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Celebrating With the Ancients

From chimney sweeps to pinching bums to throwing food, you will find it all in the curious customs and celebrations of May.

Beating the Bounds dates back to the fifth century. People would walk the boundaries of properties in their parish and ask for God’s blessing for the coming growing season. During this time before maps, the custom provided a point of reference for disputes. After the walk, participants celebrated with Ganging beer and Rammalation biscuits. Traditionally, Beating the Bounds occurred on Ascension Day.

During the first weekend in May, chimney sweeps welcomed summer and the opportunity to clean winter-weary chimneys. Dancers and musicians filled the street to perform.

The Furry Dance of Helston, Cornwall, dates back to the pre-Christian era. It is one of the oldest surviving customs of Great Britain. The May 8 festival celebrates the coming of spring and the passing of winter and man’s triumph over his struggles.

Children had to protect their bottoms by wearing springs of oak on Oak Apple Day, May 29. The day commemorates the restoration of the monarchy after the republic instituted by Oliver Cromwell. Charles II hid from the enemy in an oak tree. He survived and was crowned on May 29, 1660. Today people decorate their homes with oak branches, drink beer and eat plum pudding.

After evensong on Whit Monday, or Bread and Cheese Day, in St. Braivels, Gloucestershire, basketfuls of bread and cheese are thrown from a wall near the old castle. The people below compete to snatch them up. The bread and cheese have been hurled since the 13th century..

Try your hand at the ancient custom of cheese rolling on the first Sunday or Monday in May. In Randwick, Gloucestershire, three double Gloucester cheeses are rolled around the church, then one is cut up and shared by the crowd. The other two are rolled down a steep hill.

Over in Stilton, Cambridgeshire teams of four people dressed in costume roll Stilton cheese along a 50-yard course. They are not allowed to kick or throw the cheeses. The prize is an entire, 16-pound Stilton Cheese and bottles of port, the drink traditionally paired with the cheese.

Internet Changing the Way We Live

The Internet has reached into and reshaped many areas of modern life. According to the Office for National Statistics, during 2004 people age 16 to 24 had the highest rate of Internet usage. London and the South East region had the highest number accessing the Web.

The National Statistic Omnibus Survey states that men use the Internet more than women, while 60 percent of adults used the Internet within the last three months during 2004. Additionally, more than 65 percent of adults have surfed the Net in their lives. As for those who have never used the Internet, even though nine million households in Great Britain have access, the reasons included not having a connection or that they did not want or need it.

Here’s a list of some of the things people are doing while they’re logged on: seeking out romantic partners, gambling, researching genealogy, booking travel reservations, buying and selling things at auctions, checking out health and medical information, getting news and using e-mail, as well as many other activities.

While Internet usage reflects a lot of behaviors that were going on before the advent of the Web, some behaviors are new, such as sharing original material through creating blogs, exchanging music files or rating products, people or services.

As the skills needed to utilize the Internet become a prerequisite for everyday life, it has become the norm to use the Worldwide Web.

— Adapted from PewInternet.org