Oak Apple Day
Oak Apple Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom on 29th May. It is the anniversary of the restoration of the monarchy in England in 1660. In some parts of the country, the day is also known as Shick-Shack Day or Arbor Day.
In 1660, Charles II declared 29th May a public holiday, Oak Apple Day. The holiday was abolished in 1859.
Traditional celebrations to commemorate the event often entailed the wearing of oak apples or leaves, in reference to the occasion after the Battle of Worcester in 1651 when the future Charles II of England escaped the Roundhead army by hiding in a Boscobel oak tree (known in some parts of the country as a shick-shack).
It is widely believed that these ceremonies, which have now largely died out, are continuations of pre-Christian nature worship. Events still take place at Castleton in Derbyshire, Upton-upon-Severn, Northampton, the Grovely Forest near Salisbury, Aston on Clun in Shropshire, and Great Wishford in Oxfordshire.
See also
Categories: English folklore