If the Easter Bunny has already lost its spring and choccy treats are no longer engaging your Easter interest, you may wish that you had been born at a time when Easter Lifting or Heaving was a popular pastime.
In those heady days before health and safety legislation, on the Monday after Easter, men would lift women up (sometimes on a specially decorated chair) and demand a ‘ransom’. On the following Tuesday the women would do the lifting and the men would pay to be placed down on terra firma. The ‘ransom’ was then handed over to the parish church. The custom was supposed to refer to the Resurrection of Christ, but many argue that it could have been pre-Christian in origin.
Pace-Egging in Northern parts of England
Meanwhile, in the Northern Counties of England the locals are still enjoying a spot of Pace-Egging. Originally this involved young men performing a play in return for eggs and gifts. Recently, the play has been dropped and the custom now involves children asking for gifts from their neighbours; a bit like Halloween trick or treating.
