Origins of Breaking the Wishbone: Horseshoes, Groins and Chicken Ouija Boards
‘Breaking the wishbone’ is a tradition around the world in the days after a Sunday roast, Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Trees: Wisdom at the Root of Folklore
When we stand beneath a tree and gaze up into its branches, perhaps running our fingers
over the textured bark and admiring the rich collage of mosses and lichens
The Polish Tradition of Holy Sepulchre Guardians
A traditional festival is held annually in South Eastern Poland where locals re-enact what may be an historical event, yet is certainly a local legend. Legend tells then when Polish soldiers returned to their village on Good Friday in the 17th century, wanting to go straight to the church but being without uniforms, they donned the outfits of the Turkish army […]
Arcadia Britannica: A Modern British Folklore portrait by Henry Bourne
Arcadia Britannica is an ongoing photographic portrait project of the myriad of different British folklore traditions and customs
The Fairy Trees: Blackthorn, Hawthorn and Rowan
White blossom on the trees is one of the delights of springtime, but it masks a deeper magic in three of the most charismatic of British trees: blackthorn, hawthorn and rowan. Storyteller and ecologist Lisa Schneidau has some practical tips on navigating plant folklore, bringing you face to face with the fairy realms and the ways of the Other Folk…..