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
