Date |
Event |
Details |
|---|---|---|
| May 1st | May Day | May Day, a call for help, a pagan festival of Spring, a Roman import or a date in the socialist diary? Find out here. |
| May 1st | On This Day | On this day in 1707, the United Kingdom of Great Britain was formed when Scotland and England were joined together under a common flag, the Grand Union Flag. The Scottish legal system remained intact but the Scottish parliament was abolished and the members merged into the British parliament in London. |
May 4th - 6th |
Rochester Sweeps Festival | No, this isn't sweeps as in horse racing, this is real sweeps (people who clean the chimney). So if you are in Rochester over May bank holiday you will see lots of little sweeps running around (mostly young children dressed up in costume with blackened faces). And remember it is lucky to be kissed by a sweep - chim chiminee! |
| May 6th | Early Spring Bank Holiday aka May Day | The UK's May Day, but as with most bank holidays in the UK, the day is moved to the nearest Monday. After all we wouldn't want commerce to be disrupted. Fear not though, every shop will still be open. |
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| May 19th | Whit Sunday | Whit Sunday and Whit Monday are a celebration of Pentecost also known as Whitsuntide, which in Greek, means the fiftieth day. Pentecost takes place 50 days after Easter, which is the Jewish feast of Shavuot. Whit Sunday and Monday have been celebrated since the 3rd Century AD. Many modern scholars believe that many of the traditions and celebrations were borrowed from pagan celebrations of the Spring. |
| May 20th | Whit Monday | A religious bank holiday in the UK. For an explanation see above. |
| May 21st - May 25th | Chelsea Flower Show | In an English country garden. From the sublime to the ridiculous, how seriously we Brits take our gardening can be seen on this RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) web site. |
| May 22nd | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle | Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, was born on 22 May 1859. He was a Scottish author most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes. His other works include science fiction stories, historical novels, plays and romances, poetry, and non-fiction. He died on 7 July 1930. |
| May 27th | Cheese Rolling | On Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire large cheeses are rolled down the steep hill chased by a gaggle of mad racers. The hill is horribly steep and injuries to racers are common. The 2010 and 2011 events were cancelled, but people ran down the hill anyway! 200 years of tradition isn't that easily killed and now it seems to be back to its original date of May Spring Bank Holiday, but as ever - check before you book. |
| May 29th | Oak Apple Day | This day was the turning point for the monarchy in 1660. King Charles II escaped being captured by the roundheads by hiding in an oak tree after the battle of Worchester, to return on May 29th. |
| May - June | Glyndebourne | Glyndebourne is a 700-year old country house and opera house near Lewes in East Sussex, England. Since 1934 it has been the venue of the annual Glyndebourne Festival Opera. The festival is regarded as part of the London/English summer season. Performances, which start in the afternoon, enable Londoners to leave town after lunch, and finish in time for them to catch the last train back. A long interval allows opera-goers the opportunity for picnic dinners on the extensive lawns or in one of the restaurants in the grounds. |
| May Onwards | Well Dressing | In order to celebrate the springs that have provided fresh water for centuries, well dressing is an ancient art carried out in the county of Derbyshire,
especially the Peak District. Every year from around May to August wells in the
area are beautifully decorated with natural objects (usually petals from
flowers) to form elaborate pictures, often nowadays with a religious theme. The origins of well dressing are something of a mystery, but it is thought to predate Roman times. It was most likely a form of sacrifice to give thanks for the supply of water supplied by wells in the community, |
Spring Bank Holiday | Hunting the Earl of Rone | On a Spring Bank Holiday in the UK you don't want to go down to the woods, at least not in Combe Martin, North Devon. Here people scour the forests for the whole weekend searching for the Irish Earl of Rone, (who is always caught on the Monday), once he's caught he is forced to ride backwards on a donkey and then tossed into the sea - poor bloke! |
| Spring Bank Holiday | The Westward Ho! Potwalloping Festival | Each Spring Bank Holiday sees dedicated volunteers from the community gather together for a 3 day festival of potwalloping. Potwalloping is a tradition that dates back to the reign of Edward VII where everyone gets together to replace the rocks and pebbles, which protect on the historic ridge around Westward Ho. The 3 days include music, sports, stalls and other events, not just rock carrying. |
| Spring Bank Holiday | Woolsack Race | Every Spring Bank Holiday in Tetbury they hold the annual woolsack race (60lb of wool in a sack). |
| Special Features | ||
| LEN Events | Google Plus, Skype and Second Life events from the Learn English Network. (If you would like to run an LEN event, get in touch on the forum.) | |
| The English Magazine | Check out this month's EZine EZone English Magazine. | |
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