Celebrating the cuckoo

The cuckoo’s call has long been held to signal the arrival of spring. In the West Yorkshire village of Marsden, the return of these migratory birds is marked with a celebration called Cuckoo Day. According to tradition, in years gone by the villagers noticed the first cuckoo’s arrival coincided with that of the spring sunshine. In an attempt to prolong the bird’s stay and ensure spring would remain, a high wall was built around it. Just before it was completed the cuckoo flew away, prompting locals to proclaim it was ‘nobbut one course too low’. This meant the wall should have been higher by another layer of stones. Today residents, also known as Cuckoos, still celebrate the legend with the annual Cuckoo Festival. This features a colourful procession through the village, artistic workshops, a craft fair9, live music, maypole and Morris dancing, and a duck race on the River Colne. The 2016 Cuckoo Festival takes place on Saturday 23 April.