10Gurning
The Egremont Crab Fair – one of England’s weirder events – gets its
name from crab apples rather than the marine variety. It started back in
the 13th century when the Lord of the Manor gave away crab apples to
the populace. In fact, to this day, the Parade of the Apple Cart, where
apples are thrown into the crowds on the Main Street, is part of the
fair. There are a host of other non-mechanized, traditional events –
greasy pole climbing, a pipe smoking contests, a talent show, Cumberland
wrestling, a hounds trail. But lets face it, the reason Egremont makes
the news every year is the gurning competition. Home of the Gurning
World Championships.
Gurning, involves a rubber-faced skill that is totally bizarre and
unique to this part of England. Contestants put their heads through
horse collar or braffin while they create the ugliest, most grotesque
faces they can manage. A certain amount of skill is involved but a lot
of beer and a certain amount of toothlessness probably has an impact as
well. Celebrities occasionally have a go and the national news usually
features the winning gurners. If you are in Cumbria visiting the Lake
District, nearby, in September, stop in at the Egremont Crab Fair. You
won’t see anything like this anywhere else and you won’t soon forget it.
9Cheese Rolling at Cooper’s Hill
The Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on
the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper’s Hill near Gloucester in the
Cotswolds region of England It is traditionally by and for the people of
Brockworth – the local village, but now people from all over the world
take part. The event takes its name from the hill on which it occurs.
The 2010 event has been cancelled due to safety concerns over the number
of people visiting the event but it is hoped that it will be held on
the late May Bank Holiday in 2011. Due to the steepness and uneven
surface of the hill there are usually a number of injuries, ranging from
sprained ankles to broken bones and concussion. Cooper’s Hill Cheese
Rolling has been summarized as “twenty young men chase a cheese off a
cliff and tumble 200 yards to the bottom, where they are scraped up by
paramedics and packed off to hospital”.
8Maypole Dancing
Maypole dancing is a form of folk dance from western Europe,
especially England, Sweden, Galicia, Portugal and Germany, with two
distinctive traditions. In the most widespread, dancers perform circle
dances around a tall pole which is decorated with garlands, painted
stripes, flowers, flags and other emblems. In the second most common
form, dancers dance in a circle each holding a colored ribbon attached
to a much smaller pole; the ribbons are intertwined and plaited either
on to the pole itself or into a web around the pole. The dancers may
then retrace their steps exactly in order to unravel the ribbons.
7Pearly King and Queen
Pearly Kings and Queens, known as pearlies, are an organized
charitable tradition of working class culture in London, England. The
practice of wearing clothes decorated with pearl buttons originated in
the 19th century. It is first associated with Henry Croft, an orphan
street sweeper who collected money for charity. In 1911 an organized
pearly society was formed in Finchley, north London.
6Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night (or “bonfire night”), held on 5 November in the
United Kingdom and some parts of the Commonwealth, is a commemoration of
the plot, during which an effigy of Fawkes is burned, often accompanied
by a fireworks display. The word “guy”, meaning “man” or “person”, is
derived from his name. Guy Fawkes (13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606),
also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the
Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of Catholic
Restorationists from England who planned the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
Their aim was to displace Protestant rule by blowing up the Houses of
Parliament while King James I and the entire Protestant, and even most
of the Catholic, aristocracy and nobility were inside. The conspirators
saw this as a necessary reaction to the systematic discrimination
against English Catholics.
The Gunpowder Plot was led by Robert Catesby, but Fawkes was put in
charge of its execution. He was arrested a few hours before the planned
explosion, during a search of the cellars underneath Parliament in the
early hours of 5 November prompted by the receipt of an anonymous
warning letter. Basically it’s a celebration of the failed attempt to
blow up the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.
5Ascot Ladies Day
Ascot Racecourse is a famous English racecourse, located in the small
town of Ascot, Berkshire, used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one
of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK’s
32 annual Group 1 races, the same number as Newmarket. The course is
closely associated with the British Royal Family, being approximately
six miles from Windsor Castle, and owned by the Crown Estate. Ascot
today stages twenty-five days of racing over the course of the year,
comprising sixteen Flat meetings held in the months of May and October.
The Royal Meeting, held in June, remains a major draw, the highlight
being the Ascot Gold Cup. The most prestigious race is the King George
VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes run over the course in July. What makes
this so special is that every year the fashion, specifically the hats
get bigger, bolder and damn right weirder as the photo illustrates.
4Bog Snorkeling
Yes indeed, you read correctly, bog snorkeling. If any of you ever
doubted that us Brits are mad, this should make up your minds for you.
Basically participants dive into a bog, wearing goggles, a pair of
flippers and a snorkel, they then proceed to race each other along a
120ft trench filled with mud. Held every year the participants come from
all over the world and raise lots of money for charity.
3Straw Bear
Straw Bear (Strawboer) Day is an old English tradition held on the
7th of January. It is known in a small area of Fenland on the borders of
Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire, including Ramsey Mereside. This day
is believed to be traditional start of agricultural year in England. A
man or a boy wears a straw costume covering him from his head to toes.
He goes from house to house where he dances. As prize for his dancing
people give him money, food or beer.
2Worm Charming
Worm charming is a way to of attracting earthworms from the ground.
Many do it to collect bait for fishing. But there are also those who do
it as sort of sport. The village of Willaston, near Nantwich, Cheshire
is the place where since 1980 the annual World Championships have been
organized. The competition was actually initiated by local man Tom
Shufflebotham who on the 5th of July, 1980 charmed 511 worms from the
ground in only half an hour. The competition has 18 rules. Here are just
few of them. Each competitor competes in the 3 x 3 meters area. Music
of any kind can be used to charm worms out of the ground. No drugs can
be used! Water is considered to be a drug (stimulant).
1Morris Dancing
A Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by
music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of
choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks,
swords, and handkerchiefs may also be wielded by the dancers. In a small
number of dances for one or two men, steps are performed near and
across a pair of clay tobacco pipes laid across each other on the floor.
موضوع: 10Very Strange British Traditions 
