Preparations
In the weeks before the event, the Fool and the Boggins tour nearby villages in order to collect money (traditionally to pay for the event, but now to raise money for local charities). Traditionally they sing a number of well-known folk songs including "John Barleycorn", "Cannons (Drink England Dry)" and "The Farmer's Boy". All wear their full festival costumes, the only exception being that the Fool's face is not marked.
At twelve noon work in the parish comes to a standstill and people start to make their way to Haxey village to gather and take part in the traditional ritual. At about 12:30 the officials start a tour of the ale houses involved, and drink free drinks at each pub, provided by the landlord as a token of good luck to try the bring the Hood its way. Many people follow this tour and consider it a vital part of the day. They start at the Carpenters Arms where they sing the traditional folk songs and ceremoniously paint the Fool's face. Then they move to the Kings Arms and then up towards the church taking in the Loco and the Duke William on the way, drinking and singing as they go. Around 2:30pm the officials leave the Duke and process up to the church.
The Fool leads the procession and has the right to kiss any woman on the way. Once at the green in front of Parish Church, at around 2:30pm, the Fool makes his traditional speech of welcome standing on an old mounting block in front of the church known as the Mowbray Stone. During this speech a fire is lit with damp straw behind him. The smoke rises up and around him and this is known as ‘Smoking the Fool’. This is in fact a watered-down version of the earlier custom (abandoned at the beginning of the 20th century due to its obvious danger) in which a more substantial fire was lit with damp straw beneath a tree. The Fool was then suspended over the fire and swung back and forth until he was almost suffocated before being cut down and dropped into the fire, where he had to make his escape as best he could. At the end of the speech, the Fool finishes with the traditional words that the crowd chant along with him. They are:
- "Hoose agen hoose, toon agen toon, if a man meets a man knock 'im doon, but doan't 'ot 'im"
- (This translates as: House against house, town against town, if a man meets a man, knock him down but don’t hurt him.)
The Towns being the villages of Westwoodside & Haxey, and Houses being the public houses (pubs) of those villages. The pubs are:
- Carpenter's Arms - Newbigg, Westwoodside
- Duke William Hotel - Church St Haxey
- The Loco - 31 Church St, Haxey
- Kings Arms - Low St, Haxey
After the speech, the Fool leads the crowd to the middle of a field where the game is to be played.
Read more about this topic: Haxey Hood
Famous quotes containing the word preparations:
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—Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 B.C.)
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)