Marking the traditional beginning of the agricultural year, Plough Monday, observed on the first Monday after Epiphany, offers a vivid insight into England’s rural past. With roots stretching back to…
Read More
Twelfth Night, the traditional end of the Twelve Days of Christmas, is a captivating and often overlooked celebration rooted in medieval English customs. With a legacy woven through centuries of…
Advent calendars. They are everywhere at this time of year. From the classic chocolate ones in their various flavours and colours, to the more modern and inventive ones of tea,…
This year marks a very special milestone for us here at the Weald & Downland Living Museum: our 55th anniversary. For over half a century, we’ve opened our gates to…
When we think of Britain’s interwar years, we often picture the roaring twenties or the austerity of the thirties, but amid these decades of change, one of the most quietly…
When most people think of Halloween today, they imagine carved pumpkins, spooky costumes, and trick-or-treating. Yet beneath these modern trappings lies a much older tradition – a distinctly British story…
Michaelmas, the feast of St. Michael and All Angels, was one of the most important festivals in the medieval English calendar. Falling on the 29th of September, it marked both…
How do you herald in the summer? What traditions mark the changing of the seasons? For thousands of years, the beginning of summer was marked by the Summer Solstice. …
At the heart of English tradition lies wassailing, an ancient and joyful custom that marks the New Year with blessings, music, and communal cheer. Rooted in folklore and evolving through…
What are your plans for New Year’s? Watching the fireworks? Counting down the year with a glass of champagne in hand? New Year’s celebrations have changed dramatically over the centuries,…
How do you celebrate Christmas? Most, if not all, families will have their Christmas traditions; the food they eat, the family members they see, the church services they attend, the…
In the Ritual Year, the year is divided into the four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn. This roughly maps onto the monthly divisions too. Winter is December, January, February; Spring…
