Custom · Abbots Bromley · Famous
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Old antlers, old tune, no one remembers why.
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Street custom around the parish on Wakes Monday; the horns hang in the church. Check dates before you go.
Eleventh-century reindeer antlers, carried through a Staffordshire village all day. Nobody knows why.
Each September on Wakes Monday, Abbots Bromley's horn dancers collect their reindeer antlers from St Nicholas' Church and dance round the parish all day. Six carry horns, joined by a Hobby Horse, Maid Marian, a Fool and a youth with bow and arrow, with music. One horn has been radiocarbon dated to the 11th century. A hobby horse is recorded here in 1532 and the horns in Plot's 1686 history. Many sources claim a start at the St Bartholomew's fair in 1226, but Wikipedia finds no evidence. In 2026 the dance fell on Monday 7 September, starting at the church at 8am.