Autumn 2019Littleborough Rushbearing Festival 2019

Rushbearing

Rushbearing began in the 10th century when Pope Gregory decreed that rushes should be taken to church on its Saints Day to cover the earth floor for warmth.

At Grasmere in Cumbria, the rushes are still carried, but in Lancashire and parts of Yorkshire the procession became more elaborate with the rushes being conveyed on decorated carts.

The tradition continued in many areas until Victorian times when it was banned for encouraging ‘drunkenness and lewd behaviour’.

Rushcart

The annual Littleborough Rushbearing Festival weekend begins on a Saturday in July with a procession from the King Bill before parading to St Barnabas’ Church for a blessing.

From there, it moves on to Littleborough Square for morris dancing and ‘mumming’ outside the Wheatsheaf Pub and onwards to Hare Hill Park for the final dances and a multitude of activities.

On Sunday, after dancing at The Wine Press the rushcart procession heads to The Waterside, before parading to the Square and presenting the rushes at Holy Trinity Church.

Oakenhoof

Littleborough Rushbearing was revived in 1991 by Rochdale Morris. The project was successfully achieved with the help of Littleborough Action Group and has become an important part of Littleborough’s calendar of events.

It is now organised by Littleborough Events and Associations Forum (LEAF) in conjunction with Littleborough Oakenhoof Cloggers.