No it wasn't typical Bank Holiday, it was mainly sunny and warm we all went to Bourton on the Water, (Q1, did the locals not no the name of the river flowing through the centre of their village/town Q2,what is the official difference beween the two. Surely if Swindon thinks it's a city then BotW must be a hamlet.Q3 when is a stream grown up enough to be called a river?)
It was their annual August Bank Holiday The Water Game (organised football in a river)
This game is played on the day of the local fete. It began with the coronation of Edward VII and is a five-a-side football match with a difference - actually played in the stream of the River Windrush!
he Cotswolds boasts few villages more quintessentially "Cotswold" than Bourton-on-the-Water. The "water" part of its name derives from the town's position astride the Windrush, a bubbling brook three metres wide, which flows down Bourton's main street. It is in this very river that the annual football game takes place, and has done for the last 70 years.The effort of playing in water is tiring so the game is not the normal 90 minutes in length, but despite its brevity (15 minutes each way), hundreds of people come to line the banks and cheer on their respective teams. Sometimes, if the ball comes their way, onlookers get splashed, but on this normally sunny weekend, no-one really minds.
The Village Green was covered with stalls selling local food and games such as duck races and tombolas for the kids to enjoy. The atmosphere is always vibrant and there cannot be a better day to see Bourton-on-the-Water in all its glory.
Elsewhere in Britain there are wierd customs must get to photograph some of these
Looks as if I won't have to go far to find some of the most bizzare customs, thank goodness we live in Wiltshire with the Moonrakers & crop circle makers not Gloucestershire.Avening Feast and Queen Matilda's Pageant
September
Known locally as 'Pig-Face Day' villagers feast in the village hall after attending evensong at the Church of the Holy Cross, Avening.
The feast commemorates Queen Matilda, wife of William the Conquerer, who consecrated the church in 1080.
Birdlip, Coopers Hill - Cheese Rolling
Spring Bank Holiday Monday
Young people assemble at the top of the hill and prepare to chase the 'cheese' down the hill. The 'cheese' is rolled down and whoever reaches the bottom first claims it.
This custom originally ensured the villagers' rights to graze sheep on the hill.
Whats all this about?
Look at the Bands lined up
Ragged Hedge Fair - Saturday 2 September until Sunday 3 September 2006
unknown stage
unknown day
Abstracts - confirmed Billy Woodman - confirmed Flakito - confirmed Horsley Band - confirmed Kangaroo Moon - confirmed Purple Melon - confirmed Ska Sound System - confirmed Souljacker - confirmed Tapan Roy - confirmed The Blues Grinders - confirmed The Cosmic Charlies - confirmed The Egg - confirmed
Bisley - Well Dressing
Ascension Day
First held in 1863.Rev Thomas Keble established the tradition shortly after he had tidied up and formalized the village's main water supply in Wells Road.The act of dressing wells with flowers has pagan origins, with its roots in the worship of the life-giving force of water but it could be that Rev Keble simply wished to mark the restoration of the wells. A similar ceremony takes place in the Derbyshire Peak District.
A short Church Service is followed by a Procession to the Wells where wreaths and posies are laid. The eldest 22 children in the Bluecoat village school carry the wreaths and garlands that head the procession and form the centrepiece of the ceremony. These consist of Stars of David, the letters A.D. and the year, letters spelling out the word 'Ascension' and five hoops.
Chipping Campden Dover's GamesFriday after Spring Bank Holiday Monday
Tradition dating back to Shakespeare's times. Inaugurated by Robert Dover in 1612, the 'Cotswold Olympicks' consist of a mix of old sports. obstacle races, tugs-of-war and also features exhibitions of backsword fighting and shin-kicking. Resurrected in 1951 as part of the nationwide Festival of Britain and held annually from early 1960s, a cannon is traditionally fired to start the games. After the competitions a torchlit procession wends its way to the town square for more entertainment. The games are followed the next day by the Scuttlebrook Way.
Scuttlebrook Wake - Chipping Campden
Saturday after the Spring Bank Holiday Monday
Crowning of the May Queen, Fancy Dress Parade, Maypole dancing, Morris Dancing.
Judging at 2pm at Littleworth.
Parade from Littleworth to the Market Square for prize giving at 3pm.
Marshfield Paper Boys
Boxing Day
The town crier leads a procession of characters dressed in paper costumes through the streets of the town. Beginning at Marshfield Market Place at about eleven o'clock and working their way down to a pitch outside the Elias Crispe almshouses, the 'paper boys' perform the town's unique mumming play.
Held at various venues throughout Newent, the onion fayre promises to be a good day out for all the family.
For more information ring 01594 844841
Centuries old Onion Fayre is thought to be the only British celebration of onions. Events include a raw onion eating contest, a competitive prize onion show, onion-related stalls and competitions. For more information contact Newent Tourist Information Office Tel 01531 822468.
Painswick Ancient Clypping Ceremony
Feast Sunday, on or after September 19
Held at Painswick Parish Church, this ceremony has nothing to do with the trimming of the ninety nine yew trees in the churchyard but instead 'Clypping' means embracing the church and the faith it stands for. Local people join hands round the church to form an unbroken chain and then sing the 'Clypping Hymn' as part of an open air service. This custom dates back to 1321 and formed part of the village fair celebrations. and originally formed a part of the annual village fair.
If you decide to visit the town for the Clypping Ceremony, look out for the rare 17th-century spectacle stocks near the court house and 14th-century houses in Bisley Street, which feature two original Donkey doors, wide enough for panniered donkeys who carried the wool from the numerous mills along the local streams.
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Randwick - Cheese Rolling
The first Sunday in May
Randwick is only one of two villages who still enjoy the ancient custom of cheese rolling. In Randwick the cheeses - usually three double Gloucesters are rolled mystically and anticlockwise around the Church after being blessed. The Church service begins at 10.30am on the first Sunday in May. The rolling of the cheeses supposedly wards off evil spirits. After rolling, one of the cheeses is cut up and shared amongst bystanders. Eating of the cheese protects ones' fertility and ensures future generations of "Runickers" - the local name for villagers.
The other two cheeses are kept until the following Saturday when they are rolled down the steep slopes of the Well Leaze three times as part of the ancient Wap celebration. For further details see Randwick Wap or contact Stan Giles tel 01453 766782.May 2007 tbc (final Mon of every May)
We can all relate to the sensation of feasting on delicious golden strips of ripe Double Gloucester, but lunging at full pelt down a death-trap of a hill whilst endeavouring to catch a whole cartwheel of this dairy delicacy is probably less familiar. Cooper's Hill in Brockworth is the place to catch the cheese-chasing action.
The event has proved so dangerous in recent years that the police have occasionally resorted to banning it. Those there to witness this audacious act - a bunch of fully-grown men chasing a seven pound cheese down a hill - will realise that a police ban does nothing in the way of deterring them.
It is not easy to convince someone how dangerous cheese rolling can be. So here are some hardcore facts. In 1997 the Cooper's Hill event saw some 18 injuries. Even the several thousand strong crowd weren't exempt. According to a CNN report, one man who stood up whilst trying to dodge the cheese was hit on the head and tumbled some 100 feet, ending the day in hospital. Then there were those who were actually involved in the race, including the winner, postman Craig Carter. He suffered a broken arm. Despite the injury Carter seemed to be content. He had broken the other arm when he won three years before.
St John Ambulance operations training manager Jim Jones said that 12 spectators and 13 competitors had been injured during the 2006 event. "It was quite a reasonable year, not too bad at all," he said. "We usually average around 30-40 people who need treatment.
So if you're at all intrigued by the idea of a celebration of cheese, a broken arm or the sight of the British behaving as peculiarly as their mad cows, you know where to go....
Randwick Wap
The Saturday following the first Sunday in May
The Randwick Wap is an ancient procession and festival that dates back to the Middle Ages. The colourful and musical procession of villagers in traditional costume wends its way from the War Memorial to the Mayor's Pool. The procession is lead by the Mop Man who swishes his wet mop to clear the crowds. During the procession, the Mayor and Queen are carried shoulder high and escorted by an entourage of flag boys, ladies in waiting, cheese bearers, Princesses, a sword bearer and a flag man. The Mayor is dunked in the Mayor's Pool before being doused with spring water. The procession continues to the Well Leaze where two double Gloucester Cheeses are rolled down the steep slope. After the procession there are bands playing all afternoon, country dancing, stalls, and entertainments, refreshments and something for everyone. Admission to the Wap is free. It starts at 12.45pm on the Saturday following the first Sunday in May. For details contact Stan Giles tel 01453 766782.
St Briavels - Bread and Cheese Dole
Whit Sunday St Briavels
At St Mary's Parish Church after the evening service crowds wait outside to receive the 'dole' Small pieces of bread and cheese are thrown into the air from large baskets and are caught by parishioners.
In past times each person who claimed the 'dole' had to pay a penny which then entitled him to cut and take wood from Hudnalls or the Free Woods.
The event is said to date from the time of Milo, Earl of Hereford, in the twelfth century but was first recorded in 1799.
Stow on the Wold Horse Fair
The nearest Thursday to May 12th and October 24th
"The gypsy horse fair attracts hundreds of sightseers to Stow twice a year. Gipsies gather from all corners of England for a meet and greet and hundreds of horses are paraded and sold, all in one day. It's quite a site! So how did it all begin and why Stow-on-the-Wold. As you might expect, when dealing with a Cotswold tradition, you have to go back a very long way." (From "The Gypsy Horse Fair at Stow-on-the-Wold" at http://www.cotswolds.info/blogs/gypsy-horse-fair.shtml#horsefair)
Tetbury - Woolsack Day
May Bank Holiday
Every year teams of four compete in pairs to relay a 60lb woolsack (35lb for ladies) up and down Gumstool Hill between The Crown and The Royal Oak pubs in the fastest time. The course is 280 yards long with a 1 in 4 gradient! There is also a competition for individuals who race uphill once. The men's record is just under three and a half minutes, while the women's and youths records are around three minutes fifty seconds and three minutes twenty seconds. The Races form the central attraction of a Charity fund-raising day out which includes an all day street market, charity auction, village fete, street entertainers, marching bands and more entertainment for everyone
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