My mum...."As far as I'm concerned kid, the last person to enter parliament with honourable intentions was Guy Faulkes" 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Bonfire night isnt a celebration of guy fawkes and the plot. Its the opposite, its to celebrate guy fawkes being stopped.

Terry Pratchett once wrote that the reason that Morris Dancers have bells on their shoes is to prevent them creeping up on you and you suffering an unexpected Morris Dance.

The indigenous people in America (the continent) have plenty of traditions though. The USA is just too young to have the kind of traditions you find in Europe.

Maypole dancing was banned by the Puritans when Cromwell was Lord Protector, they banned Al sorts of fun things including Christmas. No wonder we were glad when they buggered off to America.

It's probably been mentioned. When I was a kid, we used to bake the conkers in the oven and/or soak them in vinegar to make them stronger. I'm not sure about the science behind that. These days I still collect conkers when they start to fall to put around the skirting boards to keep spiders out. I'm not sure about the science behind that, either!

Magpies are beautiful, magnificent and highly intelligent creatures. They are also collectors of shiny objects that they use to decorate their nests. And , yes, they do have to be respectfully greeted when encountered. eg "good morning professor magpie, how are your wife and children?" One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, and four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told. MAGPIE. Eight for a wish, Nine for a kiss, Ten a surprise you must not to miss, Eleven for health, Twelve for wealth, Thirteen, beware, it’s the devil himself.

Punch & Judy are the prelude to Panto. They were banned but they’ve made a comeback. As a child I laughed at them so much. No worse than slapstick Laurel & Hardy who knocks poor old Stanley about, or the Flintstones or SOUTHPARK. LOL Originating in Italy they are and have been much loved characters for 400 years. Punch’s name has been shortened from Punchinello.

Something that was not mentioned about Mari Lwyd, It comes to the door singing the first verse of a song asking to come in, Depending on where in Wales you are you might be expected to sing back a verse making excuses why Mari Lwyd can't come in. This exchange would go back and forth until the people in the house ran out of excuses and eventually let Mari Lwyd and the troupe in and provide them with alcohol and food.

My 4 year old son saw his first punch and Judy show during our summer seaside holiday last year. Yep, still around.

I can make a couple of contributions. The voice of punch is a very distinctive rasp produced by the pupeteer, using a small device in his mouth called a "swazzle". I suspect you could hear this somewhere on the internet. The pupeteer is called a "professor". The story is traditional involving a standard set of characters. It was performed from a small booth on the beach in most seaside towns. On fireworks night we are celebrating the failure of the gunpowder plot and the survival of the Kiing.

Im 73 and used to watch Punch & Judy shows on the beach during our holidays. Ryan, your reactions of amazement really made me laugh

How do americans break up the year with fun?. You have to remember we Brits have had thousands of years without radio, Tv or youtube so we made our own fun and long may it continue .

1 for sorrow 2 for joy 3 for a girl 4 for a boy 5 for silver 6 for gold 7 for a secret never to be told Us brits all learnt this from a young age, it apparently goes up to 13 but I only know upto 7

My Grandfather was told during the war by a fellow soldier that he should spit if he saw a single magpie. He laughed it off, but the next day a bomb went off and he got shrapnel in his leg and his friend was killed. Now all of our family still spit if we see a single magpie.

A common catchphrase used by junior school boys when I was at such a school in England from age 8-13, was "That's the way to do it!". This was generally accompanied by a slap across the back of the head by the school chum who said it. 😅

I'm from Ireland (Republic of) but the magpie thing is here too. We also played conkers in the 90s and early 2000s, back in the simpler times when children actually played outside. Everyone here pulls Christmas crackers too. One of my favourite parts of Christmas. I can't imagine not using them every year.

We have Morris dancers near us, they perform on carnival day (1st Saturday in July) and at dawn on the 1st July.

The Maypole festival was originally a fertility festival, with the pole being a phallic symbol

Bog snorkelling !!

I'm in my 30s and remember Punch and Judy shows very well 😂 Magpies...lol this was what we learned as kids where I grew up. One for sorrow Two for joy Three for a girl Four for a boy Five for silver Six for gold Seven for a secret never to be told Eight for a wish Nine for a kiss Ten a surprise you must not miss Eleven for health Twelve for wealth Thirteen beware it's the devil himself Fourteen for love Fifteen for a dove Sixteen for the chime of a bell Seventeen for the angels who shield us well Eighteen to be saved from hell Nineteen to be safe from a crime Twenty to now end this rhyme

I haven't seen a Punch and Judy show set up anywhere in a very long time, but in my childhood in the 1960's they were an integral part of summer holidays. You would find them set up on almost any seaside promenade. An essential part of bonfire night used to be "penny for the guy" - an effigy of Guy Fawkes made by stuffing old clothes with straw or paper which would be paraded house to house then burned on the fire. Contrary to the video, this is something else common in my childhood that I've not seen in many years.

I remember seeing my first Punch and Judy show at the seaside. My local park has a Punch and Judy show several times during the summer holidays and I have taken my children (now 24 and 21) to see it several times. We once saw a version of Punch and Judy (about 15 years ago) at a fair in Devon while on holiday, where the Devil appeared as a character! It can be scary and fun and silly at times. The word 'slapstick' shows its origins, in slapping with a stick. Also the voice of Mr Punch is produced through a swazzle which makes his voice very distinctive and strange. It came from Italy in the 1660s. While it looks violent, so do other things like Tom and Jerry, Keystone Cops etc...Great to see your reaction!!

The image wasn't horse chestnuts. Just regular chestnuts.

There is nothing 'innocent' about maypole dancing! It was a way of bringing young people from different villages together - and would often end in couples forming! All good pagan fun!

They missed out two of the more dangerous ones ... Burning barrels in Ottery St Mary, Devon - involves carrying burning barrels through the streets. Silver Ball in St Column Major, Cornwall - involves battling the other team to carry a small silver ball to a town boundary; hundreds of players and no rules. The whole town gets boarded up.

A puppet play that would have featured a version of Punch was first recorded in England in May 1662 by the diarist Samuel Pepys. He noted seeing it in Covent Garden, London, performed by the Italian puppet showman Pietro Gimonde from Bologna, otherwise known as Signor Bologna.

"Don’t you throw dummies into the fire?" Brian, we’ve got a volunteer. You get his legs.

Tyler: This maypole business seems fun and harmless! Who would think they need to ban this? Me, knowing it's a pagan fertility ritual: *Wheeeeze*

1 for sorrow,2 for joy .3 for a girl .4 for a boy .5 for silver .6 for gold 7 for a secret never to be told. I do that you count many Magpie s you see together .there was a show called Magpie , in the verse in nursery rhyme book no bird name is said

In Newfoundland Canada we celebrate bonfire night. It is becoming less common but when I was growing up it was huge. The bonfire would begin to be set up a week or two in advance. No one was concerned about the environment back then so we would burn anything that was unwanted. Old tires were always a part of it because they would burn for so long. We would roast marshmallows and wieners over the fire . We didn’t do the fireworks tho. We also have Christmas crackers in Canada. 😊

The welsh tradition with the white horse entering your house to bring good luck is similar to something done in Scotland for Hogmanay (new years eve) except that for Hogmanay people will visit their neighbours, equipped with a piece of coal and a coin in their pocket, and a bottle (usually whiskey or vodka) - to bring good luck, warmth and wealth to the house, and will be greeted with a drink and hot food - traditionally Stovies (mashed potato with corned beef), haggis or other hot snacks. After visiting each house, you have had a couple of fingers of whiskey served by the household, and given out a round to everyone in the house from your bottle, then you move on to the next house, until you can't go on any more 🙂 It is also known as 'First Footing" - my Dad & his mates used to do this every year, someone would go outside before midnight, so they could knock the door once all the church bells & fireworks have gone off, to be the 'first foot' inside the door for the new year - and of course it's a great excuse for Scots everywhere to have a good drink I think it dates back to the pre-Roman, Celtic traditions around offering hospitality to visitors or strangers who appear at your doorstep - offering food, drink & warmth

There are FIVE styles of Morris dancing. 1- Cotswold Morris, the tradition most people know with generally white cricket whites style clothing, leather shoes and bells on shin pads 2 - North West Clog Morris, wearing clogs as worn in the cotton mills . The basic step (rant) is in a polka rhythm and originated from processional dances 3- Border Morris, from the Welsh borders. The basic step is a skip hop, dancers wearing tatters jackets and sometimes black face. Extensive use of stick dances. 4- Molly - from East Anglia, done in hob nail boots with sharp turns and very synchronised steps. Usually dancing to a solo singer and no instruments . 5 - Longsword - usually associated with the North East. The dancers use a low shuffle and are all holding double handled swords, so everyone is linked together. They perform intricate weaving steps and ultimately create star with the swords. Add all the different styles of solo. Clog dancing (stepping) and we have a rich culture of dance here.

Many of the older of these traditions wouldn't have transfered from here to the US, as they would have been frowned upon by the religious loonies that sailed to America in the seventeenth century!

Punch and Judy come from Italy from the 1600’s originally.

'Punch and Judy' puppet shows grew out of the Italian 'Comedia del Arte' traditional style of theatre, with 'Punch' being short for 'Punchinello'. There are still some Punch and Judy shows around, particularly at seaside resorts, but they are very much a dying tradition. Magpies: 1 for sorrow, 2 for joy, 3 for a girl and 4 for a boy, 5 for silver, 6 for Gold, 7 for a secret never to be told. The other numbers are actully made up (mainy for a theme tune for a 1970's childrens TV programme of the same name). Basically, you don't want to see a single magpie, because that will bring sorrow. Bonfire Night traditionally celebrates the FOILING of the plot, not celebrate it! Although in some specific locations it is an opportunity to demonise modern figures of hate (often politicians) and their effigies are thrown on to the fire, instead of the traditional 'guy'.

Theres a folk dancing group in my home valley called the Britannia coconutters. Unfortunately many people are calling for the group to be disbanded because they do blackface. But they don't do blackface to be racist, its to represent the groups roots as coal miners. Sad when modern sensibilities try to kill off harmless traditions

Bonfire Night is to celebrate the FAILURE of the Gunpowder Plot - and to celebrate the fact that the King and his Parliament were saved and survived, while the dastardly villains were caught and their evil plot was thwarted! The one plotter who is most remembered was named Guido (Guy for short) Fawkes.

Punch & Judy shows were common at seaside resorts & children loved them, & some are still around. It's all very violent, but funny at the same time. Children love this sort of thing, remember the Tom & Jerry cartoon shows etc. kids are not afraid of this mock violence, but they love it. A Magpie is a type of large & noisy crow, black & white in colour, which it is the custom to salute & talk to when met. It is bad luck not to do so. There is a poem about this, which, counting the number of these birds seen together, starts 'One for sorry, two for joy, three for girl, four for a boy', & so on. Posh is just what Americans call 'fancy'. Strangely enough, people used to dress well for particular events, such as Church attendance on Sunday, hence your best clothes are known as 'Sunday Best'. It is the British meaning of smart, well dressed, not clever as in the US. One is 'smart' in a military uniform etc. All other attire is called casual, for any respectable event one should dress smartly, casual wear is only for relaxation & recreation. Maypole dancing was occasionally banned because of association with pagan festivals, especially by Puritan regimes, like Cromwell's, who disapproved of people enjoying themselves. Occasionally such festivities could descend into riots etc, which gave an excuse to stop them. Morris Dancing is a sort of sword dance, & goes back many centuries. It is called Morris from the Moors of north Africa, because often the dancers were painted in black face make up, though what the connection is is lost to time. Bonfire night celebrates defeating the terrorist plot to blow up the King etc, not celebrating Guy Fawkes himself, for he is the villain that is burnt on the fire.

Up until today, I thought a Punch and Judy show was normal😂😂 Now I’m a bit creeped out 😮

Pretty much every seaside town has punch and judy in the summer. Omg it is so iconic and is hundreds of years old. ‘Thats the way to do it!!’

Conkers! Great fun and truly beautiful natural objects. The nut of the magnificent horse chestnut tree (a personal favourite!). They could be prepared by baking, pickling in vinegar, and other means. If you had a new conker and beat someone else's it became a 'oner', if it defeated a conker that had beaten five others, it would be promoted to a 'sixer', and so on, adding the kills of another as it went along, until it was finally defeated itself. The 'sport' involved a fair number of painfully bruised knuckles.

I think there is still a Punch and Judy on Llandudno seaside front near the pier

Morris dancing is the English secret martial art, like eskrima stick fighting in other countries. It's like fight club; if you ask, there is no such thing as Morris stick fighting. They will laugh and deny it, but you try and mug a Morris dancer and they'll give pretty much anyone a bad time.

Punch and Judy is of Italian origin . The magpie thing IS Norse in origin and magpies are the Heralds of Loki The may pole is actually stands for something else, since its for fertilely Ill leave it up to you to guess .Mock cheese rolling if you will, but an American won it and came back the following year to defend his title .

Always,always salute a single Magpie.

I've been saying 'Hello Mr Magpie and how's your lady wife?' For 51 years 😂 I'm not adding children now 😂

In the Mari Llewd thing the people with the horse will essentially have an argument in song through the door, if you can't think of a response ypu have to let mari llewyd in, feed them and give them alcohol. They will rhen move on to the next house and the whole thing starts again

There are some American teams of Morris Men. They often visit the UK and dance with English teams.

One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret, Never to be told. Eight for a wish, Nine for a kiss, Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss, Eleven for health, Twelve for wealth, Thirteen beware it’s the devil himself.

Magpies: my version is, 'Good morning/afternoon, Mrs Magpie. I hope you and your children are well'.

These are very much continuing traditions. I've either taken part in or personally seen, live, nine of these ten in my lifetime. I haven't seen the one involving the horse, but I'm not Welsh.

Who can forget the poignancy of the Punch and Just Shows at every seaside resort,3 times a day, during the Summer Holiday Season? All of us kids sat in front of the mini Theatre and waited for the characters. On came Mr.Plod: The Policeman to a chorus of boos followed by a couple of scary Clowns and then, to a crescendo of Boos and Jeers came "Judy". Roared on by an eager, enthusiastic group of kids, Punch would go to work and send the clowns packing. Mr Plod soon followed and then came Judy. Within moments of the cheers began, Punch was swinging his stick and beat up Judy, badly. When the cheering died down, Punch left to a mini ovation. Judy got patched up and we returned for the 1,00pm Special Show. Happy Innocent Days..

An old custom from my part of England is Egg Jarping! Done at tea time on Easter Sunday. Easiest way to explain is it’s a bit like conkers, but with hard boiled eggs. Each person chooses an egg, then take turns in tapping each other’s egg once while it’s being held. Round end to round end, pointy end to pointy end. The person left with an uncracked end is the winner! There is a video on here of the Egg Jarping World Championship 😄

The only bit of the magpie rhyme i know is one for sorrow , two for joy ,three for a girl , and four for a boy, five for silver , six for gold , seven for a secret never to be told..

It might seem 'innocent' but I believe Maypoles in their upright sturdiness and the fact that it used to be teenage(ish) couples that danced around the pole weaving an ever tightening net of ribbons that means the dancers are getting more and more pulled together.......... I'll leave you to work out what the original pagan rites related to.

Tyler, One the Magpie ryme One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret, Never to be told. However, there are a number of alternative versions and a longer rhyme which is local to Lancashire counts up to 13 magpies with an additional 6 lines: Eight for a wish, Nine for a kiss, Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss, Eleven for health, Twelve for wealth, Thirteen beware it’s the devil himself. The earliest version of the rhyme was recorded in 1780 in a note in John Brand’s Observations on Popular Antiquities. I'm in my 60s now and still salute a single bird.

The Mari Lwyd tradition, originating from Wales, has indeed been celebrated in parts of the Americas. Notably, there have been instances of its celebration in Chicago and Philadelphia. In Chicago, the Welsh expats group known as the Chicago Tafia has incorporated the Mari Lwyd into their pre-Christmas festivities, particularly during pub crawls. The tradition was introduced in Chicago by the group's chief organizer, David Parry, who created a Mari Lwyd figure in 2019. Since then, it has become a regular feature in their annual Festivus pub crawl. Similarly, in Philadelphia, the Mari Lwyd tradition was introduced and celebrated by local groups, including some dressed in 17th-century costume. The event involved collaboration with local historical and cultural groups and was marked by the presence of the Mari Lwyd at Christmas folk fairs in the city center. The organizers distributed pamphlets explaining the history and significance of the tradition to the public, alongside performances of traditional Pwnco songs. The initiative aimed to promote Welsh heritage in the area and hoped to make it an annual event.

One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret never to be told, Eight for a wish, Nine for a kiss, Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss, Eleven for health, Twelve for wealth, Thirteen beware it's the devil himself, Fourteen for love, Fifteen for a dove, Sixteen for the chime of a bell, Seventeen for the angels protection, Eighteen to be safe from hell, Nineteen to be safe from a crime, Twenty to end this rhyme.

Back in the day it was customary for kids to "make a guy" kind of like a scarecrow but with a lot more finesse, 🙄 we would raid the cupboards looking for old clothes etc then go to a pre designated spot, plonk our Guy down and start hollering "penny for the Guy" usually about a week before "bommy night" we made a fortune 😂😂😂😂

I am stunned at your reaction about the cheese rolling. It is almost the same thing like your (American) food eating competitions. How many participants of that need medical help afterwards or years later. Is that fun to do? It's even disgusting to watch how a group of people can eat for example as many hotdogs as they can in a certain amount of time.

One for sorrow. Two for joy. Three for a girl. Four for a boy. Five for silver. Six for gold. Seven for a secret never to be told. That's as far as I know. My grandma insisted on saluting lone magpies.

Britain didn't conquer countries, Britain conkered them :)

Like how you think punch and Judy is violent but wouldn’t think twice about Tom and Jerry which is only less shocking because they are animals

I am 77. When I was a small preschool child, my mother would take me to the coast town of Redcar. There, she gave me the 6 pence to watch the Punch and Judy show. I would laugh and laugh, as the gruesome story as of being eaten by crocodiles, child murder, beatings and hangings took place. All good wholesome child entertainment, while sitting on a sunny, sandy beach. Good grief, no wonder I am a psychopath. Dancing around a May Pole, is a fertility dance. Hence the phalinx symbol they dance around.

I really enjoyed Punch and Judy when I was a kid. It just seemed very silly and outrageous.

Hiya Tyler, I wasn't a fan of Punch and Judy when I was little, I thought it was violent also, a British tradition you should react to is Gurning, its done at Egremont crab fayre, Egremont Crab fayre started in 1216, you'll be mildly amused by it I should think, this is Choppy in Whitehaven, Cumberland, England

The idea of a magpie rhyme is that the number you see is what will be brought into your life. One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret never to be told, Eight for a wish, Nine for a kiss, Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss, Eleven for health, Twelve for wealth, Thirteen beware it's the devil himself.

If you see one magpie that is supposed to presage sorrow / bad luck while if you see two it is supposed to indicate joy / good luck. Then there's a whole rhyme with 3 indicating a girl (baby)and 4 a boy etc

You reactions to some of these really had me crying with laughter, keep up the good work Tyler 🤣

I think most spectators at horse races are gamblers rather than horse enthusiasts.

The number of magpies you see at one time supposedly predicts your luck. I was brought up in a small English village, and have seen or taken part in all of these except Mari Lwyd and cheese rolling (I've also performed in a mummers play, which would have been a fine addition to the list). I'm amazed pantomime didn't make the list - you should really explore that eccentric British custom (there's a video explaining it at kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gdqCh9uHrtKVZWQ.html )

Punch and Judy shows are a traditional seaside thing for the kids in the UK, although the traditional story line is a little brutal with wife beating, murder and a hanging. The Punch and Judy show has roots in the 16th-century Italian commedia dell'arte. The figure of Punch is derived from the Neapolitan stock character of Pulcinella, which was anglicized to Punchinello.😱

Back in the late ‘60’s and the early’70’s on British tv there wasn’t a lot of programming for children but amongst the little there was, the undeniable best that we did have was a magazine program on the BBC called Blue Peter which is still being produced, the independent tv channels decided that they wanted to put out their own version of the programme and for some strange reason they named their offering MAGPIE and they used the rhyme for their signature tune. For some time the two programmes were transmitted in direct opposition and some families had arguments about which channel they were going to watch. Eventually the public grew tired of the offering and the ITV programme was cancelled. As a result there’s a whole segment of the British public who if they hear the rhyme or see a flock of magpies they will join in with the chant, without thinking about it.

Punch and Judy does sound strange when he puts it like that , had me crying with laughter that did ..

Mummering and the hobby horse is a tradition in province of Newfoundland and Labrador Canada, which was brought over by the settlers from the British Isles, which still goes on today

Missed out clog dancing. A tradition originating from the wooden clogs worn by factory workers. It is also an Appalachian USA tradition.

I watched Punch And Judy shows many times on the beach as a child and these days have watched them with my grandchildren from time to time at the seaside/

There is a link between “Thanksgiving Day” and Bonfire Night. England had many thanksgiving days decreed by the King to celebrate a particular event. It might have been the birth of an heir or the signing of a peace treaty: anything really. The thing is, they were usually one-offs. The sole exception is 5th November, for which James I (VI of Scotland) decreed an annual celebration in perpetuity to commemorate the apprehension and execution of the Catholic terrorist group that had attempted to assassinate the entire aristocracy, including the King and royal family.

The oldest horse race track is in the historic Roman city of Chester in the nw of England, worth watching a video on Chester.

my cousin jon, failed his driving test for saluting a magie en route!! he didnt do it quietly..... he was at a traffic light. he leant out the window, saluted and shouted..... morning mr magpie how's the family! he was failed on the spot only 10 mins into the test! i thought this was just a norfolk thing , as friends from other parts of gb hadnt heard of it.

"Seeds of the horse chestnut tree". (Shows stock image of sweet chestnuts)

Conkers. They bring back memories. Health and safety might have something to say nowadays because I remember bits flying off at speed in all directions when I was a kid.

I remember seeing Punch and Judy several times as a child. The storyline was always mostly the same. It involved Punch and his wife Judy, and their dysfunctional relationship, a dog, a crocodile, Sausages and a policeman.

MAGPIE. Count the number of birds and compare it to the rhyme. 1 FOR SORROW 2 FOR JOY 3 FOR A GIRL 4 FOR A BOY 5 FOR SILVER 6 FOR GOLD 7 FOR A SECRET , NEVER TO BE TOLD. The picture shown is a SWEET CHESTNUT and not a HORSE CHESNUT. The outer coatings are very different ! HORSE CHESTNUTS only contain 1 nut ! Conkers have been banned in schools now. Hardening a conker is considered cheating in the sport ! We always pull the crackers before we start eating our Christmas dinner. The PLOT is NOT celebrated !! It's the fact that he was CAUGHT that is celebrated. That's why there's a GUY on top of the bonfire.

whenever we went to the seaside as a child there would always be a punch and judy show on the promenade or sometimes on the beach. Not as often these days but you do still find them popping up from time to time.

There are 2 horse race tracks within a 10 mile radius of where I live. One of them I pass almost daily for work - in the racing season there is a meeting every couple of weeks - they do have different days - and some days and events can be a little more casual but still decent attire is expected - ladies day is when you will see a variety of hats - and is more formal - although some take the day out a little too far. There are often the races followed by some entertainment in the evening - not been for a while, but the last one I went to was the race meeting followed by Billy Ocean giving a bit of a sing.

Have to say, haven't seen Morris dancing in Australia yet, I'm not dead yet so there's stills to see it

Have you seen The Santa Clause with Tim Allen,Punch and Judy were set up in his bedroom up at the North Pole haha

2:10 as a British person I can confirm I have seen this in real life multiple times, and recently as well

I'll add a correction, those nuts of a Horse Chestnut 10.10 are the nuts of a Sweet Chestnut, you don't put those on a string, you eat them (The spikes on the outer husk differ greatly between the two species the ones at 10.37 actually are "conkers" Horse Chestnuts)

In Switzerland we have Chasperli and Robber Hotzenplotz :))

dont think I have ever actually seen a Punch and Judy show in real life (I'm in my early 50s)) But have seen it referenced in tv shows and comics - I know the catchphrases.

Maypole dancing was banned in 1636, after THE MAYDAY MASSACRE.When the entire village of Drunkham-under- the-Table was horrifically strangled to death while Maypole dancing after an absinthe binge

Magpies are Corvids, along with crows, ravens, rooks, jays, jackdaws, and choughs. They are very distinctive black and white birds and all are regarded as highly intelligent in the bird world. The superstitions around meeting them in different numbers gave birth to the old rhyme: "One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret, Never to be told." In some parts (Lancashire, for one) it goes on; "Eight for a wish, Nine for a kiss, Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss, Eleven for health, Twelve for wealth, Thirteen beware it’s the devil himself" Ah, life may have been simpler in those days but there were still dangers around!

The magpie rhyme has been made into a folk song by The Unthanks. There is a big folk dance festival, Wimborne Minster Folk Festival. Most folk music festivals in the UK will have Morris sides dancing or even doing workshops, also Ceilidh dancing which is a Scottish tradition.I guess the US folk dance would be line dancing, street dance or rockabilly 🤷🏼‍♀️. We did maypole dancing at school once it was great fun. There are a few Easter traditions that might be a bit odd like decorating Easter bonnets and chicken eggs and Easter egg hunts (usually chocolate eggs). We do have a lot of odd traditions and some are only specific to certain towns and villages, so could even be seen as odd by other Brits.

I am British and have grown up with most of these traditions & I can honestly say that listening to them being explained i was laughing as they do indeed sound insane 😂😂

I saw one magpie every day for a week last year. Despite saluting them and wishing the family well we were still visited with a great sorrow.

Punch & Judy was found on seaside beaches every summer going back many many moons ago.. kids loved it.. you don't see them 9n many beaches now but it was great entertainment for kids when your grandma was a kid

FUN FACT: At the Cheese Rolling, there are womens' downhill races and men's/womens' uphill races. There's also an uphill race for children.