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January

5th - Twelfth Night. Twelfth cake eaten.
17th - Old Twelfth Night. Wassailing with cider in some parts of Somerset and Devon.
1st Monday after 12th Night - Plough Monday. Norfolk Plough Pudding
Evening of 20th - The Eve of St Agnes, Dumb Cake to be made by spinsters
21st St Agnes Day - St Agnes Pudding
30th - The anniversary of the execution of King Charles I. Calf's Head suppers.

February

2nd - Candlemass Day. The last day to eat-up Christmas foods like Goose Pie or Mincemeat
14th - Valentine's Day, Plum Shuttles eaten in Rutland
Day before Shrove Tuesday - Collop Monday. Eggs and Collops eaten.
Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Day. Pancakes eaten nationwide. Brasenose Ale in Oxford.
28th - End of the small bird shooting season
Ash Wednesday - Grey Peas and Bacon in the Black Country

March

5th Sunday in Lent - Carling Sunday. Fried Carling Peas in the North East
Variable between mid March and April.
Mothering Sunday or Simnel Day or Rose Day - Treats for mothers: Mothering Buns in Bristol, Simnel Cake in Bury and elsewhere. Braggot drunk in Eccles. Blackburn Fig Pie, Mothering Sunday Wafers, Mother's Day Cake, Frumenty or Furmety, Shrewsbury Simnel Cake
Burnley Fag Pie Sunday is the second Sunday before Easter
Variable between mid March and April.
Passover - Roast lamb on the bone, an adaptation of the Jewish 'Seder' meal.
Variable between mid March and April.
Easter - Easter Eggs, Tansy Pudding, Goosnargh Cake, Simnel Cake, Easter Biscuits, Coventry Godcakes, Easter Nests, Onion-Skin Eggs, Fig-Sue

April

23rd - St George's Day. Start of the asparagus season.
24th - St. Mark's Eve Dumb Cake
The 7th Sunday after Easter - Whitsun, or White-Sunday - Whitsun Ale.

May

1st - May day. May Cup
1st Sunday - Dorset Knob Throwing Festival
Early May - Cheese-rolling at Stilton.

June

4th - Eton College Prizegiving. Eton Mess.
Wybunbury Fig-Pie Wakes
Early June - Colchester Oyster Fayre

July

Whit Monday, around the 12th - Dunmow Flitch Trials
Mid-month - Pontefract Liquorice Festival
26th - St Anne's Day. Black Cherries at Chertsey Fair, Surrey
31st - Last day of the Naval Grog ration

August

1st Week - St. Wilfred's Day. Wilfra Tarts Eaten in Ripon
1st - Lambswool Ale in honour of the Goddess of fruits and seeds.
August 5th - Tosset Feast in Lancashire Tosset Cakes
Saturday nearest St Oswald's day (5th August) - Rush-bearing ceremony at Grasmere, Gingerbread
21st end of the Grog Ration
End of August - Bumpers on Cherry Sunday, Buckinghamshire

September

1st - Start of small bird shooting season
First Friday - Start of the oyster season. Oysters, gin and gingerbread at Colchester.
2nd Tuesday - Widecombe Fair. Spiced apple ale and gingerbread
29 September - Michaelmas, the beginning of autumn. Goose

October

Early October - Southend Whitebait Festival
21st - Trafalgar Night. Grand Naval dinners, each dish being given a fanciful Nelsonian name such as 'Victory Desert' and a toast made to "The Immortal Memory of Lord Nelson and those who fell with him" Dishes might include: Grog, Lord Nelson Sole, Lord Nelson Veal, Lord Nelson's Cutlets, Nelson Ball Pudding, Nelson Balls, Nelson Slices, Nelson Squares, Nelson's Blood, Victory V
30th - Halloween. Thorcake, Apple-Bobbing Punch

November

1st - Lambswool Ale in honour of the Goddess of fruits and seeds (alternative narrative to 1st August)
5th - Bonfire night. Parkin. Treacle toffee. Toffee Apples
Friday after the nearest Thursday to the 5th November - Bridgewater Carnival Cake
11th - Martinmass Beef
Around 23rd - Stir-up Sunday - Making of the Christmas Pudding mix. The 1st Sunday before Advent, traditionally the day when the reading in Churches begins 'Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people'.
last Thursday of November - The Vintners' Company hold a 'Swan Feast'
25th - The feast of St Catherine. Kattern cakes

December

23rd - Tom Bawcock's Eve. Stargazy pie eaten at Mosehole in Cornwall
25th - Christmas Dinner
26th - Boxing day, or St Stephen's Day, Goose Pie.




Table of Church Dates

Year Ash Wednesday Mothering Carlin Easter Ascension Pentecost First Sunday Stir-Up

1st day of Lent Sunday Sunday Day Day (Whit Sunday) of Advent Sunday
2000 8 Mar 2 Apr 9 Apr 23 Apr 1 Jun 11 Jun 3 Dec 26 Nov
2001 28 Feb 25 Mar 1 Apr 15 Apr 24 May 3 Jun 2 Dec 25 Nov
2002 13 Feb 10 Mar 17 Mar 31 Mar 9 May 19 May 1 Dec 24 Nov
2003 5 Mar 30 Mar 6 Apr 20 Apr 29 May 8 Jun 30 Nov 23 Nov
2004 25 Feb 21 Mar 28 Mar 11 Apr 20 May 30 May 28 Nov 21 Nov
2005 9 Feb 6 Mar 13 Mar 27 Mar 5 May 15 May 27 Nov 20 Nov
2006 1 Mar 26 Mar 2 Apr 16 Apr 25 May 4 Jun 3 Dec 26 Nov
2007 21 Feb 18 Mar 25 Mar 8 Apr 17 May 27 May 2 Dec 25 Nov
2008 6 Feb 2 Mar 9 Mar 23 Mar 1 May 11 May 30 Nov 23 Nov
2009 25 Feb 22 Mar 29 Mar 12 Apr 21 May 31 May 29 Nov 22 Nov
2010 17 Feb 14 Mar 21 Mar 4 Apr 13 May 23 May 28 Nov 21 Nov
2011 9 Mar 3 Apr 10 Apr 24 Apr 2 Jun 12 Jun 27 Nov 20 Nov
2012 22 Feb 18 Mar 25 Mar 8 Apr 17 May 27 May 2 Dec 25 Nov
2013 13 Feb 10 Mar 17 Mar 31 Mar 9 May 19 May 1 Dec 24 Nov
2014 5 Mar 30 Mar 6 Apr 20 Apr 29 May 8 Jun 30 Nov 23 Nov
2015 18 Feb 15 Mar 22 Mar 5 Apr 14 May 24 May 29 Nov 22 Nov
2016 10 Feb 6 Mar 13 Mar 27 Mar 5 May 15 May 27 Nov 20 Nov
2017 1 Mar 26 Mar 2 Apr 16 Apr 25 May 4 Jun 3 Dec 26 Nov
2018 14 Feb 11 Mar 18 Mar 1 Apr 10 May 20 May 2 Dec 25 Nov
2019 6 Mar 31 Mar 7 Apr 21 Apr 30 May 9 Jun 1 Dec 24 Nov
2020 26 Feb 22 Mar 29 Mar 12 Apr 21 May 31 May 29 Nov 22 Nov
2021 17 Feb 14 Mar 21 Mar 4 Apr 13 May 23 May 28 Nov 21 Nov
2022 2 Mar 27 Mar 3 Apr 17 Apr 26 May 5 Jun 27 Nov 20 Nov
2023 22 Feb 19 Mar 26 Mar 9 Apr 18 May 28 May 3 Dec 26 Nov
2024 14 Feb 10 Mar 17 Mar 31 Mar 9 May 19 May 1 Dec 24 Nov
2025 5 Mar 30 Mar 6 Apr 20 Apr 29 May 8 Jun 30 Nov 23 Nov
2026 18 Feb 15 Mar 22 Mar 5 Apr 14 May 24 May 29 Nov 22 Nov
2027 10 Feb 7 Mar 14 Mar 28 Mar 6 May 16 May 28 Nov 21 Nov
2028 1 Mar 26 Mar 2 Apr 16 Apr 25 May 4 Jun 3 Dec 26 Nov
2029 14 Feb 11 Mar 18 Mar 1 Apr 10 May 20 May 2 Dec 25 Nov
2030 6 Mar 31 Mar 7 Apr 21 Apr 30 May 9 Jun 1 Dec 24 Nov











(Adapted from www.churchofengland.org)





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