May Morning
May Morning in Oxford is a rare and wonderful thing. Records suggest that people have been celebrating the arrival of spring here since tudor times, when a Queen of the May was paraded through the town by militiamen, morris dancers and men dressed as women (see, it’s traditional). In the seventeenth century, John Aubrey noted that ‘boys do blow cow...more
30/04/2012
The Mummers Play
I must admit I’ve come to dread the onset of the festive season. I resent the arrival of tinsel and mince pies before the first sparklers of Bonfire Night have even been lit. I get mardy about the barrage of supermarket adverts promising to make our Christmases ‘easier’ even as they trick us into buying more stuff. I despise the sickly syrup of Chr...more
19/12/2011
The Abbots Bromley Horn Dance
As a creature of summer, the arrival of autumn always brings a certain sadness. The days might still be bright and warm but damp in the morning and the evening chill herald the sun’s decline. The hope of an Indian summer recedes and the reality of living on a damp island sinks in once again. But over the years I’ve developed a set of seasonal habit...more
19/12/2011
Andy Letcher investigates the Folk, Folklore and curious customs of the British Isles...
A writer and a folk musician, Andy is the author of the acclaimed 'Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom' and has published a range of articles and academic papers on subjects as diverse as psychedelics, paganism, shamanism and evolution.
A modern day troubadour, he plays mandolin, writes songs, and fronts darkly crafted folk band, Telling the Bees. A leading exponent of the English Bagpipes, he plays for brythonic dancing in a darkbeat trio called Wod, and in a duo with hurdy-gurdy maestro, Cliff Stapleton.
www.andyletcher.co.uk
- Andy Letcher
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