Inside the bizarre world of British folklore: How tradition has made a comeback – with extra Gen Zs than ever embracing historical rituals
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It was a dreary autumn afternoon back in 2014 when Ben Edge took one of his usual walks through London.
At the time, the artist and film-maker was going through a ‘dark period’ and feeling disconnected to the country he lived in.
But, as he approached Tower Hill tube station in the east end of the city, he noticed a group of people dressed in white gowns taking part in a procession.
Ben would later discover this group was the London Druid Order, who count William Blake as past members, celebrating the spring equinox.
For them, the day the Earth’s axis and its orbit line up so that both hemispheres get an equal amount of sunlight is a celebration, and can be dated back to the Iron Age.
It was from here that Ben fell in love with British folk custom events – which brings communities from across Britain together to celebrate nature, the seasons and regional culture.
They do this via their own set of unique practices and costumes, which have been carried out for generations.
Recently Ben has noticed a rise in the number of Gen Z joining celebrations, including the world-renowned summer solstice at Stonehenge.
More than 15,000 people were at Stonehenge for the summer solstice on June 20, 2024
British folk custom events see communities up and down the country celebrating nature, the seasons and their regional culture via their own unique practices (pictured: A resident dressed as the Dorset Ooser, as part of Dorest village Melbury Osmond’s folk custom – which dates to 1884)
Ever since he started attending these unique celebrations, Ben has noticed their growing popularity, particularly within the Gen-Z population (pictured: Daisy, a Chinese shaman practitioner watches the sunrise at Stonehenge, on June 21, 2024)
Ben has noticed something of a ‘folk revival’, with more Gen Zs than ever embracing ancient rituals as they look to connect with nature and defy the establishment.
He said: ‘There are more young people visiting these things and going out of their way to do so.
‘There are also new traditions with origins routed in the past, reviving traditions that perhaps have fallen out of practise. Or they are taking age-old ideas and modernising them. So a new generation of people are engaging with this idea of the wheel of the year.’
Ben defines a folk custom as a community-based practice, usually in rural areas, which have taken place for centuries.
They are usually centred around a quirky tradition of the community and are strongly connected to the area’s natural environment.
He explained: ‘They are practices by communities, which are a collective celebration of many things. A celebration of regional culture, which has been taking place in those communities for centuries.
‘Those practises are carried down across generations. They are also a celebration of the seasons and our relationship to nature. A lot of these celebrate times of the year that have significance – the start of summer, the equinoxs.
‘They go back to rural communities where you lived in harmony with the land. I like to think of it as ordinary people taking control of their lives, living with the oppressive regimes of society.’
Ben Edge (right) has fallen in love with British folk custom events since attending his first more than ten years ago
Ben defines a folk custom as a community-based practice, usually in rural areas, which have taken place for centuries
These folk customs are becoming more popular with younger people and Gen Zs in the post-Covid era
A number of TikTok videos show how young people are embracing these celebrations
Ben believes these events attract younger generations who struggle with the ‘one size fits all national identity’ in post-Brexit Britain
Ben first fell in love with British folk customs when he saw the London Druid Order, whose previous members include William Blake, celebrating the spring equinox at Tower Hill in London
Folk customs are usually centred around a quirky tradition of the community and are strongly connected to the area’s natural environment (Pictured: Female morris dancing collective Boss Morris in costume ready to celebrate the spring equinox in Stroud, Gloucestershire)
A folk custom as a community-based practice, usually in rural areas, which have taken place for centuries (pictured: People take part in the summer solstice ceremony at Stonehenge in 2017)
Examples of these unusual events include the Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival – an event which sees a resident from the Cambridgeshire town dress up in a costume made of straw and dance through the streets.
The Burryman’s Day ritual in South Queensferry dates back around 400 years and is thought to bring the local’s good luck – although the exact meaning of the ritual has been lost through the years
(Residents of Bungay, Suffolk take part in the Black Shuck festival – which celebrates the mysterious legend of the Black Shuck beast)
Unusual events include the Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival, where a resident from the Cambridgeshire town dresses up in a costume made of straw and dance through the streets.
The custom dates back to the 1800s, when plough boys would dress in straw whilst they attempted to steal food and drink during the lean winter months.
In the present day, it is a four-day event which draws up to 6,000 people to the town, to drink, watch Morris dancing and join the straw bear as he makes his annual pilgrimage through the town.
In South Queensferry, a town in West Lothian, locals take to the streets every second Friday in August to watch a man covered from head to toe in flower seeds and sticky burrs as he walks a nine-mile route whilst being fed whisky through a straw.
The 400-year-old ritual, known as Burryman’s Day, is thought to bring good luck to the town – although the exact meaning of the ritual has been lost through the years.
‘I love the individual creativity of the people and the communities in rural culture,’ Ben said.
‘In this age of capitalism and mono-culture where high streets are becoming the same, it’s important for people to be preserving these practises. They make the world such an interesting place.’
But it is not just Ben who has been gripped by these custom. Events are becoming more popular with younger people and Gen Zs in the post-Covid era.
Young people are embracing these ancient customs because they represent a more ‘inclusive view of the world’
Ben believes these events (such as the summer solstice at Stonehenge) attract younger generations who struggle with the ‘one size fits all national identity’
The last summer solstice at Stonehenge saw thousands of Gen Z dressed in floral headdresses and colourful make-up celebrating with the Druids and pagans
The last summer solstice at Stonehenge saw thousands of Gen Z dressed in floral headdresses and colourful make-up celebrating with the Druids and pagans.
Some 15,000 visitors came to the event to mark the longest day of the year at the ancient site near Salisbury, Wiltshire.
Historian Jennifer Wexler, who is an expert on the stone circle, said: ‘There is definitely quite a young crowd there, I’ve seen it in my own friends.
‘I saw it even when I was working at the British History Museum. We were seeing all these young, hip people coming in. Not the standard demographic at all.
‘There is a slight punk aspect, like an alternative perspective on the world. It isn’t about just kind of like the standard nation state. It’s more about yeah, this kind of more local nuance, but more, maybe inclusive view of the world.’
Ben believes these events attract younger generations who struggle with the ‘one size fits all national identity’ in post-Brexit Britain.
He added: ‘I think people are starting to awake to the fact that we need to look after where we live and fall in love with where we live.
‘I think regional culture is about the ordinary every day working class people’s culture.
Many of these folk customs date back to ‘rural communities where you lived in harmony with the land’ (pictured: The top of White Horse Hill in Uffington, Oxfordshire – which has locals re-chalking the outline every July since 1380)
Ben says the main reason for the surge in popularity of these events in the modern age is their inclusivity (Pictured: Female morris dancing collective Boss Morris celebrating the spring equinox)
‘I think people can find a sense of identity perhaps in what we would describe as a post-Brexit broken Britain.
‘I think people are perhaps feeling marginalised and disconnected to this human phenomenon, which is almost living in harmony with the seasons.
‘That feeling of alienation, they can find this kind of soleus in this grassroots culture, which has sort of grown out of the ground. It’s about real people.’
But more importantly, Ben and Jennifer say the main reason for the surge in popularity of these events in the modern age is their inclusivity.
Ms Wexler said: ‘It’s a different way of engaging with the world. I think that’s why people are really drawn to it. It’s a different way with trying to engage with the world in a different view in an authentic, grassroots feeling.
‘It’s inclusive and everyone is welcome and everyone is talking to each other. That’s what we want in the post-Covid world. We want to be together, celebrating and talking.’
