Blessing of the salmon nets

For thousands of years, fishermen cast their nets into the River Tweed in the hopes of hauling in the ‘King of Fish’. The salmon-fishing season in Northumberland was considerable and customs such as the Blessing of the Nets became a seasonal spectacle not to be missed. At midnight on 14 February, the Vicar of Norham would row out in the moonlight to lead the gathering in prayer. Afterwards, spectators drank a wee dram of whisky in a thanksgiving tradition of their own.