Haxey Hood 2012

Haxey Hood is one of the ancient mass-participation festival games and is the earliest in the year, sometimes taking place in snow. Instead of a football, the players use twelve "hoods" which are leather and sack tubes about 2 feet long; the villagers of Haxey and neighbouring Westwoodside compete to get the hood inside their pub to score. The winner's pub gets to keep the Hood until the following year. The official legend behind the game is that it all started back in the Fourteenth Century when Lady de Mowbray dropped her hood and the locals chased and caught it; she was so amused by the event that she donated land to the village on condition that the event was re-enacted each year. Four factions play and their pubs are the Carpenters Arms, Duke William and the Loco which are all in Haxey and the Kings Arms in Westwoodside. The game is presided over by a team of 12 umpires called Boggins dressed in red tops who are accompanied by a fool wearing rags. Before the game, the Fool is ritually smoked (he's not set on fire...not quite) while he makes a speech at the Mounting Stone outside the church, then the games begin when the Hoods are thrown on Haxey Hill nearby. The main event is the competition for the final "Sway Hood" -- a huge scrum forms known as the Sway and it heaves back and forth as players strugle to get to their pubs with it. Play often continues well after dark.
For more information on this and other British Calendar Customs, visit calendarcustoms.com/

[@denniscuddles]

An excellent selection of shots. Thank you.

[@stover14]

Never give up your traditions.

[@Beatlefan67]

Absolutely fantastic. Long may it continue.

[@JimmysBeardT440]

We should form a league. Bring the Haxey to Kirkwall,

[@carolwilson6317]

I just love this game and video. Carol mWilsonX

[@sebastian122]

"Hoose agen hoose, toon agen toon, if a man meets a man knock 'im doon, but doan't 'ot 'im!"