1. Anyone accustomed to New Year’s Eve nights out in York will tell you about the long-standing tradition of ‘ringing’ in the year at York Minster, where crowds gather to hear the bells chime at midnight, but did you know that, in recent years, the bell-ringing has only been cancelled three times, once due to a lack of staff, and twice due to COVID-19?
2. It’s common knowledge that the famed Gunpowder Plotter Guy Fawkes was a Yorkie (born in Stonegate and baptised at St Michael le Belfry), but did you know that April this year will mark the 456th (approximate) anniversary of Guy Fawkes’ birth? How time flies!
3. Another approaching anniversary worth shouting about is the invention of the ice cream sundae, which is said to have occurred 133 years ago – but did you know that this sweet treat was reportedly invented at none other than Terry’s of York, in 1892?
4. Did you know that, in days gone by, Yorkies would use the first new moon after New Year’s Day as a tool to help them find the love of their lives? It was thought that, by looking at the first moon and reciting a specific rhyme before bed, lonely locals would be able to identify future partners in their dreams…
5. It’s said that there’s a pub in York for every day of the year, but did you know that, according to CAMRA, there are actually around 450 pubs in its York area branch, with 300 of those selling real ale?
6. Did you know that nearby Driffield is the birthplace of a long-practised New Year’s tradition called ‘penny scrambling’, where sweets or coins are chucked into the air along to a rhyme, which are collected by local children? It’s still carried out to this day…
7. Another good luck charm favoured by Yorkies of the past occurred just before midnight on New Year’s Eve, when saying the phrases “black rabbits, black rabbits, black rabbits” (followed by “white rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits” at the strike of 12.00) was thought to bring blessings for the coming year.
8. According to the New Year’s Eve tradition of ‘first-footing’, to secure good fortune for the months ahead, the first visitor to one’s home each year must be a dark-haired man, known as a ‘Lucky Bird’ or ‘Lucky Bod’. While it’s said to originate in neighbouring Lancashire, this superstition also became prominent in Yorkshire…
9. York is famed for its association with the Vikings, but did you know that at the nearby Flamborough Fire Festival, re-enactors continue to honour a Viking tradition by cleansing the air of the last year’s spirits with fire, every New Year’s Day?
10. Another Yorkshire tradition that continues to this day is the New Year’s Day Dip, where ‘dippers’ brave the elements to enter the cold water at South Bay, Scarborough, often in fancy dress. Brrrrrrr!
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