Suggest to me a hobby, interest, pastime or activity

Here's one for each month of the year. All of these customs and traditions are held in Britain each year, but maybe the Irish might want to take up one or two of them:

JANUARY

Haxey Hood Game, Haxey, Lincolnshire. In the 13th century a gust of wind whipped off the hood of the Lady de Mowbray. Farm workers chased and retrieved the hood, so delighting her that she ordered the pursuit of the hood be repeated, and it is still repeated to this day.

FEBRUARY

Hurling the Silver Ball, St Ives, Cornwall (First Monday after Candlemas (2nd) )

The game starts at 10.30am. The silver ball is thrown from the wall of the parish church by the mayor into the waiting crowd, then passed from one to another on the beaches and through the streets of the town. The person holding the silver ball at 12.00pm takes it to the mayor at the Guildhall and receives the traditional reward of five shillings.

MARCH

Oranges and Lemons Children's Service, London

World Toe-Wrestling Championships

Held at the Bentley Bridge Inn in Derbyshire every July

AUGUST

St Bartholomew's Bun Race , St Bartholomew's Hospital, London

On St. Bartholomew's Day, 24th August, children run around the church of St. Bart's. After completing the circuit they are given a bun and the adults are given a biscuit especially baked for the occasion.

SEPTEMBER

Traditionally on this night, children in the South of England would carve their ‘Punkies’,(pumpkins) into Jack O'Lanterns. Once carved the children would go out in groups and march through the streets, singing traditional ‘punky’ songs, calling in at friendly houses and competing for best lantern with rival groups they meet. The streets would be lit with the light of the Punkies.

Today, in Hinton St George, Somerset, the children still carry candle-lanterns made from hollow out pumpkins through the streets in the evening.

NOVEMBER

Tar-Barrel Racing ,Ottery St Mary, Devon

Ottery St. Mary is internationally renowned for its Tar Barrels, an old custom said to have originated in the 17th century.



The annual event involves people racing through the streets of the town, carrying flaming wooden barrels of burning tar on their backs. It strikes horror into every Elf N' Safety nutjob.

DECEMBER

Haslemere run, Surrey

A three-and-a-half-mile fun run with a pint of winter ale for each runner two miles into the race.

The race begins at 11am at the Crown & Cushion pub on Wey Hill.

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/curious/december.html