This is my genealogy blog tracing families from the Southern Illinois counties of Wayne, Jefferson, Hamilton, White, Clay, Richland and Lawrence. Come see if we're related and share some information. Search using "revised" for updates to older blog entries. Use the Ahnentafel page to navigate through family lines. Use Research Logs & Other Posts to see other topics.
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Monday, May 25, 2015
May 25 - Whitsun
Whitsun or White Sunday can refer to Pentecost Sunday, but also Whitsuntide which begins on the Monday following Pentecost. This was one of three vacation weeks for medieval workers or a kind of medieval spring break. On most manors the villein were free from working for the lord. Many towns would hold fairs called Whitsun ales which included parades with Morris dancing, a type of folk dance and drinking of the locally produced ale not unlike spring break in Daytona.
In 1778 Sunbury, England Whitsun week festivities included a boat race, a boxing match, a race for women and girls and a wrestling match. Prizes included money, a gold laced hat, a dress, ribbons and buckskin gloves. Whit Monday continued as a holiday in England through 1971 when the Spring Bank Holiday was created.
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