Twelfth Night is celebrated around the country with lots of fun events taking place, but a village in Lincolnshire will be holding an event which is altogether different.
The Haxey Hood game is a unique 700 year old tradition, played on the 12th day of Christmas. It is the second oldest surviving tradition in the UK and still attracts a large crowd to the Lincolnshire village of Haxey.
The origins of the Haxey Hood Game are unknown, but legend has it that in the 13th century Lady Mowbray lost her scarlet hood as she was riding from Haxey village. Twelve labourers were said to have chased after the hood and returned it to the lady. As a reward, Lady Mowbray laid on a feast, and so began an annual custom of playing for the hood.
Nowadays, on the day of the game, a procession takes place which ends at the village green, outside the church. The procession is led by a ‘Fool’ and his twelve ‘Boggans’ (or team of players, to you and me). These Boggans traditionally wear red to match the scarlet hood that Lady Mowbray is said to have lost.
Before the game begins, the Fool mounts a stone and makes a speech which invites the people gathered to play the game. He says, “Hoose agen hoose, toon agen toon, if tho’ meet a man, knock ‘im doon, but don’t ‘ut ‘im”. While the Fool makes the speech, a small heap of straw is set alight behind him.
The Fool then leads the way to the land where the game is played. The ‘hood’ is thrown up and the game begins. The Boggans must try to stop the other players from taking the hood over the village boundary. This can get pretty messy!
When: 6th January 2020
Where: Haxey, Lincolnshire
£: Free to watch
More info: haxeyhood.weebly.com
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