Connecting with the natural world around you this summer, instead of spending your free days doom-scrolling, can be a great way to reduce stress and create fun memories with friends.
These five ideas will not only connect you with the natural world, but also put you in touch with British heritage and lore.
1. Get ‘well dressed’
Well dressing is a custom that takes place across the Peak District and Derbyshire over the summer months. Members of local communities collaborate to create stunning art pieces to adorn their local wells. There are often made from flowers and other natural materials, such as clay and seeds.
In a phrase that is painfully familiar to folklore researchers, the origins of well dressings are “lost to the mists of time”. But according to some researchers, the custom first became significant in the 17th century. The ritual was an act of gratitude, to mark the county largely being spared from the plague.
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Today, villages in Derbyshire and the Peak District display their dressings throughout the summer. The Peak District isn’t on everyone’s doorstep, but why not get some inspiration from the custom to create your own well dressing? Create something that reflects you, the year, or your hopes for the summer to bring some folklore into your life.
2. Go strawberry picking
Not just for Wimbledon, strawberries have a wealth of history and folklore that you can enjoy. The sweet berry itself has been part of the UK’s summer diet since as early as the 16th century, when they were first transplanted from the wild to our gardens.
Even earlier than this, strawberries were featured in medieval devotional manuscripts, where they were used as a Christian symbol of goodness and purity. They have also been used as symbols of forgiveness, love and hope at different times and in different cultures throughout history.
Next time you’re dolloping some cream on your strawberries, pause and think about the ways that they’ve been used in the past and if that resonates with you in the moment. This summer is set to be a delicious one, with the wet weather we’ve seen resulting in bigger and juicier berries. So, to get the most out of your strawberries, pick your own this summer at one of the many pick-your-own fruit farms around the country. Most farms will have their opening times online, with any information you need to enjoy your picking.
3. Support your local morris dancers
Morris dancing is one of the more recognisable of English folk traditions, dating back for centuries. It is a form of folk dancing with many different regional and stylistic variations that is performed all over the country, often accompanied by live folk music.
Morris dancing can be traced back to the 15th century in England, when it was a type of courtly dance. The “modern morris” that we are more familiar with today emerged during the 1700s.
As a national pastime, morris dancing was a key focus in the early 20th-century English folk revival, as a point of particular interest for English collector of folk songs and dances Cecil Sharp. While Sharp viewed morris as a man’s pursuit, recent years have seen a wave of new interest from women in the custom.
There was a spotlight on it in 2023 when Stroud-based all-female side (the correct term for a morris group) Boss Morris performed on stage at the Brit Awards with the band Wet Leg.
While the average age of those involved in morris errs towards 50 plus, there are some areas of the country reporting an increase in younger involvement. Having spoken to some members of Boss Morris, and watched the more contemporary performance styles now developing in some morris sides, the passion and fun that are displayed make it a joy to watch and a tempting pastime to get involved in.
4. Watch the sun
We don’t all have access to green spaces and rolling hills, but watching the sunrise and sunset is free and a great way to have a moment of calm and reflection in your day.
If nothing else this summer, try to make time to turn your eyes to the sky and watch the day begin and end, making a note of the time of day the sun will rise and set.
5. Enjoy the long days (while they last)
June 20 was the longest day of the year, also known as midsummer or litha, and it has long served as an integral point of the ritual year. The days between this date and the autumn equinox on September 22, where the hours of daylight and night are perfectly equal, are the rest of our summer.
So celebrate the summer by making the most of the longer days while they’re here. For the early birds, taking a hike up to a nearby high point to see the sunrise is a great way to use every second of the longer days. If you’re more of a night owl, lighting a bonfire for luck and protection is a traditional pre-Christian celebration to extend the light, and adds a bit more mystery to the average barbecue. Just be sure to do so safely.