LYMM HERITAGE CENTRE
... telling LYMM'S STORY
Reg. Charity No 1164961
TRADITIONS
It is a sign of the strength of sense of community in Lymm that it places so much importance on celebrating and keeping up its traditions. May Queen has been celebrated, interrupted only by war since the late 19th century. Other long-held traditions have died off only to be revived in more recent times as we come to recognise the importance of these events for the identity of the village. Rushbearing, Morris Dancing and the lesser know Soul-caking are all good examples of this. And the vibrancy of the community is such that we are laying down a whole new series of activities and events to pass on to those who follow us. Dickensian Day, Lymm Festival, Duck Race, Foodfest & Historic Transport Day for example are all now part of the fabric of the village.
May Queen
Probably still Lymm's best known and most enduring traditional event. It was created on the initiative of five local churches and under the banner of the "Band of Hope" with the specific aim of fighting the influence of the demon drink. The event was intended to provide a diversion and healthy alternative for young people. so it is is ironic that within the first three years local papers reported that local pubs appeared to be the major beneficiaries. READ MORE.....
Soul-caking
"As a child in the late 1920s, early 1930s (I’m 91 years old) I lived in Lymm, Cheshire, and I remember the Mummering and Soul-Cake customs taking place, with the horse’s head on a stick, etc. I was, of course, too young to be allowed into the pubs but the “procession” around Lymm Cross have stuck in my mind all these years ! “Here come I, Beelzebub !” "
Tommy Saville 2015
Rushbearing
Rush bearing is an old English festival in which rushes are collected, carried to the Parish Church and spread upon the floor.
The tradition dates back to the time when buildings had earthen floors and the rushes were used as a form of renewable floor covering for cleanliness and insulation.
For a hundred years or more it was a major annual event in Lymm and has been revived more recently in limited form
Morris Dancing
Morris dancing is a regular feature of Lymm life and Lymm Morris dancers and other Morris sides can regularly be seen performing at the Lymm May Queen Festival, the Rushbearing and Dickensian Festival. Although there are many theories about the origins of Morris dancing, the only certainty is that it has been a feature of English life for a long time, with the earliest written reference to it being from 1448.