Calendar of unusual Customs and Traditions in England, Scotland and Wales APRIL/EASTER

April A long time ago the year was marked out with special days which marked the passing year. These were days of celebrations where people would do things, eat things or make things which they would not normally do. Folk, Fact and Sayings about April Walpurgis Night, Beltane Eve Celtic Fire Festival celebrating the coming of summer. Easter (See also our Easter Pages ) Palm Sunday Pax Cakes In 1570, to encourage good neighbourliness among parisherners, Lady Scudamore arrange for five shillingsworth of cake and ninepenn'orth of ale to be provided every Palm Sunday in four Herefordshire churches. Nowadays small biscuits stamped with the image of the Pascal Lamb and the words ' God and Good Neighbourhood' are distibuted at the church doors after the service. Good Friday (See also our Good Friday page) Hot-Cross Buns Service St Bartholomew-the-Great, Smithfield. Starts 11.30 In a ceremony that dates back hundreds of years, 21 widows are given money and hot-cross buns after the church service Hot cross buns Easter Bun Ceremony A London pub in Bromley-by-Bow, holds an annual Easter Bun ceremony on Good Friday. Each year a sailor adds a hot cross bun to the many that hang already in commemoration of a poor widow who baked a bun for her only son that never returned from sea. Midgely Pace Egg Play - Calder Valley, West Yorkshire Easter Saturday (Visit our Holy Saturday Page) Nutters Dance - Bacup, Lancashire The Bacup Nutters Dance traditionally takes place on Easter Saturday in the small Pennine town of Bacup. Each year a team of folk-dancers with blackened faces dance through the town from boundary to boundary. Visit our Easter Saturday page for more information Easter Sunday (See also our Easter Sunday Page) Egg Jarping and Egg Rolling - See our Easter Day page Easter Monday (See also our Easter Monday Page) London Harness Horse Parade- Easter Monday South of England showground, Ardingly, West Sussex. The first parade occurred in 1885 to encourage drivers to take a humane view of their horses. Today a huge variety of vehicles can be seen in action from rarely used horse drawn fire engines to the Harrods delivery ‘unicorn’ which is used every day. Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking At Hallaton in Leicestershire, the Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking, an unruly rugby game between the village of Hallaton and Medbourne, takes place every Easter Monday. Click here to find out more on our Easter Monday page World Coal Carrying Championship - Nr. Wakefield in Yorkshire On Easter Monday, The World Coal Carrying Championship takes place in the village of Gawthorpe, in Yorkshire. Contestants run for one mile, carrying a 50kg bag of coal. History behind the custom The contest dates from an incident at the Beehive Inn in 1963, when Lewis Hartley said to Reggie Sedgewick: "Ba gum, lad, tha' looks buggered!" to which an affronted Mr Sedgewick riposted: "Let's 'ave a coil race from Barracks t' Maypole." And they did. Easter Tuesday Tuppenny Starvers Thanks to a bequest made in 1739, children attending morning service at St Michael's Church, Bristol, on Easter Tuesday are given enormous spicey buns to eat. At the time of the bequest, tuppenny buns, intended for the choir boys, were a special treat compared with the more usual penny ones. Second Tuesday after Easter (Hock Day) This day used to be held as a festival in England and observed until the 16th century. According to custom, on Hock Monday, the women of the village seized and bound men, demanding a small payment for their release. On the Tuesday of Hocktide the men similarly waylaid the women. The takings were paid to the churchwarden for parish work. Hocktide Festival - Hungerford, Berkshire Hocktide covers the Monday and Tuesday after Low Sunday which is the Sundy after Easter. It was once a time for sports and games, and for the collection for the church and parish. Hocktide Tutti-men The second Tuesday after Easter Hungerford is now the only place in the country still to maintain the annual Hocktide festival. The festival dates from the 14th century when Prince John of Gaunt gave the rights of free grazing and fishing to local 'commoners'. It has celebrated the granting of commoners’ rights for over 600 years. Hungerford has no Mayor; the senior citizen of the town is the Constable, and he s elected on the second Tuesday after Easter at a special Hocktide Court, as are also the Portreeve, Bailiff and the Court of Feoffes. The day begins with the Town Crier blowing his horn, calling together the Hocktide Court in the town hall. The court elects the Constable and other officers, and two "Tutti-Men". Each "Tutti-Man" carries a tall pole with a bunch of spring flowers (a tutti) tied to it with rbbons. There is an orange on the top. While the court continues, the "Tutti-Men" with their florally decorated poles are led through the streets by the "Orange-Man" to collect kisses from all the ladies resident in the High Street. The ladies receive an orange in return.

Dove of Peace For KIDS

Doves are a universal symbol of peace and make for a great reminder of peace and unity during Black History Month. Your child can craft a paper dove of peace, or an even an entire flock of them to hang around your home this February. This arts and crafts activity is a wonderful way to celebrate the spirit of Dr. King's fight for equality and the sacrifices made by countless many while striving for peaceful relations.

What You Need:

• White and black paper
• Craft sticks
• White fuzzy craft ball
• Googly eyes
• Glue
• Compass (optional)

What You Do:

1. On white paper, have your child draw a large circle. The circle should have a diameter the size of the craft stick or slightly larger. If necessary, you can use a compass to help draw the circle. Cut out the circle.
2. Glue the craft stick on the circle so that it divides the circle in half equally. Set it aside to dry.
3. Once the circle has dried, have your child fold the halves of the circle together (imagine that the circle is a hot dog bun and the craft stick is the hot dog). This is the body of the dove.
4. Glue the tops of the halves together so that the craft stick rests on the inside of the folded circle, the stick will be the dove's back.
5. On a separate piece of white paper, trace your child’s hands on the white paper and cut them out. These are the wings of your dove. You should have two hands cut out for the two wings of the dove.
6. Turn the half circle so that the round part is facing down and the flat part is on top, creating the dove's back. Glue the wings to the body of the dove near the center on top of the flat part where the craft stick is located. Make sure you only glue near the wrist part of the hand so that the rest of the wing is free to move.
7. Glue the fuzzy craft ball to one end of the craft stick for the head and glue a triangle of white paper to the other end of the craft stick for a tail. The triangle should be about 3/4 the length of a craft stick. Set aside your dove to dry.
8. Glue googly eyes to the dove's head.
9. Cut a small triangle from the black paper for a beak and glue it beneath the eyes. Let dry.
10. On the ends of the wings and tail, help your child use scissors to cut small slits and fray the paper to give it a more feather-like feel.

You can attach a piece of string to your dove and can hang it above a commonly used doorway or on a doorknob where it will be a quiet reminder of the significance of the month and of the important events that have impacted the lives of African Americans throughout history.