The Christmas / New Year gift giver in the country of Georgia is known as Tovlis Papa or Tovlis Babua meaning the Frost Father. He often carries a dagger (because Georgia…)

My local woods are looking especially magical today on my dog walk. Didn’t see any elves or fairies but they must be there somewhere.

Happy Three Kings Day to all who celebrate! Lots of countries including Spain have a big celebration and gift-giving on this day, loads of great customs around the world to cap off the Christmas season. #Epiphany

Happy Nollaig na mBan to all the Irish women in my life! In Ireland Nollaig na mBan is celebrated today. It means Women’s Christmas (was one day off housework in a sexist world but is now a more a nicer way to cap off Christmas).

A brilliant podcast, looking at the medieval world and also our modern world through a Robin Hood lens. Also reviews of every Robin Hood film and TV series ever made.

Happy Three Kings Day to all who celebrate! Lots of countries including Spain have a big celebration and gift-giving on this day, loads of great customs around the world to cap off the Christmas season. #Epiphany

Italy has a Christmas Witch. La Befana. She gives gifts to the little ones on the Eve of Epiphany. But what does she do after a job well done, today, on Epiphany? La Befana starts walking again and… - read more in our last #yulefolklore tale below! 🎨 Botticelli (detail)

Happy Christmas to all Italians. I hope the Christmas Witch is good to you! The character of La Befana is an amazing Christmas gift giver #twelfthNight

Folklore is fabulous wherever it comes from but it’s especially nice to have a local one for our fellow Geordies:

Hope this event went well. It always looks like loads of fun.

Happy Christmas to all Italians. I hope the Christmas Witch is good to you! The character of La Befana is an amazing Christmas gift giver #twelfthNight

In the Sakha Republic (part of Russia) the Yakuts people have Chys Khaan, the Bull of the Frost. A unique winter old man figure not to be confused with Ded Moroz

I love events like this.

We went out in the snow today in our local woods

Old ridge and furrow field system in the snow today

In the Turkic languages areas of Asia and Russia, the New Year gift giver is known by some variation of Ayaz Ata, meaning Grandfather Frost. In mythology he is created by moonlight and cold. Sometimes wears blue, sometimes red.

In the Turkic languages areas of Asia and Russia, the New Year gift giver is known by some variation of Ayaz Ata, meaning Grandfather Frost. In mythology he is created by moonlight and cold. Sometimes wears blue, sometimes red.

I used to hate New Year but now I love doing folklore customs like this. Adds fun to the occasion. I also kept evil spirits and bad luck away by banging pots and pans (by accident)

I used to hate New Year’s Eve, literally counting down another year of your life where you didn’t achieve what you wanted to. I’m less harsh on myself now. I also now have the fun and value of folklore which adds sparkle and interest to any occasion. I kept out bad spirits by banging pots and pans

Janus - the God of doorways and entrances, able to look back to the past and forwards to the future. Happy New Year everyone

Happy New Year! As Old Father Time hands over to the Baby New Year, I hope it turns into a peaceful one for all of us

I’ve just followed a custom of opening the back door to let the old year out and the front door to let the new year in. Let’s hope it’s a good one

There’s a similar tradition across various parts of the world where banging pits and pans at midnight on New Year’s Eve chases away evil spirits and stops bad luck from entering the new year @wyrdWednesday #wyrdwednesday

‘Tar Barrel in Dale’ is a great folk song for New Year, celebrating the flaming tar barrel tradition in Allendale, Northumberland and also sending good wishes to friends old and new. #newyearsEve m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Nzi...

The village of Allendale, Northumberland sees out the old year and welcomes the new by singing songs and carrying 45 lit tar whisky barrels through the town before lighting a huge bonfire. #wyrdWednesday @wyrdWednesday

An image a day for December 2025 no. 31. First footing gear. I've got an article on first-footing, but this is what I use when first-footing. Whisky for good cheer, coal for warmth, a silver coin for money, and the mince pies to ensure enough to eat all year! www.icysedgwick.com/first-footing/

The village of Allendale, Northumberland sees out the old year and welcomes the new by singing songs and carrying 45 lit tar whisky barrels through the town before lighting a huge bonfire. #wyrdWednesday @wyrdWednesday

‘Tar Barrel in Dale’ is a great folk song for New Year, celebrating the flaming tar barrel tradition in Allendale, Northumberland and also sending good wishes to friends old and new. #newyearsEve m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Nzi...

I love Eliot’s Four Quartets. So many beautiful lines about time and memory.

Bankside’s annual Twelfth Night revels will return on Sunday 4th January, as the Lions Part troupe of actors perform a mummers play for free. #folklore www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/mum...

Boxing Day is a traditional day for mummers plays. A few years ago we did a Christmas special interview with the Wantage Mummers: Traditional characters Links to other folk customs Origins of the tradition Take a listen dreamswarm-podcast.castos.com/episodes/chr...

‘On the Feast of Stephen’ is today - a good day to think of the story of a Czech saint and ‘king’ who walked through miles of snow to give food to the poor, his footsteps miraculously keeping his page’s feet warm #folkyFriday #boxingDay #ststephensDay

‘On the Feast of Stephen’ is today - a good day to think of the story of a Czech saint and ‘king’ who walked through miles of snow to give food to the poor, his footsteps miraculously keeping his page’s feet warm #folkyFriday #boxingDay #ststephensDay

I love the tradition of village mummers plays. I especially love the Old Father Christmas character. #folkyFriday

Boxing Day is a traditional day for mummers plays. A few years ago we did a Christmas special interview with the Wantage Mummers: Traditional characters Links to other folk customs Origins of the tradition Take a listen dreamswarm-podcast.castos.com/episodes/chr...

Hope everyone is having a peaceful Christmas. Perhaps with a sprinkling of joy and quiet merriment brought by the spirit of Father Christmas

Merry Christmas to all. I Hope Belsnickel was good to you…

Wishing you all a hopeful and peaceful Christmas. A light in the darkness. A flicker of hope. Sharing in each other’s warmth. Merry Christmas.

Strange but oddly still Christmassy moment this Christmas Eve: kind-of uninvited from the Church service so I’m outside waiting in a spooky churchyard listening to a distant choir sing carols from my prior life. @wyrdWednesday #wyrdWednesday

One of my favourite things about Christmas Eve was the sense of magic, mystery, excitement. That magical pregnant pause between waking up and rushing to see if Santy had been. Happy Christmas to all And to all a good night! (Art by Arthur Rackham)

Wishing you all a hopeful and peaceful Christmas. A light in the darkness. A flicker of hope. Sharing in each other’s warmth. Merry Christmas.

It’s Christmas Eve Eve which also always feels special and magical to me (we always have a huge family party at my Mam’s house) Art by Arthur Rackham

Another brilliant Victorian image of Old Father Christmas, this time riding a Yule goat and carrying a wassail bowl. A figure if merriment and a good old Christmas time.

I’m embracing the deeper, darker side of the Yule season, writing along listening to the soundtrack of the experimental ‘broken folk’ of @lunatraktors.bsky.social ‘Solstice Wyrd’ album. lunatraktors.bandcamp.com/album/yulatr...

The British folklore figure of Old Father Christmas was the spirit of merriment and good cheer at Christmas time. Here he is literally emerging from the wassail bowl of spiced punch. In the 20th century he became synonymous with Santa Claus but I like to recognise his unique history.

The people of Kotor, Montenegro saw cats fleeing to the hills and this warning saved them from an oncoming flood. They’ve been forever grateful since and now stray cats are loved and celebrated all over the city in solidarity. @mythologyMonday #mythologyMonday

Amazing Yule Goat costume by Nymla. I think it’s the Christmas jumper that really makes it! #yule #gothicAdvent

Thompsons Rock is a big but inauspicious looking stone in the Simonside Hills, Northumberland. However, in the Bronze Age a hole was drilled through to align with Summer Solstice sunset and Winter Solstice sunrise. #winterSolstice #standingStoneSunday

The Winter Solstice marks the peak of the powers of the Holly King before the Oak King of summer regains strength. Honour the dark and the light. Wishing you all peace this Winter Solstice (Art by Margaret Ellis) #winterSolstice #folkloreSunday

I love this image A brilliantly captures the ancient magic of Father Christmas