What once was a bankers’ day off is now for everyone
The late spring bank holiday is upon us, though it is surprisingly difficult to find much in the way of specific folklore to greet it.
No doubt this is because it was devised by bankers and politicians rather than our ancient forebears. The 1971 Banking and Financial Dealings Act moved what was traditionally Whit Monday (a movable feast in the Christian calendar following the seventh Sunday after Easter) to fix it as the last Monday in May.
A few Whitsun traditions have migrated over: morris dancing, cheese rolling and the like. But many are now sprinkled throughout May and June, a hotch-potch of local customs which actually makes them far more enjoyable to stumble across.
In my neck of the woods, well, nearby over the border in Derbyshire, this is the weekend when welldressing begins in earnest. This is an ancient custom of probably pagan tradition when villages dotted throughout the county beautify their local water sources to give thanks for the provision of clean, running water.
The designs are rich and beautifully varied – a favourite activity of mine is to cycle through the Peak District amid the fluttering bunting – and made with natural materials.
Supposedly, for sadly I have never been involved in the manufacture of one, the wooden boards the designs are based on are left to soak for days in local ponds and rivers before a thick layer of clay is applied and decorated with buds, berries, leaves and sticks.
Last year, during the centenary of the end of the First World War in which so many of these villages lost so many young lives, remembrance was a recurring theme. But generally designs are something of a free-for-all.
The weather for such bank holiday pursuits? Fair today and then getting murkier as the bank holiday progresses.
By next week rain is forecast for all, driving us away from such pleasant diversions and back to work – just as the bankers intended.