16 February 2010 is a very special day. It has many names: Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday and Mardi Grass to name but a few. for many children in the UK it is Pancake Day, the day to eat those scummy pancakes with as many different kinds of delicious fillings as you can find.
It is also the day for Pancake races. A tradition that began in 1445, when a housewife in Olney, England started baking her pancakes rather late. They were not quite finished when the church bell rang. Because she didn not want to leave her pancakes to burn, she hurried to the “shriving” (special church service) carrying her frying pan and the pancakes with her. Today you can find pancake race all over the UK.
The reason why pancakes are a big part of the Shrove Tuesday celebration can be found out our website. http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/shrove.html
The day after Pancake Day is know as Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, when Christians prepare for Easter.
07 February 2010
10 January 2010
River Thames Frost Fairs
13 January is St Hilary's Day has gained the reputation of being the coldest day of the year due to past cold events starting on or around this date.
Can you imagine the River Thames freezing over so much that a fun fair could be held on the ice? Well that did happen about four hundred years ago. The worst cold spells in Britain occurred between 1550 and 1750. The climate during this time was known as the Little Ice Age, when winters were so cold that the Thames froze over each year.
Henry VIII is said to have traveled all the way from central London to Greenwich by sleigh along the river during the winter of 1536 and Elizabeth I took walks on the ice during the winter of 1564.
Find out more on our Facts about January page
Can you imagine the River Thames freezing over so much that a fun fair could be held on the ice? Well that did happen about four hundred years ago. The worst cold spells in Britain occurred between 1550 and 1750. The climate during this time was known as the Little Ice Age, when winters were so cold that the Thames froze over each year.
Henry VIII is said to have traveled all the way from central London to Greenwich by sleigh along the river during the winter of 1536 and Elizabeth I took walks on the ice during the winter of 1564.
Find out more on our Facts about January page
Plough Monday
Monday (11 January) is known as Plough Monday, the first Monday after Twelfth Night. Molly dancing on Plough Monday was an important ritual for agricultural workers, as well as pulling a decorated plough and a man dressed head to toe in straw.
Visit our page on Plough Monday to find out more
Visit our page on Plough Monday to find out more
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