We were very sad to hear of the death on 15 December of Andrew Bennett, barely a year since the death of his wife, folklorist Dr Gillian Bennett. Andrew was a Trustee and Committee member of The Folklore Society for many years. We send our condolences to all the Bennett family
21 December Winter Solstice Make your own ‘Fudgehenge’ (NB: measure it in inches not feet) and eat it while watching the solstice live streamed from ancient monuments. Stonehenge, Wiltshire: Watch the livestream of the 2024 winter solstice at Stonehenge on English Heritage’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zzIJivapL0 English Heritage’s Stonehenge skyscape camera can be viewed here:...
For The Folklore Society’s Advent Calendar 2024, Part 3, December 15th to 21st, go to: https://folklore-society.com/blog-post/the-folklore-societys-advent-calendar-2024-part-3/ 14th December Gingerbread: ‘Spice cakes for Xmas + Parkin in November are the chief Yorkshire cakes I Know, + used to have with Wakefield gingerbread + batch-cakes when as a girl I used to visit at Hospitable Wakefield.’...
We are very pleased to announce that The Folklore Society President’s Prize 2024 was awarded to Harvey Alexander Cross, for his essay ‘Why Do People Believe in Ghosts, Aliens, and Bigfoot? Exploring the Rise of Popular Antiscientific Folklore in the Euro-American West.’ Congratulations, Harvey! President’s Prize report 2024 The panel agreed to award this year’s...
Part 2, December 9th to 14th: https://folklore-society.com/blog-post/the-folklore-societys-advent-calendar-24-part-2/ Part 3, December 15th to 21st: https://folklore-society.com/blog-post/the-folklore-societys-advent-calendar-2024-part-3/ 8th December Whitby Krampus Run, day 2: the event celebrates its 10th birthday, and Whitby resident, our own dear Doc Rowe celebrates his 80th; here’s one of his photos of the Krampus Run below. And here’s a BBC News report re...
Following the Katharine Briggs Lecture at Cecil Sharp House on 12 November, Prof. Ronald Hutton was presented with The Folklore Society’s Coote Lake Medal for his long-standing contribution to folklore scholarship. Jeremy Harte delivered a compelling citation, which will be published in FLS News.
We are delighted to announce that Tabitha Stanmore is the winner of this year’s Katharine Briggs Award for her book Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic, published by The Bodley Head. Cunning Folk offers a rich and engaging exploration of the lives and practices of magical practitioners in England from the medieval...
Folklore and the Senses The Folklore Society’s Annual Conference, in collaboration with the Department of Folklore and Ethnology, University College Cork, Ireland. Friday 20 June to Sunday 22 June 2025 Hybrid conference, online and at University College Cork We know the world through our senses, but how we sense is inflected by symbolism, tradition and...