August / Early Christianity / Festivals
by Ian · Published January 28, 2013 · Last modified December 3, 2018
As far as I am aware Rochdale no longer celebrates the Rush Bearing festival, though nearby Littleborough revived theirs in 1991 and continue to celebrate it each year. Below is description of how Rochdale and its Rush-Bearing from Lancashire Legends (1873) by John Harland & T T Wilkinson.
Rushbearing dates back to the middle ages and is a festival where rushes were collected to be strewn out over the floors of churches, back when the floors were just earthen. The tradition died off when church floors started to be flagged by the 19th century, though in some villages and towns it was revived as a folk custom.
15th August – In Roman times this was Diana‘s chief festival, when lighted torches were placed in her sacred groves. Her other sacred day was the ‘Feast of our Lady Queen of Heaven’ on the 31st of May.
Last Sunday in August – A service is held in Cucklet Cleft (Cucklet Church), a natural cavern destroyed by glacier ice near Eyam, Derbyshire. The service commemorates the bravery of the Eyam villagers and William Mompesson, for closing Eyam village after it became infested with the plague in 1665.
3rd or 4th Monday in August – Once said to have been celebrated with hilltop fires, the festival is now associated with Mary Queen of Scots. A Queen is voted from the local Irvine girls and a parade goes through the town along with other events.
14 August – On the second Friday of August, a man completely covered in Burdock burs (known as the Burryman) walks the boundaries of South Queensferry, a distance of seven miles. The ritual probably has pagan origins.
1 August – Celtic festival of Lugh, the god of light. Celebration of the early harvest, when loaves were baked and sometimes distributed from churches. Lammas is derived from Loaf Mass.
August / Festivals / Giants / Legends
by Ian · Published September 13, 2008 · Last modified November 27, 2018
Famous for the Burning of the Bartle festival, when an effigy of St Bartholomew is burned in the town. The festival takes place on the nearest Saturday to the 24th of August.
More
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Recent Comments