Traditional Morris Events: January

New Year's Day

We've worked our way through the entries and flagged those that usually happen with TBC if there's nothing on-line yet.  If we've missed you or can confirm your event, shout out. Meanwhile it is worth checking with individual sides' web or Facebook pages for further confirmation.  Happy New Year to all our readers ... who have read this far.

January is named for the two-headed god Janus who could look backward and forward, to the old year and the new at the same time and for the Romans 1st January became the official start of the year. From the 12th century the official new year in Britain was on March 25. New Year’s Day on January 1 marked the start of a new year according to the Gregorian calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. It was adopted immediately in some areas of Europe but wasn't used by many countries until centuries later. The United Kingdom only started observing the Gregorian calendar in 1752, when 11 days were dropped. Officially in England, 1751 was the shortest year ever, lasting only from March 25 to December 31. It has only been a UK Bank Holiday since 1974, so for most morris sides dancing in the New Year, or dancing off the hang-over, is a relatively recent tradition, but as become well established.

• Abingdon Traditional MM:  Lunchtime tour in Abingdon - Previously 2:00 pm The Punch Bowl County Hall, 6 Market Place OX14 3HG, 3:00 pm Broad Face 30-32 Bridge Street OX14 3HR
• Aldbury MM ​: 12 noon, The Valiant Trooper, Aldbury HP23 5RW; 1:00pm - The Greyhound, Aldbury HP23 5RT ? TBC
• Alvechurch Morris :1:00 pm - Mummers' Play around Alvechurch (at The Crown in Withybed Green)
• Ashdown Forest MM : 1:00 pm - The New Inn, Hadlow Down TN22 4HJ TBC
• Barnsley Longsword : 12 noon, The Spencer's Arms 21 Church St, Cawthorne, Barnsley S75 4HL TBC
• Blackmore Morris : 1:00 pm, Leather Bottle, Blackmore CM4 0RL 
• Dartington Morris : 1:00 pm. Hope Cove, Devon TQ7 3HQ About 2:00pm we will adjourn to the Hope and Anchor Inn.
• Etcetera MM : New Year's Day Spectacular 12:30pm, The Wonder, Batley Rd, Enfield EN2 OJG.  We may be joined by dancing friends from Hertfordshire Holly and Camden Clog, as well as other Cotswold Morris dancers. Followed by music and song in the bar
• Exeter Morris : 12 noon to 2:00 pm -  dancing on Exeter Quay EX2 8GY
• Hereburgh Morris : 12 noon Starts at The Crown, Crown St, Harbury, Leamington Spa CV33 9HE then touring the village of Harbury until 3:00 pm
• Kennet MM : Dancing about 12:30 pm followed by music and song until 3:00pm Calleva Arms, Silchester RG7 2PH
• Mersey Morris:  12 noon The Plasterers Arms Hoylake Wirral CH47 2DJ
• Monkseaton Morris :  12 noon outside the Ship Inn, Monkseaton and then afterwards in the Ship Inn. follow us as we dance in all the pubs in Monkseaton during the afternoon: Black Horse, Monkseaton Arms,  Front Street Tap House & Left Luggage Room
• Ripley Morris - 12:30pm Red Lion, Main Street, Hognaston DE6 1PR TBC
• Rose and Castle Morris : 12 noon, The Boat, Stoke Bruerne with Queen's Oak, followed by "musical diversions"
• Shakespeare Morris : 12:noon - 3:00 pm meet with family and friends to celebrate the New Year at the Boar's Head, Hampton Lucy CV35 8BE ,  with Morris dancing, Mummers play and Music Session
• Taunton Deane MM  : 12:30 pm for 1:00pm:  The White Horse Inn  Bradford on Tone TA4 1HF
• Towersey Morris : 1:00pm onwards: White Hart, Moneyrow Green, Holyport SL6 2ND by invitation of Taeppa's Tump - including the Towersey Mummers Play
• Yateley MM : 1:00 pm, The Cricketers, Hartley Wintney RG27 8QB - with Mummers Play

12th Night - Mummers, Wassails, Ploughs & Bears

Twelfth Night takes place on Friday 5th January 2024. Twelfth Night is a festival in some branches of Christianity marking the coming of the Epiphany and concluding the Twelve Days of Christmas. It is defined by the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary as "the evening of the fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day, the eve of the Epiphany, formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking". There is some confusion these days, however, as to which night is Twelfth Night: modern practice is often to regard the night of Epiphany itself (sixth of January) to be Twelfth Night. The older tradition of Twelfth Night being the 5th January stems from the medieval practice of the day beginning at sunset, rather than at midnight as it does now. Or the 5th can be celebrated as Old Christmas day, or it could be Old Twelfth Night, 17th January, as determined by the Julian calendar - or even the twelfth night after Halloween! See Wikipedia for a full explanation.  There's not enough room here, but whenever it is, enjoy the festivities below - as you can see there are many ways to celebrate in January. Also see this list of Midwinter Sword Dancing from Rattle Up My Boys, a magazine for longsword dancers, kindly provided by its publisher Jeff Lawson. Many are included in the traditional list below but there are several others. Midwinter Sword Dancing from Rattle Up My Boys.pdf

• The Traditional Ilmington Morris Dancers : Friday 5th January - The Ilmington Mummers Twelfth Night  8:00pm The George Hotel Shipston; 9:00pm The Howard Arms Ilmington
• Adlington MM and Mummers : Friday 5th January – Alderley Mummers Play, Macclesfield & district tour - 7:30 pm Church House, Church Lane, Sutton Lane Ends, SK11 0DS; 8:30 pm, The Harrington Arms, Church Lane, Gawsworth SK11 9RR; 9:30 pm Macclesfield, The Waters Green Tavern, 96 Waters Green, SK11 6LH
• The Broadwood Men : Saturday 6th January Wassailing at John Batcheldor Cider Orchard.  Dancing and procession to the Orchard starting 7:30 pm from The White Horse Inn, Maplehurst, RH13 6LL 
• Letchworth Morris : Saturday 6th January - 6:30pm Dunton Wassail, Church Farm, Dunton SG18 8RR with Bedford MM,  dancing, The Abbot's Bromley Horn Dance & Wassailing, then a mummers play from the Brafront Guizers and a traditional music session in the March Hare pub afterwards, 34 High St, Dunton, Biggleswade SG18 8RN
• Ravensbourne MM : ​Saturday 6th January - 8:00 pm Wassailing The Apple Tree -in the gardens of The Two Doves, 37 Oakley Road, Bromley, Kent BR2 8HD
• Hinckley Bullockers : 1st Saturday after 12th Night - 6th January - Tour of Sharnford and Sapcote starting 9:40am The Countryman. 23 Leicester Rd, Sharnford, LE10 3PP - see website for details
• Jockey Morris : 1st Saturday after 12th night - 6th January - Plough Tour of Birmingham City Centre; Cathedral square (Inc plough blessing) 10.30 to 11.30(ish); Victoria square 11.45 to 12.30; Lunch 12.30 to 1.30; North Bar (next to Snow Hill station) 1.45 to 2.30; New St (outside HSBC) 2.45 to 3.15; High Street (M&S) 3.30 to 4.00; Wind down in one or two local hostelries.
• Leominster Morris : Twelfth Night - Friday 5th January 7:00pm - The Wassail - the first event revived after the side was re-formed in 1983, this year at Burton Court, Eardisland, HR6 9DN TBC
• Long Man Morris : Twelfth Night - Saturday 6th January 8:00pm - Here We Come A Wassailing -Wassail Ceremony at The King's Head Cacklebury',146 South Road, Hailsham TBC
• Silurian Border MM -  1st Saturday after 12th Night - 6th January  7:00pm Wassail at Westons Much Marcle HR8 2NQ Tickets from https://www.st-michaels-hospice.org.uk/event/the-wassail/Dancing is followed by an atmospheric torchlight procession into ancient cider orchards. After the Ceremony of singing, carousing and general merriment there will is food, music and Mummers at the Scrumpy House. The popular event raises much needed funds for St Michael's Hospice at Bartestree - the 2023 total was £5,300. Silurian would like to remind all participants that there is darkness, mud, cold and REAL fire involved - come prepared!
• Claro Longsword: Plough Sunday 7th January St. John's Parish Church Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. Claro Sword perform traditional Yorkshire Longsword at the 10:30 am  Plough-blessing service and afterwards, weather permitting,  wheel the plough to Knaresborough Market Place for more dancing to the multitude around noon.TBC
• Thaxted Morris Men : Plough Sunday Service 7th January 11:00 am Thaxted Parish Church, Watling St, CM6 2PE TBC
• Cambridge MM : Plough Monday - 9th January dancing in Cambridge during the afternoon.. In the evening we join the Balsham Ploughboys in a tour of their village as Cotswold Dancers, visiting many hospitable families and the village pubs. TBC
• Bedford MM -  Plough Monday - 9th January - Tour of Bedford - 7:30 pm The Burnaby Arms , Stanley Street MK41 7RU; 8:30 pm The Foresters Arms, Union Street MK40 2SF; 9:30 pm The Wellington, Wellington Street MK40 2JX
• Datchet Border Morris: Saturday 13th January  Hedgerley Wassail, 2:00pm  White Horse, Village Lane Hedgerley SL2 3UY​
• Peterborough MM  : 1st Saturday after 12th Night - (11th January 2025) - lead the Whittlesea Straw Bear procession 10:30am-3:30pm with many other dance teams followed by
  Sunday 14th January, Straw Bear Church Service. - A Morris display as part of the Plough Service
• Sweyn’s Ey : - Saturday 13th January 2:00 pm - dancing at a wassail at Gower Heritage Centre, Parkmill, Swansea SA3 2EH,
• Bourne River Morris : Sunday 14th Our friends Holly Copse Molly will be marking the occasion at The Elm Tree, Hightown Rd, Hightown, Ringwood BH24 3DY, and we hope to join them for a dance and some refreshments from around mid-day.
• Claro Longsword : Sunday 14th January 10:00am at the Plough Sunday service at St Andrew’s Church in Aldborough (nr Boroughbridge) with Hornbeam Molly. Both teams to dance at The Crown Hotel, Horsefair, Boroughbridge, York YO51 9LB at around 11.30am. TBC
• Lincoln and Micklebarrow Morris Men  Sunday 14th January - The Navenby Plough Jags will be performing the Plough Play in Navenby at 6.00pm in the garden of Mrs Smith's Cottage (East Road) and then at 7.00 pm inside the Lion and Royal.57 High St, Navenby, Lincoln LN5 0DZ. Musicians and singers are welcome to join them at the Lion & Royal after the 7pm performance for a session.TBC
• Exeter Morris : Saturday 20th January - from 6:30 pm Sandford Cider Orchard Wassail starting at The Lamb Inn The Square, Sandford EX17 4LW
• Lyme Morris -Saturday 20th January - 6;00 pm Wassailing Jubilee Wood, Hinton St George, Somerset TA17 8SL
• Bedford MM - Friday 26th January Harrold Odell Country Park Wassail - 6:00 pm The Café MK43 7DS
• Taunton Deane MM : Friday 26th January - 6:30 pm Sheppy’s Cider Wassail,  Bradford on Tone TA4 1ER . Tickets are available now. See: www.sheppyscider.com for more details.

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