SIDEBAR

Olney Pancake Race

0 comments
Feb 07 2008

Traffic stops at 11.55 am on Shrove Tuesday for the ladies of Olney to make their annual 415 yard dash from the Market Place to Church. Participants, housewives or young ladies of the town, must wear the traditional costume of a housewife, including a skirt, apron and head covering and they must of course carry a frying pan containing a pancake.

Under orders from the Starter, pancakes are tossed just prior to the starting signal, and only then after a flippin’ quick dash to the finishing line, is the winner again required to toss her pancake, before being declared the winner and greeted with a kiss from the Verger. All who finish the course are then expected to attend the Shriving Service which follows in the Parish Church, during which official Olney and Liberal prizes are presented.

Dating back more than five hundred years, no one is quite certain how the world famous race originated, but the most widely accepted story tells of a harassed housewife, hearing the shriving bell, dashing off to the Church still clutching her frying pan containing a pancake.

 

Submit a Comment

two × three =

Share

About this blog

The vast majority of posts in this blog are about quirky & eccentric competitions & festivals. I started it in 2006 in France with a competition I’ll never forget. Where contestants battle it out to become the World Champion Pig Squeeler, or ‘Cri du Cochon’. I had little knowledge back then of quite how far my pursuit of these kind of events would lead me. I’ve travelled all over Britain (and occasionally further afield) to capture our curiosities and quirks. There’s nothing uniquely eccentric about the British, you’ll find people all over the world up to all sorts of weird and wonderful activities, but we do have a remarkable capacity to embrace the madness. ‘A Brit Different’ is the book that was born from it, my labour of love! So what next? There’s always something interesting going on, so watch this space, only time will tell!

Categories