in nature, Old English Traditions, Society & Culture, Sport Tags: beer, bottle kicking, celebration, competition, easter, hallaton, hare pie, hare pie scramble, medbourne, pagan, Peter Daisley, rugby, tradition
On Easter Monday, a Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking event takes place in Hallaton, Leicestershire.
Is The Rough Sport Of Boxing An Art For Dear Gentlemen?
30 Mar 2010 2 Comments
in Old English Traditions, Society & Culture, Sport, theatre Tags: Abul Taher, agression, blood, boxing, bravado, fighting, honour, kick, kid galahad, Mike Skierniewski, Monte Cox, punch, randy randall, strength, Towers, violence
Five months ago I went to see a British Lightweight Title fight at Altrincham Leisure Centre, near Manchester. There were several fights by less well known boxers on before the main fight. Why did I go to see it? I’m not sure really, maybe it had something to do with my preconceptions about boxing being a violent, bloody confusing few minutes in which – after the scantily clad attractive ladies had walked around the ring holding their round cards;
fists would fly and then there would be two hurt men flopping themselves over ropes looking like they may be about to have their first heart attacks.
Jorvik Viking Festival
27 Feb 2010 2 Comments
in Historical Re-enactment, Old English Traditions Tags: agression, battle, EDL, Festival, fighting, Historical Re-enactment, history, Jorvik, Jorvik Viking Festival, screaming, sheilds, shouting, swords, Viking, violence
Ah, the city of York. As described by some some as having architecture so lovely that you’ll be spending most of your time looking up and bumping into people, tangled cobbled streets that are really good for getting lost in and wandering around the fantastic tiny shops (just make sure there is some space on your credit card before you visit), a massive church where you’ll have to pay £5 if you want to see anything more than the entrance hall. Oh, and don’t worry about getting a (non-alcoholic) drink. There are so many cafes about – lets just all hope that they all have toilets…
Quite peaceful.
Then all of a sudden you come aross these chaps walking down the street;
Those Dammed Hippies!
22 Feb 2010 3 Comments
in Old English Traditions, Political Events Tags: astronomy, drugs, earth, egyptians, hippies, mother, nature, party, riots, solar, solstice, stonehenge, sun
I went to Stonehenge last June to celebrate the Summer Solstice. I spent the night under the stars with the happiest and most relaxed bunch of people in the world. It was a fantastic atmosphere. I intend to go along again this year.
I was 7 years old in 1988 and I can’t remember that the sort of thing illustrated in this news report went on at Stonehenge on the Summer Solstice in 1988. I do remember the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 – I’ve always wanted to win a piece of the Berlin Wall from Timmy Mallett (Are you reading this Mr Mallett? Do you have any odd pieces left over, stored in a box in the attic maybe? I could give a good home to a piece!).
But then I came across this video. It surprises me so much that things have become so peaceful and calm in 20 years.
Whittlesey Straw Bear Festival
17 Jan 2010 1 Comment
in Old English Traditions Tags: 2010, farming, fenland, festivities, folk music, morris dancing, Old English Traditions, pig dyke molly, procession, rural, straw bear festival, whittlesea, whittlesey, winter, YouTube
In 2010 the Straw Bear Festival took place on the 15th, 16th and 17th of January.
According to The Straw Bear Organisation , from when no one quite knows, it was the custom on the Tuesday following Plough Monday (the 1st Monday after Twelfth Night) to dress one of the confraternity of the plough in straw and call him a ‘Straw Bear’. This custom was used to collect food for the impoverished indentured farming workers in the area, who had by January, begun to run low in their supplies of food and firewood.
A newspaper of 1882 reports that “… The Straw Bear was then taken around the town to entertain by his frantic and clumsy gestures the good folk who had on the previous day subscribed to the rustics, a spread of beer, tobacco and beef”.
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