Weekend of silliness celebrated in Britain
|
| Posted
:
Mon, 07 May 2007 03:24:01 GMT |
| By
:
General News Editor |
| Category
:
US (World) |
| News Alerts by
Email ( click
here ) |
|
|
|
|
|
BLACKAWTON, England, May 6 The summer season has begun in Britain, celebrated during the weekend with eccentric rituals aimed at being silly for the sake of national identity.The Independent reported on Sunday's festivities, which took place around the country, with each town celebrating in its own way.In the town of Blackawton, for example, residents gathered to try to charm worms out of the soil by rubbing their hands on the earth. A large worm turn-up could mean a plentiful harvest, or so local custom holds.In the village of Stilton, residents rolled giant wooden "cheeses" down the streets. Civil war re-enactments are also a popular activity for this holiday. Many activities, the Independent reported, are carried out because being eccentric is a trait of British national identity. While some of the activities have historic ties that date back to the 1600s, others -- like the cheese rolling -- are mainly about being silly.Writer Colin Irwin, who sampled many of the activities for a book he wrote, said Britons used to be embarrassed by their national identity -- largely due to the mistakes of empire -- but he said attitudes have begun to shift back to pride recently, making the silly weekend more popular.Copyright 2007 by UPI
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related News
Berlin Wall comes down in Los Angeles
Los Angeles - The Berlin Wall - or at least pieces of it - came down in Los Angeles early Monday as the entertainment capital of the US staged a glitzy arts extravaganza to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the historic moment. Eight pieces of the ...
Clinton urges Iran to free US hikers charged with espionage - Summary
Tehran/Berlin- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Monday for Iran to immediately release three US hikers, charged with espionage after being detained in Teheran four months ago. Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal went arrested by Ira...
US to give Iran 'space' to mull nuclear fuel deal - Summary
Vienna/Tehran - The United States is willing to give Iran time to come up with a response to a proposed multinational nuclear fuel deal, the US ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Glyn Davies, said Monday. We want to give so...
Iran charges US hikers with espionage
Tehran - Three US hikers detained in Iran four months ago have been charged with espionage, Tehran's prosecutor-general said Monday. Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal went arrested by Iranian security forces in July after disappearing along t...
Fort Hood shooting investigation turns to possible terrorism ties
FortHood, Texas - US Federal investigators probing the Fort Hood shooting were on Monday studying the gunman's relationship with an imam who has been linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist group, according to a newspaper report. Army psychiatrist Major Nid...
US ready to give Iran 'space' to mull nuclear fuel deal
Vienna - The United States is willing to give Iran's leaders some time to come up with a response to a proposed multinational nuclear fuel deal, Washington's representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Glyn Davies told reporters i...
Two US pilots killed in helicopter crash in Iraq
Baghdad - Two US pilots were killed in northern Iraq Monday when their helicopter went down, Iraqi police and the US military said. Two US Army pilots were killed when a helicopter experienced a hard landing, in northern Iraq's Salah al-Din provinc...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
