Everyday Folklore One Year On

The Old Welsh New Year, Hen Galan, falls between 12-14 January depending on where you are and when you celebrate. On the night of the Old New Year, the Mari Lwyd, part of the Welsh wassailing tradition, rides abroad luring people into battles of song and wit and demanding hospitality from all she visits. The Mari Lwyd is part white sheet, part multitude of ribbons and/or wreaths, and part skull perched on top of a pole. But what type of skull would you need if you wanted to recreate her?

St Valentine’s Day on 14 February is not always a welcome celebration within the ritual year. Should you wish to ease a broken heart on this day, what is said you should have for breakfast, roasted, powdered and mixed with white wine?

It is a commonly held belief that March has opposing weather systems at the beginning and the end of the month. Which of these proverbs doesn't predict March's weather forecast?

In Flamborough, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, it’s said that witch cakes are traditionally made in the first six days of April. Shaped like a bagel with spikes around the edge, they are said to be useful for many things but are most well known for being hung behind thresholds to repel evil spirits. If you wanted to make a witch cake, other than flour and salt, what principal ingredient would you need?

Should you wish to take advantage of 1 May or May Day’s reputation for boosted fertility, what well-endowed chalk figure cut into the English landscape should you frolic on before dawn?

Bloomsday on 16 June is the annual world celebration of James Joyce’s epic novel Ulysses published in 1922. The day is named after the central character Leopold Bloom and if you want to join in, there are plenty of activities to get involved with. However, if you’re feeling less Leopold and more Molly, his wife, what cheese might you eat in your sandwich in solidarity?

Held every leap year on a Saturday in mid-July, if you wanted to compete for the Dunmow Flitch, a flitch being a side of bacon, what will you need to be?

In Scotland on Old Lammas Eve, 11 August, if you want to successfully harvest rowan to protect yourself from nefarious elements, it’s said you must gather the branches:

September is a good month to go foraging for mushrooms. Should you come across a fairy ring (a circle of mushrooms thought to be a result of fairies and witches dancing), how many times is it said you should run around it sunwise if you want to hear the fairies carrying on the party?

If you wanted to see a vision of your one true love on Halloween, which of these love divinations should you not perform that night:

Stir Up Sunday is traditionally the day when people make their Christmas puddings. It takes place on the last Sunday before the start of Advent, usually at the end of November. Various non-edible objects are often added to the pudding for a bit of fortune telling fun. If you were to find a thimble in your dollop of Christmas pud, what fortune could you expect for the coming year?