WHY IS THIS A THING?!?! Americans React "The Flaming Tar Barrels of Ottery St Mary 2019"

[@Davey-Boyd]

You missed the bit where he said children are given smaller barrels. The day starts with the children's barrels, then the ladies then the men's. Ottery is the only place where it is acceptable to set fire to your kids once a year. It's nuts to experience, especially as all the adults and most of the crowd are drunk.

[@camerachica73]

I think the kids have to be 7 years old to carry a barrel. There's a documentary on YT about it and the kids all see it as a badge of honour, especially when they're showing off their burns at school the next day!

[@laughingachilles]

Of course they're drunk! What kind of weirdo would do this sober?

[@hayleyblackmore6569]

@@laughingachilles no the crowd are drunk the rollers are sober

[@laughingachilles]

@@hayleyblackmore6569 Humour isn't your thing is it.

[@hayleyblackmore6569]

@@laughingachilles I can be funny but it’s not fair if everyone thinks we’re all drunk when doing a tradition that we all love in our town when it’s the one day a year that’s about us and our family backgrounds and it’s the one day a year that everybody in the town looks forward too

[@graemeo3440]

Before starting this channel... "Oh the British are so cultured and restrained." After starting this channel "What drugs are you on!"

[@slayerrocks2]

From the rainiest, most mountainous part of the UK; Use a stick to hit a stone repeatedly, for hundreds of yards, and the one who gets it in the hole in the least number of hits, wins. Best of 18. That one actually caught on.

[@Wrathnar_the_Unreasonable]

"Are y'all insane?" Nah, we're just eccentric. "WHYYY????" Because this sort of thing is what being British is all about. Traditions like this are what gave rise to everything from the stiff upper lip to Monty Python, it's all rooted in our rich (and admittedly daft) cultural heritage.

[@johnwilliamson4055]

There are a lot of winter fire festivals around Britain. You might like the Up Helly Aaa festival from Shetland (they burn a viking ship) or the Stonehaven Fireballs Ceremony where they swing fireballs around their heads

[@fionadutton8149]

And they predate Guy Fawkes

[@andrewmoss3681]

The Up Aaa festival is a great one to go to. I got to go a few years ago & it was great

[@Yvo19]

HA. 'Mon Stoney!

[@donaldstewart3128]

They have one in Allendale, Northumberland.

[@samsprrr3548]

Up hello aaa is fabulous please Watch you will love it.

[@lucyslot6284]

I’m from Ottery St Mary and my four children have been rolling the the flaming tar barrels since they were 7 years old. They are now 17, 19, 21 and 22. It’s an amazing tradition and an awesome night out.

[@rachelpenny5165]

It is also wonderful to see. I grew up near Winkleigh and we would go to this before it got so busy. I was a child then and will be 49 around Christmas. Used to enjoy going and to keep an eye out so you didn't get in the way of the person carrying the barrel. Hatherleigh used to due something similar with the burning barrels when I was a child, but I don't think that they do it now. If they do it this year, hope you and your family enjoy yourselves, and your kids don't get hurt too much. Best wishes

[@lucyslot6284]

@@rachelpenny5165 thanks!! Much excitement here tonight. Three are rolling the barrels this year. My 21 year is pregnant 🤰 so is having an enforced year off!!! Can’t wait until tomorrow 😆😆😆

[@BaselessClaimYT]

From uffculme and can confirm, its ace. Good cider too.

[@home2624]

Great British traditions thriving. Brilliant 👏👍

[@JoBaker-s8q]

My home! Ottery St Mary is in Devon in the Southwest of the UK. My best friend was a barrel roller and my family and I went every year until I moved away, from a very young child. My Dad used to carry me on his shoulders - it was the most amazing night of the year - we never thought of it as dangerous. But when I took my husband once (he is from London), he thought we were all bonkers! The barrels are run by teams of people, each team affiliated with one of the pubs in the town. Not anyone can be a barrel roller - you have to have a familial connection. My friend came from an old barrel rolling family, and we used to help him get ready. They don't wear anything fire retardant - they wear lots of rugby tops, and a large supply of hessian sacks from the local farms which go around the back of the neck as padding, and also stitched into quarters to make the makeshift gloves you can see in this video. The link with Bonfire (Guy Fawkes) night is strong - on the same night we have a huge Bonfire next to the River Otter on which a traditional Guy is burned, and a fairground, pop up stands, and all the pubs are open late. It also used to be the culmination of the carnival season in our area (although I think this is on a different night now), where you'd also have loads of colourful floats, torchlight parades, majorettes etc. A wonderful tradition!

[@shaunbyrne9037]

Now you can see the stereotypical image of us Brits is not quite accurate 😉 . We are mostly gloriously eccentric , slightly bonkers and love things that may well put you in hospital . 😃 .

[@petegiant]

"What kinda drugs are y'all on?" is a seal of approval as far as I'm concerned.

[@Gilly9244]

Honestly, I love our weird traditions, part of what makes Britain great 💪🏻🇬🇧 although some are fucking odd😂 gotta remember we’re old as fuck as a nation and old habits die hard 👍🏻😂

[@handsolo1209]

The supposed origin of this was lighting warning beacons when enemy ships were spotted off the coast and people ran with flaming barrels to light the beacons to raise the alarm.

[@emperorleachicus2199]

That doesn’t make much sense considering Ottery isn’t a coastal town and of the many supposed origins this is one I’ve never heard from someone who actually lives there.

[@handsolo1209]

@@emperorleachicus2199 Yeah, when an enemy is attacking, why the hell alert anyone who is inland? Also, Ottery is SOOO far from the coast (a whopping 3 miles!!!!! (how could any human travel such a distance?)........ No, the whole point is that beacons were lit on the coast when the enemy was spotted and then people ran to the town with burning barrels to raise the alarm. This event is supposed to represent the relay of the tar barrels FROM the coast to the town. That is the logic behind that theory of the origin. Maybe it's true, maybe it's some other reason, but that is now lost to time unfortunately and we can only speculate and try to form logical conclusions. With this country being so eccentric in many ways though, the most illogical answer could be the truth.

[@emperorleachicus2199]

@@handsolo1209 what I’m saying is that I’ve lived in Ottery almost all my life and that theory has never been said by anyone who actually lives there. You can’t see the coast from Ottery, if someone was lighting beacons to warn of ships it would be a coastal town like Sidmouth with the tradition, not Ottery.

[@MrHpw0311]

I was there last week . One of the organisers told me it started to ward off the plague in the 1600's. Only people from Ottery can carry a barrel. Big barrels are over 100kg.

[@Wotsitorlabart]

​@@MrHpw0311 Victorian- earliest reference from 1850's.

[@lunapuella2611]

You have to love the UK. A million ridiculous health and safety laws...and then we have this 🤣

[@Maxmillion77]

Yeah "tradition" trumps all

[@Jabber-ig3iw]

What health and safety laws do you think are ridiculous? The ones that keep people alive? The ones that have dramatically cut the deaths and serious injuries at work? Curse all those people who are still alive because of safety.🙄🙄🙄🙄

[@lunapuella2611]

@@Jabber-ig3iw nope. Not those ones 🙄 Not up for an argument with a stranger. Plenty which make no sense to people with a modicum of common sense. If you don't think so that's fine.

[@willrichardson519]

We have about the best Health and Safety going, apparently

[@lizthompson9653]

"Why?" Cos its ottery and the people are fiercely proud of the tradition and yes it is terrifying ! Also we are brits, enough said 🙂

[@spearhafoc]

Now you know why we've banned guns. Flip knows what crazy sports we'd find to do with them.

[@marccoote9106]

Fun fact. There was shooting galleries in pubs

[@mervinmannas7671]

Yes cried laughing at this comment because its too true to even contemplate

[@aTiminCambodia]

I saw myself a couple of times in this vid. My mrs and I were on our first date. :) You guys missed the part where they said the children get given smaller barrels on fire to carry.

[@photoisca7386]

I have actually seen this and can say that I'm glad to be ineligible to take part. At any other time Ottery is very quiet and yes the Garden centre is the hot spot of town.

[@111safwat]

"This is a f#cked up version of Donkey Kong" This had me rolling around with laughter

[@robertharris2262]

Where do you think the inspiration for Donkey Kong came from?

[@GSD-hd1yh]

America v Britain. Americans - "Why?", Britons - "Why not?"

[@garethlloyd4731]

🤣 lol knew you two would love it 🔥 i used to live not that far away and its a great night out in winter 🇬🇧

[@amyw6808]

You earned a sub! I was raised only a few miles away from Ottery. Love tar barrels!!

[@fionadutton8149]

I think you missed the bit about children using smaller barrels

[@jaseydalts]

Im from Ottery, the Barrels was on last Tuesday., awesome as always. To clear up a question you seemed to have, the 'fabric' gloves, are a couple of hessian sacks quartered, and sewn together with wire, so there are several layers between the hands and fire. Though after a few barrel carries those layers do burn down. A lot of the barrelers will wear scarves to build up afew layers of fabric on the back of their necks too, but they still do get burns sometimes....and are proud of them :)

[@kurtcraig3421]

you missed the part that shows young children carrying the smaller ones

[@lextex3280]

The tradition comes from lighting beacons to warn of the oncoming enemy. Why we do it ,?. There is no why. We just do it, it's the UK 🇬🇧. You Don't need drugs, just a shed load of tea 🍵. And as I have said before, We love our traditions. Its all sh*ts and giggles guys. If you like our weird traditions then You two need to Check out "bog snorkeling". 😂.

[@emperorleachicus2199]

Any actual source for that, I’ve never heard it from anyone that actually lives in Ottery.

[@Wotsitorlabart]

​@@emperorleachicus2199 Earliest reference is from 1850's.

[@kellyhawkes3191]

You've got to check out the town of Lewes bonfire night parade, it's brilliant.

[@david22591]

@6:45 The children are given smaller ones as the big ones aren't safe for them.

[@jaseydalts]

the last 'childrens' barrel is bigger, nearly the size of some of the intermediate barrels for adults, so is done by teenagers. The smallest kids at the earliest barrels could fit entirely inside a full adults barrel!

[@ezza9578]

Get yourselves over here and have some fun, but before you come ask yourself this, are you nuts enough to join in? 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿❤

[@arsemcscratch6908]

This sort of stuff was the reason we had the biggest empire the world has ever seen.

[@midgure]

Another weird sport is Kabadi. Used to get up at 5am every weekend to watch it on Trans~World Sport. One person from a team has to enter the opposing team's territory whilst holding their breath and chanting 'kabadi kabadi kabadi kabadi,' tag an opponent and make it back to their own territory without being taken down. The team that they're invading must always be linked. Its bloody ace

[@midgure]

@@kypdur4746 Hahahaha :D

[@vaudevillian7]

That’s how I discovered Aussie Rules back in the day

[@midgure]

@@vaudevillian7 Sadly lost. It was a gateway to so much cool stuff

[@dexstewart2450]

You've got to where we are, just we were raised with this weird shit: accept it exists, never try and understand it, and get on with your life

[@chrisshelley3027]

Something similar is done in the North of England in a place called Allandale, I think it used to be a race with burning tar barrels, but more recently its become a procession with quite a number of people carrying burning tar barrels in the cobbled streets, the cobbles add to the difficulty of course, which adds to the fun, it's done to bring in the new year, there are videos on here of it, just be sure to type Allendale so the search engine knows which idiots you mean. Thanks for showing this and keep up the excellent work :)

[@mark..A]

Allendale only carry a small section of barrel . Ottery carry whole ones

[@overthewebb]

One word for you guys...History...that's it. I realise America has history, but your history is as old as my house. I love you guys and your reactions btw. But then again, our history is also your history.

[@timglennon6814]

As one person has said. How about a reaction on Bogsnorkling.

[@daveofyorkshire301]

Look into November 5th Bonfire/Guy Fawkes night... Have you ever seen V for Vendetta, it's the basis behind the story.... Try nettle eating, and I'm not talking making soup or tea, you eat raw nettles, the one the eats the most wins... Now you might understand British temperament a little better. Now imagine the leadership, let this craziness happen on your doorstep or point them outward and let them explore, invent and where necessary fight when it's useful.

[@spearhafoc]

V for Vendetta and those silly Guy Fawkes masks is not a good place to start looking for information on Bonfire Night. I would suggest some good history books on the Gunpowder Plot, Robert Catesby or the reign of James I. Maybe even searching for reliable websites on the same subject. Hollywood History is shit fictional history.

[@karlosthejackel69]

V for vendetta was just a political hit job wasn’t it? A film made by the same old people

[@daveofyorkshire301]

@@karlosthejackel69 Did you even bother to look into its history? _V for Vendetta is a British graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd (with additional art by Tony Weare). Initially published, starting in 1982, in black and white as an ongoing serial in the short-lived UK anthology Warrior, it morphed into a ten-issue limited series published by DC Comics_

[@karlosthejackel69]

@@daveofyorkshire301 yes, do you even use your eyes.

[@daveofyorkshire301]

@@karlosthejackel69 What have my eyes got to do with anything?

[@Grumpy-Goblin]

I knew you'd enjoy this, brilliant reaction as usual guys. I think all these things are due to the fact we have a long history which most of the time we've been at war with someone somewhere and when we weren't at war then folks got bored and came up with stuff like this :'-D :'-D

[@RyanKeane9]

Hows about a bit of bog snorkelling next guys

[@timglennon6814]

Now that’s just as mad.

[@jinxvrs]

The best part of that will be them trying to pronounce Llanwrtyd

[@RyanKeane9]

@@jinxvrs I tried once and broke my tongue!

[@kengregory6026]

Haha you got here chaps,nice one...I'm from Ottery St Mary (known as Ottregians)..364 days of the year,a lovely quiet small town in E Devon..Tar Barrels IS bonkers ,actually pre-dates Guy Fawkes,people assume as its held on 5th Nov they're connected..town of 8500+ can become 25000 if it falls on a Saturday..I see the barrellers the following afternoon,,sharing a pint ,stories and their enormous burn blisters lol...cheers...take care...peace love and bananas....:)

[@jaseydalts]

its not that quiet on Pixie day when the bleddy kids are screaming! lol

[@gigmcsweeney8566]

Kids have their own barrels, which are a bit smaller.

[@lawsonbriggs5416]

I fucking love this country

[@rachelpenny5165]

This is fun. I grew up on the edge of Dartmoor. I went to this when I was a child and the streets of Ottery weren't so full or crowded. We learnt to keep out of the way of the person carrying the barrel. But it was fun to watch and we enjoyed it. A similar thing used to be held in a town much closer to where we lived, Hatherleigh. We used to go there more often. I don't know if it's still going on in Hatherleigh. The orginal reason for doing this at all has been forgotten long ago.

[@laurabogar3956]

For a land founded by Britons, Celts, Saxons and Danes, a paltry game of baseball, for example, would simply not be enough. Lol.

[@jillosler9353]

I can just imagine you describing this to your friends the next day! 🤣 "Man, you won't believe what those crazy Brits do for fun" 🤣🤣🤣

[@jaseydalts]

im from Ottery, and have lived/worked in a few countries in Europe, as well as in China and Australia...seeing the look of disbelief on people's faces as i describe our town's tradition is always entertaining 🤣

[@vaudevillian7]

As you paused in the middle I think you missed where he said “the kids get smaller barrels instead”...

[@mikexcity]

I live about 10 miles from Ottery and you go knowing full well you're likely to get hurt to some degree.

[@sorscha1308]

Every village/town seems to have some mad old tradition like this. As simple as duck races or scarecrow competitions in some or things like the Knaresborough Bed Race to proper mad, life threatening stuff like this. We just seem to like a bit of an eccentric traditional annual challenge.

[@littlemy1773]

I’m in the Isle of Man. We go from the insanity and speed of the TT races, to the tin bath races 🤣

[@philipwhitehouse330]

Another oddly eccentric but British fun pastime is Morris Dancing. Usually attached to village Fetes around May where men dress up in hideous costumes with bells attached to them and dance around each other hitting each other with sticks clubs and swords. Started around 1446. Apparently there are Morris dancing teams in a lot of the commonwealth countries including North America. Brilliant to watch. Love to see your reaction. Different villages have their own style of dancing. Very British eccentricity

[@emilydavis7475]

It’s grand. Lived here for the last 8 years. One of the barrels is right outside my house. Its THE BEST!

[@lynnejamieson2063]

With Ottery St Mary widely regarded as the inspiration for Ottery St Catchpole where the Weasley’s and Lovegood’s live in the Harry Potter series, I think they probably get a fair amount of tourists for that reason alone, never mind the fact that it’s a pretty town and that The Westcountry (south west England) is a massive draw for tourists.

[@jaseydalts]

yeah, JKR went to Exeter Uni, so was familiar with Ottery. We don;t get Potter tourists in town though, not that ive heard of. There arent any plaques, or other Potter related stuff in the town, though, so nothing is done to encourage to connection

[@lynnejamieson2063]

@ it’s been such a long time since I visited Ottery St Mary but it is absolutely beautiful. I expect that there may be quite a few fans of the films that don’t even realise that The Burrow and Luna’s home are in the same area or even that the area is called Ottery St Catchpole but I’d honestly have thought that fans of the books would have it on their lists of places to visit. So it does surprise me that they are creating extra footfall…maybe being an inspiration isn’t important enough for some…though that could definitely be a good thing.

[@jaseydalts]

@@lynnejamieson2063 maybe if there was a building in the town that could be described as being the Dursley's house it would work, but the description of it in the books is too vague

[@thanksbob638]

Bridgwater Carnival in Somerset finishes with some traditional squibbing. You should look it up. Oldest carnival in the UK, biggest illuminated one in Europe. It's mainly an excuse to spend all year getting drunk with friends building the float, taking it around Somerset and getting drunk in different towns, finishing with a massive party where.. you get drunk. 😁

[@joestretch5570]

Come to the U.K, do some mad sh!t. Have a pint, have a fight over a ball, launch some flaming barrels about the place and roll down a big hill. Who needs Buckingham Palace?

[@christineirving4491pluviophile]

Knew this one would get ya. You don't ask "why"? Just accept that if it involves we Brits, it's going to get bizarre. If you're looking for another slice of British weirdness, there's always the 'International Birdman Competition'.

[@boffgirl]

Bog snorkeling, welly tossing, nettle eating, river football, wife carrying, man vs horse cross country race....still some other strange sports

[@nikkihayes5411]

They missed the sarcastic "so they give the kids smaller barrels (of fire)" p.s. i live just up the road from Ottery and you can smell it for days plus the sound of banjos😁🔥🛢️

[@willrichardson519]

Ah, banjos, all the way from Africa

[@Peter-eu7wp]

What, you don't do this in the US? 😂😂

[@dexstewart2450]

Ah lads - check out The Mari Lwyd: going door to door, with a horse's skull, doing rap battles for booze

[@AprilJMoon]

After watching a few of our local sports/customs you need to know that it is male, female and kids that do these. Hmm after typing that, I realise why our woman have more balls than a lot of men in other countries

[@angelalongworth1754]

My profile is a pic of my daughter carrying a barrel. She started at the age of ten and became the first girl on history to win 'Young Barrel Roller of the Year'

[@JG-fv9bv]

Something a little tamer ..but involves lots of beer .....Nettle Eating Championships

[@samthemac17]

I've been several times over the years. Maybe a good 5/6 times. It's an unreal time. Everyone drunk and merry, in a lovely little town in the arse end of nowhere. Brilliant.

[@alex-E7WHU]

Arse end of nowhere...😂 love that expression 👍

[@steevenfrost]

Imagine how Elf and Safety must be having nightmares. You ask why? We're British! That's why we had an empire, nothing phases us.

[@ominousjorts]

I've actually been to the Ottery St Mary tar barrels! It's incredible and ridiculous. I got there pretty early so I got spots near the front earlier in the evening and you can really feel it - they're not mucking around. Those barrels are really, really hot.

[@lennycook206]

Lewes fireworks is worthy of a comparison. Massive event with a dark history. Went in 2011 with a new girl and a head full of X. It was amazing!

[@aTiminCambodia]

Theres the bonfires of northern Ireland you might like. They make towers out of pallets ridiculously high and then set them on light.

[@starsailor9774]

And cars...... and police vans ....

[@PeDr0.UY131]

It is good to see how they react to cultural traditions from other regions, even if they seem very crazy, it is the culture of that place. Continue like this👍 , I recommend other traditions but in Spain: "festival de la tomatina". "Humans towers of Catalonia" and "Encierros de San Fermin"🦬🦬🦬

[@andrewtims9524]

Being from just down the road in Beer we don't see this as unusual or dangerous really, gotta have some fun with a bit of danger thrown in, it's only once a year after all!

[@amyw6808]

I was raised in Beer. My parents still live there!

[@Arksimon2k]

I've been to this! My friend from uni is from that town and we all went, had some drinks and got charged at by a big guy with a flaming barrel. Just great event all round. I believe its an old tradition to do with banishing demons or something.

[@nathanhopkins2480]

I'm from Exeter which is about a 15 minute drive from Ottery. Been tar barrels plenty of times. Great night 😁

[@braunblender]

lol just cam here from your Atherstone ball game video. ive had the joy of living in both of these towns. while the ball game is pure violence the tar barrels are a great spectacle. They also do/did a kids and womens version earlier in the night and i believe its the rugby team that run with it. its pretty exciting seeing half a dozen BIG ARSED men charging towards you with a barrel of flaming death on their back.

[@unsteadywreck386]

Loving the vids guys!

[@jonathangoll2918]

One unusual event that hasn't been mentioned in the Abbot's Bromley Horn Dance. Dancers go round the village carrying deer antlers in their heads. (It's serious for the locals, so it's not just a spectator sport.) The astonishing fact is that the antlers - kept in the Church - have been radio-carbon-tested, and they're reindeer antlers from the Middle Ages! The folklorists tend to be sniffy about ancient origins for these celebrations, because the first written records are often quite late; but I suspect that there are ancient pagan origins for these ceremonies. With the Horn Dance, it really looks like sympathetic magic about hunting deer.

[@Wotsitorlabart]

Nothing to do with pagans- that's just wishful thinking.

[@martindunstan8043]

Guys saw in comments about bog snorkeling and it's worth a watch 👍

[@timglennon6814]

They are crazy people in Sidmouth. I’ve never seen this done in Manchester.

[@steevenfrost]

Regards to Sidmouth not too far from Ottery St Mary. Lovely little town.

[@eddiebirdie1545]

Up north the outside of the barrel would be lit as well

[@amyw6808]

Sidmouth? This is Ottery St Mary. Sidmouth folk don’t qualify to do it.

[@timglennon6814]

@@eddiebirdie1545. True. 😆

[@eddiebirdie1545]

We're all a little bit nuts in Britain as far as the rest of the world is concerned i suggest that we keep it that way, you must be young I'm 52 and still learning,!!! But our understanding and heratage has gone on longer than any other, live love and prosper ,

[@glastonbury4304]

I lived in Ottery , great times 🍻🍻🎉

[@teamtommo6401]

And the garden centre does a wicked breakfast!😂

[@gerainthughes2088]

in the the uk if you want to hold any event you have to fill in health and safety forms and carry out risk assessment and i would love to see the risk assessment for some of theses sports

[@bluehatfencingcoach]

I've had a theory that it's called 'barrel rolling' because they probably used to roll them along until some dude said "I bet I can carry it" given it happens in various streets I always assumed it was something to do with fumigation but if it's about lighting beacons it would make sense if there was a reward for who got there first to light the beacons to race against each other to try and get their barrel to the beacons first.

[@hayleyblackmore6569]

You guys should come and watch them in person it’s such a great atmosphere but even better when you do it yourself it’s a complete adrenaline rush

[@charlescarter9600]

you should check out up helly aa in the shetland islands if you like fire displays,you will be amazed

[@flozz2676]

I am literally in this video 🤣 it happens every year and is great fun

[@jimjam139]

It is a thrill, esp since all the pubs are open throughout the evening :)

[@matthewburgess1061]

Just accept it and move on 🤣

[@marvinc9994]

It looks even better with a couple of pints of local Devon cider inside you (and yes, I DO speak from experience) ! And it SMELLS even better !

[@davidsouth9979]

You should’ve watch the bonfire parade in Lewes, Sussex held every November 5th. It’s not like this but it’s pretty rowdy. Incidentally there’s similar tar barrelling events up north near Newcastle as well as this one. It’s not just in one place

[@davidsouth9979]

The Lewes bonfire night parade is worth a watch too.

[@carolewhite4427]

Hi, I live near Ottery St Mary in Devon and went to school there. Nobody really knows why the tar barrels started, some theories are banishing evil spirits or fumigation...who knows. Its pretty frightening though when you've got somebody running at you with a flaming tar barrel and you get out the way as fast as you can...a great night, if you like being terrified 🔥🏃‍♂️🔥 I live in Honiton, which is a few miles away and we have a tradition every year called Hot Penny Day. On Hot Penny Day, pennies are put in the oven and when they are hot people throw them from first floor windows of buildings for crowds of children to catch...of course the pennies are burning hot and the children have to avoid being hurt...but they seem to enjoy it, lol 🤣

[@stephanefarnes6398]

I live near to this town, don't park in a bad place, I've seen the burnt out remains of cars being dragged to the scrapyard in the morning, like it's there fault 🙃

[@kevinhaig2963]

It is there fault there are warning everywhere😅

[@vaudevillian7]

There’s loads of traditions like the Lewes bonfire (their particular take on the nationwide bonfire), or games like the Atherstone ball game, the Haxey Hood, or cheese rolling... most are 100s of years old, some close to or more than 1000 years. A lot of the fire stuff has old pagan roots somewhere or another

[@smarchant6826]

Love the reaction 🤣🤣

[@PeterDay81]

Another strange one is The World's stupidest Eating contest - Stinging Nettle Eating. In a English pub.Or The Weird World of Woolsack races.Then again Guy Fawkes Day Lewes Celebration | 5th November | Burning Effigies another fun one.

[@stewrmo]

It's liquid drugs mostly.

[@stuartfitch7093]

With all our local traditional events it's a good job we have the NHS.

[@mikexcity]

Why? Why not?

[@braxious]

Dudes we are British thats all you need to know

[@muckypupdad]

This is what happens when you Stop asking WHY? and start saying WHY NOT !!

[@teamtommo6401]

You did tar barrels!!! I dread this every year because it’s a bastard to get home at night!!

[@volunteerinnottery9382]

It’s a tradition you should come over and see! November 5th! Message us for some detailed and better pictures and videos! 👍 we are the pub in the middle of Ottery st Mary

[@EmbraceTheSuck21]

Thanks for the offer, unfortunately both of us have weddings in the states next month, but we've just liked your page on Facebook & will make a point to visit y'all when we eventually make it to the UK. Cheers! 🍻

[@creativeamerican8811]

“This is like a fucked up version of Donkey-Kong” 😂

[@domc7539]

😂 I love you guys reacting to stupid shit we do here. It's comedy gold

[@tappstar1012]

Why.... Why not 🤣🤣🤣🤣 the best night out for bonfire night