When is bottle kicking

The ingredients of this ancient custom are hare pie , penny loaves , beer in barrels these are the bottles , pageantry, music and a church service. To this are added pride, passion, virility and tradition.

The day culminates in a fierce battle between Hallaton's and Medbourne's finest to wrestle the casks of ale back to their own village. Nobody really knows the complete derivation of today's customs. See: Bottle Kicking - History or Legends? Not surprisingly, the custom attracts a large influx of visitors including, in the past, celebrities like Frank Bruno and Robbie Coltrane. As a major attraction, the event raises funds which are distributed to good causes in Hallaton and Medbourne by the Bottle Kicking Committee.

Children's parade led by the band from the Bewicke Arms to St. Michael's church, Hallaton. The victors of the "best of three" contest celebrate their victory at the Buttercross.

The locals know the objectives of the game. Bottle-kicking is an old English game that is played in the village of Hallaton every year on Easter Monday. The game which is continued to be played till date has records of being played as far back as the late 18th century.

There are no restrictions on the number of players on a team. There are absolutely no rules that are enforced for bottle-kicking. Some of the strictly prohibited actions are eye-gouging, strangling, and use of weapons. The game is extremely physical and rough in which teams fight to move the bottles over obstacles like hedges, ditches, and barbed wire. It is very common to see people with broken bones and other injuries.

Injuries are fairly common as the scrum heaves across the fields, over any obstacles including fences and streams in its path. Play can continue after dark and the game is decided by the best of three bottles. There are few rules! Arrive early as parking in the village is limited and you may have a short distance to walk. Stand well back at the church gate if you want to avoid flying pie — if you have a dog with you this will probably be their favourite part of the day!

Expect large crowds particularly if the weather is good. The display about this custom, which was formerly in the vilage museum, is now inside the church and is well worth a look lots of photos and history.

Hi Neal! I have no connection with the organisation of any of the events on calendarcustoms, I just try to give helpful info to members of the public who might want to attend. There is a facebook page for the event — perhaps someone on there may be able to help! Anyone going to the bottle kicking event Easter Monday? Newsflare wants your videos! Check out the link and see how you can get involved! I am looking for interesting competitions and winners across the globe. The annual Hallaton hare pie scramble and bottle kicking contest is one of the most exciting games I read about.

Could you share the names of the people who won it in and the best way to reach them? Hi Bottle Kickers, I recently purchased an old postcard, entitled in red underneath the photo, Hallaton Bottle Kicking. The photo shows the rector, dressed in coat and hat with watch chain, seated in front of a low table on which has been placed a rectangular object, the pie, surrounded by five combatants, three of them each holding a bottle, and all wearing caps. On the obverse is: Pub by F.