OLD CUSTOMS IN ENGLAND

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 39, 21 March 1940, Page 34

OLD CUSTOMS IN ENGLAND

(This is taken from a talk by " Ebor" given recently in the 2YA Children’s Hour.) N old custom will be observed on May 8 in a little town in Cornwall, It has been going on now for 150 years at least. The name of the town is Helston, and there will be a big fair held on that memorable day. But more famous than the fair will be the Helston Furry Dance in which everybody will take part. The name "Furry" means fair or festival and the dance is held to celebrate the victory of their patron saint, St. Michael, in a famous combat. The legend goes that St. Michael had a fight with Satan, who, when he was getting the worst of it, dropped his weapon, a big stone. This block of granite fell in the town in the courtyard of the Angel Inn. That’s the story, but it is only a legend, of course. At any rate, there’s no stone there today. Of course, all over England there are various other old customs still kept up. In Dorset, for example, the quarrymen play a game of football through the streets. At Sedgefield the church clerk and sexton provide the ball, which is fought for throughout the length of the village, one goal being at the southern end and the other a pool at the northern end. The game begins at one o'clock and goes on till about five in the afternoon, and there are no fouls, no offside, and, in fact, no rules at all. At a place called Chester-le-Street there is an added excitement. Between the up-streeters’ and down-streeters’ ground there is a stream and most of the game is played in the water.