Waiting to share the love with you in our new booklet 'The Country Wisdom & Folklore - Little book of Love'.Its printed on recycled paper and is A5 in size.
Our 18 page booklet celebrates the customs, traditions, superstitions and old ways from the British Isles pertaining to #love and gosh don't we have a lot of them! Who says the British aren't romantic ? We are told by Samuel Pepys in his diaries that
it was widely believed that the first eligible person you saw on the morning of #Valentinesday was your true love which apparently prompted Elizabeth Pepys to keep her eyes covered for much of the morning in February 1662, to avoid seeing the painters working in the house!
We even include a recipe for Plum shuttles (pronounced shittles) that were so named because they resembled the shape of the weaver’s shuttle. These elongated fruit buns later became known as Valentine buns and were made for Valentine's day in Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire to give to children or potential suitors.
Amongst other things we also tell you about love #divination, treatment for the #lovesick and those who are love-struck, #lovetokens, spells and charms and even about #handfasting. Not sure how we've fit so much in !
We leave you with an interesting custom that we just couldn't squeeze in but is of interest to those of us celebrating love, that of the #Goldenarrow.
The legend of the Golden Arrow
The Pontesford Wake was held every Palm Sunday and involved people from Pontesbury in Shropshire and the nearby villages walking to the top of Earl’s Hill for a picnic and to play games. One of the games that was played by young would be lovers was the hunt for a golden arrow that was supposedly lost by a Saxon king in the seventh century. According to legend, if you found the golden arrow you would find true and enduring love. The tradition was kept until the 1950’s and needless to say many a hapless would be lover hunted in vain to find the arrow and so find love.
Check out our shop if you are interested in our booklet as a gift to yourself or maybe for one that you admire.
And we do hope you love hearing and sharing the folklore of our fair isles and thank you for helping us keep alive the old ways x