Skipping Day 2014

4years 134days

Those of you who've followed our journal a while will know that Katie and I were both born in Scarborough. I was raised in Scarborough. There are traditions that are part of a Scarborough childhood that I feel I would like (almost should!!) pass on and share with my girl. One of these is Skipping Day, known widely as Shrove Tuesday. For Scarborough children, along with the pancakes, there is the excitement of the yearly skipping on the Foreshore. They close it to cars for the afternoon and young & old head down and enjoy some bracing sea air and a good old fashioned skip.

Because where we live is not Scarborough, skipping ropes are, it seems, less readily available. It took me until this afternoon to replace Katie's, despite a two week search! But I picked her up early and we had a lovely time together skipping up and down our drive with her new skipping rope. Granny and Grandad arrived shortly after and we all had a bit more skipping time, this time trying it her jumping as we twirled the rope. A quick pasta tea before pancakes followed.


The Skipping Day Tradition
Scarborough has a tradition established since at least 1903, and possibly before, of a mass long-rope skipping event on Shrove Tuesday, on the South Bay Foreshore. It is suggested that its origins lie in the local fishermen sorting their ropes and nets at this time of year, and giving those not fit for fishing to children. Since at least 1853 a dignitary or celebrity has rung a special bell at noon on Shrove Tuesday, supposedly to signal to housewives that they should begin pancake making when the tradition began. These days the bell is rung by the mayor or deputy mayor, to signal the start of the skipping. Schools participate, and hundreds of adults including those in their seventies take part. When the event is at its height there can be thousands involved
BritishFolkCustoms.com