February

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st

Lady Day: This is the special feast day of the White Lady of Poynton. After Eadwulf ceased to be known as the Prince of Strangers and became accepted as the Prince of Adlington, Snowdrop, the beautiful princess of Ladybrook married him in Princes Wood. She is said to have brought great luck to all Little Folk, and was as well known for her kindness as she was for her beauty. Snowdrop was also a fine poet.

Today, even the Stompers have tales of the White Lady, who has been seen on occasions as an apparition at what used to be the Folk Centre!

 

Full Moon: 

Mooncake Festival. Always celebrated on the occasion of February's full moon, this feast not only celebrates the moon, but also the gradual returning of the strength of the Sun. Little Folk make mooncakes, identical to our pancakes, which resemble both the sun and the full moon, and a great fuss is made over the largest and the highest-tossed cake.

 

The Great Trugby Match or The Hurling of the Conkerball:

The day after Mooncake, Little Folk are inevitably feeling very full and portly! The Great Trugby Match helps them to lose those extra pounds. Trugby was traditionally played by Trugs using the largest conker collected the previous Autumn as a ball. The game was started at Trugs I'th Hole and goalposts were set up at Skellorn Green and Four Lane Ends. Sometimes the game would last all day! Teams were and still are organised by the Hogboons, the difference now being that all Little Folk are allowed to play, not Trugs alone. The day has been renamed because of this and is now officially called Conkerball although most folk still refer to it as Trugby!

 

14th

Swaddledidaff: This is an old Cheshire word meaning something like 'sweetheart'. Trugs and other Little Folk send small anonymous gifts by way of Throstles (thrushes) and the Crows of Crow Wood. Little Folk couples celebrate this day by visiting Stonehead where promises are made.