12 posts tagged “autumn”

Photograph:Anthony J Hughes

Turning the Devil’s Boulder

Traditions associated with Autumn/ Harvest

5^th November - Shebbear, Devon

After nightfall men carrying crowbars with women lighting their way approach the huge stone close to the village church. As the church bells peal out the villagers set to work to turn the stone over. Apparently the devil lives under the stone, and 'turning the Devil's boulder' is meant to avert bad fortune. 

One legend recalls that the stone was quarried on the other side of the River Torridge at a nearby village, apparently intended as a foundation stone for a church there. But the devil rolled it away to Shebbear - and continued doing this every night as the villagers repeatedly rolled it back during the day.

Interestingly the stone is not of a type found locally and may therefore have been transported there in ancient times for some ritualistic purpose.

Photograph:Anthony J Hughes

Enthroning of Boy Bishops

Traditions associated with Autumn/ Harvest

6^th December

Many British folklore customs are of Celtic origin. The Celts divided their year by four great festivals, starting with Samhain, signifying the arrival of winter and the New Year, which fell on 1st November. Imbolc was next and occurred on 1st February, followed by Beltane on 1st May and Lugnasdh on 1st  August.

Whilst these dates were all fixed within the Celtic year, the exact dates may not correspond precisely with those above, as dates were adjusted when first the Julian calendar was introduced, and later when England changed to the Gregorian calendar in 1751.The custom of choosing a Boy Bishop from the members of a cathedral choir is thought to date from the 13th century. Following his election he is fitted out in full Bishop’s regalia including robes, mitre and crozier. During the ceremony the chosen chorister and his attendants enter the church, or cathedral, and the new Boy Bishop takes his place on the Bishop's throne and receives a blessing. He then holds this post from the Feast of St Nicholas on 6th December until Holy Innocents Day on the 28th December. During this period he enjoys many of the powers and privileges of the real thing. The concept of grand people humbling themselves at least once a year is a well documented phenomenon within the Christian faith. The enthroning of the Boy Bishop was abolished by Elizabeth I and has only been revived in recent years.

It is still celebrated in: Berden, Hertfordshire; Boston, Lincolnshire; Bristol; Hereford Cathedral; Par, Cornwall; Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire.

Photograph:Anthony J Hughes

Winter Berries

Traditions associated with Autumn/ Harvest

Autumn has always been known in folklore as a magical time. The rowan tree’s vibrant display of berries in autumn contributed to a belief in protective abilities against spirits as suggested in the old rhyme: "Rowan tree and red thread / make the witches tine (meaning 'to lose') their speed". Pieces of the tree were carried for personal protection from witchcraft and sprigs or pieces of rowan were used to protect cows and dairy produce from enchantment. When showing autumn colour, the power of rowan trees was though to be greatly enhanced.

Legend says that by October the Devil has spat on blackberries, making them inedible. However, with bramble still flowering and new berries still coming there may be opportunities to enjoy the blackberries that the Devil missed! 

Photograph:Anthony J Hughes

Mop Fair

Traditions associated with Autumn/ Harvest

Mop Fairs (also "The Mop" singular and "Mops" plural) are a feature of many English towns and are traditionally held on or around "Old Michaelmas Day". They originated as a "hiring" fair and their history dates back some 600 to 700 years.

History

Farm workers, labourers, servants and some craftsmen would work for their employer from October to October. At the end of the employment they would attend the Mop Fair dressed in their Sunday best clothes and carrying an item signifying their trade. A servant with no particular skills would carry a mop head – hence the phrase Mop Fair.

Employers would move amongst them discussing experience and terms, once agreement was reached the employer would give the employee a small token of money and the employee would remove the item signifying their trade and wear bright ribbons to indicate they had been hired. They would then spend the token amongst the stalls set-up at the fair which would be selling food and drink and offering games to play.

Michaelmas Day is celebrated on the 29th September but Mop Fairs were tied to the seasons and the harvest, not the calendar. When the Gregorian calendar was adopted in 1752 and 11 days dropped from that year events associated with the end of the harvest moved 11 days later to the 10th October. This date is known as "Old Michaelmas Day" and since 1752 has been the date Mop Fairs take place.

Modern Mops

Tewkesbury Mop Fair, as with others, takes over the entire town centre

Mops are still held in some English towns, though many have died out. To confuse matters some fairs have adopted the term Mop even though they are not held on or near to Michaelmas Day or they are a recent creation.

Mops usually last for 2 days and take over the centre of the town, they attract thousands of visitors. In recent times the Mops have become little more than a funfair with the traditional reason for the fair playing no part. Many of the rides at the Mop are fast, brightly lit and very noisy but traditional rides such as carousels and helter-skelters will still be found though their days may be numbered as visitors more and more ignore them for their more modern competitors.

Mop towns

The following towns have a history of holding Mops and still hold one each year on or around Michaelmas Day. A theme common to these towns is that they were, several hundred years ago, medium sized thriving market towns surrounded by a large number of smaller villages, hence their obvious choice as the location for the Mop.

Photograph:Anthony J Hughes

Crying The Neck

Traditions associated with Autumn/ Harvest

Crying The Neck is a harvest festival tradition practised in the West Country of England, in particular Cornwall and Devon. Although mostly discontinued the tradition is still practised by members of the Old Cornwall Society every year.

In The Story of Cornwall, by Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin, the following explanation is given on the practice:

"In those days the whole of the reaping had to be done either with the hook or scythe. The harvest, in consequence, often lasted for many weeks. When the time came to cut the last handful of standing corn, one of the reapers would lift up the bunch high above his head and call out in a loud voice.....,

"We have it! We have it! We have it!"

The rest would then shout,

"What 'ave 'ee? What 'ave 'ee? What 'ave 'ee?"

and the reply would be:

"A neck! A neck! A neck!"

Everyone then joined in shouting:

"Hurrah! Hurrah for the neck! Hurrah for Mr. So-and-So"

(calling the farmer by name.)"