Explore the Folklore of Winter with Midwinter’s Magical Quest at Butser Ancient Farm

That's Christmas loves to carry reports about Butser Ancient Farm's activities. In part this is because I studied history and archaeology in college before I embarked on a career in journalism and writing.

Hampshire's Butser Ancient Farm invites you to experience the rich tapestry of ancient winter traditions at this year’s Midwinter’s Magical Quest: Yules of Yesteryear.

Set against the backdrop of Butser's historic buildings, this immersive, family-friendly event will take you on a journey through time to experience the winter customs of the Saxons, Romans, Celts, and Neolithic peoples. 

Learn about the magic of winter festivals, meet characters from folklore, and engage in hands-on activities and crafts inspired by the past. 

This year, Butser has developed exciting new characters to bring more Yules of Yesteryear to life for visitors.

A Journey Through Ancient Winter Celebrations in the heart of Hampshire

This December, step into a world where folklore comes alive, and the spirits of midwinter are honoured as visitors embark on a quest to bring a message to the Deer Queen. The Holly King, guardian of Winter, has gone missing, and your journey to find him will take you through an immersive blend of time-honoured traditions—from fireside tales in an Iron Age roundhouse to the mischievous revelry of Saturnalia in the Roman Villa.

Join Rowena in the Saxon Hall for Glæd Geol!

Midwinter, or Yule, was a major celebration for early Medieval people, marking the return of the sun after the Winter Solstice.

In the cosy Evergreen Saxon Hall, you'll meet Rowena, the Lady of Yule, who carries the magic of the ancient Forest of Bere. She whispers to the deer, and they listen, a gift likely bestowed by her connection to the fae folk. 

Visitors will be able to hear about the Scandinavian folklore of the Tomten or Nisse—helpful household spirits who guard the farm and home in winter. But be warned: these spirits demand respect! If they are not rewarded, they can become very mischievous...

During Yule, Saxons celebrated the return of the sun with great feasts and the burning of the Yule log, a symbol of warmth and hope for longer days ahead. Join Rowena in natural crafting and learn more about these ancient traditions.

Io Saturnalia! Revel with Felix, the Lord of Misrule

Next, step into Butser's Roman Villa and immerse yourself in the festive chaos of Saturnalia! Saturnalia was a time of role-reversal, where masters served slaves, and everyone joined in joyous feasting, games, and gift-giving. 

Meet Felix, a slave who has been elevated to the role of Lord of Misrule for the day and join in the spirit of Saturnalia by making your own sigillaria—small wax figures that were the traditional Roman gifts of the season.

The festival's roots in generosity and mischief remain strong in today’s celebrations, with Felix guiding you in the traditions of Roman feasts and merrymaking. And if you're successful in waking Saturn—the god of time and agriculture—you may even receive a message from the god himself about the importance of giving and generosity.

Iron Age Winter Wishes and Festive Storytelling

Venture back to the Iron Age where the Winter Solstice could have been a time of great feasts and gatherings. Archaeological evidence suggests feasting may have been a significant part of past winter festivities. 

Join them in the Great Roundhouse, where the storytellers will share ancient tales around the fire, as guests sip warm drinks and indulge in sweet treats. The Winter Wishing Trees await your hopes for the season, and a special message will be delivered to guide you onward in your quest. 

Allow the fire, food, and friendship of ancient gatherings to echo through the ages and bring warmth to the darkest night.

Will You Find the Holly King and Meet the Deer Queen?

In British mythology, The Holly King rules the darker half of the year until the Winter Solstice when his power peaks. 

His brother The Oak King eventually battles and defeats him, ushering in the return of longer days and light. But in this year’s quest, the Holly King has disappeared! 

Visitors will need to journey through the different time periods to gather the wisdom of the ages, find the Holly King and make sure his reign lasts long enough for us to enjoy all that Winter has to offer.

At the end of your quest, you will meet the radiant Deer Queen in our Neolithic Horton Longhouse. Her character draws on British and Celtic mythology, inspired by goddesses like Epona, the protector of horses, and Danu, a mother figure tied to nature. The Deer Queen embodies the bond between humans and the natural world, reminding us of the turning of the seasons and the new hope that Spring brings.

A Festive Family Experience Like No Other

This December, Butser Ancient Farm invites families to experience Midwinter’s Magical Quest, a celebration of winter's gifts, generosity, and the enduring power of light in the darkness. With hands-on nature-based crafting, immersive storytelling, and encounters with legendary characters from the past, this event offers an unforgettable journey through time and tradition.

Kristin Devey, who developed the winter experience at Butser Ancient Farm, shared her excitement about this year's Midwinter Quest: "We are delighted to welcome visitors to Butser this winter for a truly magical experience. 

"This year's quest brings to life even more folklore, characters and ancient traditions, offering a chance to reconnect with the heart of the season—away from the rush and commercialism of modern festivities. We invite you to gather your friends and families, reflect on the simple blessings of winter, and take home the warmth, wisdom, and timeless customs of Yules long past."

Event Details:

Dates: All weekends throughout December

Location: Butser Ancient Farm, Chalton Lane, Chalton, Hampshire, PO8 0BG

Midwinter's Magical Quest runs three times a day on all weekends in December, from Saturday 7th until Sunday 22nd December, 2024. Butser Ancient Farm also features a full schedule of festive events and workshops, including Tales of Winter Magic, Yuletide Storytelling, and a Winter Solstice Celtic Celebration complete with drumming, poetry, and prose.

Tickets for Midwinter's Magical Quest and are available on the Butser Ancient Farm website at https://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/whats-on/christmas/midwinters-magical-quest-family

Looking for Christmas gifts for bookworms? Then the Butser Book Festival is ideal

Venture into an ancient setting for a unique celebration of all things bookish! On the 19th and 20th of October, Butser Ancient Farm will host its new annual Butser Book Festival. A vibrant, fun weekend of talks, readings, music, workshops, and family-friendly activities set against the backdrop of reconstructed ancient buildings at this open-air experimental archaeology site.

This unique event offers a genuinely thrilling programme designed to ignite the imaginations of bookworms and aspiring writers of all ages. 

Whether you're an avid reader of historical fiction, folklore, or nature writing, or someone seeking inspiration for their art or music, this festival has something for everyone, no matter your age. 

From talks and meet-and-greets with bestselling authors to hands-on workshops, this is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of storytelling while surrounded by the gorgeous beauty of the South Downs and an inspiring historical backdrop.

Highlights of Butser Book Festival include:

Enjoy talks from bestselling authors: Hear from renowned historical fiction writers such as Elodie Harper, Adrian Goldsworthy, and Lucy Holland. These celebrated authors will take you on an amazing journey through time with their captivating stories and their expert insights.

Children’s workshops and events: There’s something for the whole family to enjoy with a huge range of activities at the festival, including an engaging children’s writing workshop led by bestselling author Caroline Lawrence, famous for her historical Roman adventures for young readers, some of which are actually inspired by Butser Ancient Farm itself!

Writing and creative workshops: Creative writers can sharpen their skills with exclusive workshops from celebrated authors Lucy Holland and Tiffany Francis-Baker on incorporating history and the wheel of the year into your work, or if getting hands-on with an ancient site and nature appeals to you.

Join the storytelling workshops to forage for inspiration outside. Lovers of all things crafty and folklore can attend a workshop on lino-cutting a bookmark with designs inspired by mythical creatures and create a beautiful keepsake to take home or to gift someone a truly memorable Christmas gift.

Poetry readings and storytelling: Immerse yourself in storytelling by the hearth of Butser Ancient Farm’s great roundhouse with masterful performances or hear beautiful poetry to transport you back to ancient times in an atmospheric Saxon meadhall with many opportunities across the entire weekend.

Crafts, music, folkloric games and more: In addition to the literary events, visitors of all ages can try their hand at crafts inspired by our ancestors, enjoy live music performances, have a go at folklore-inspired funfair games, and hands-on activities that celebrate both history and creativity. 

Cosy down around the hearth in small, atmospherically ancient buildings to enjoy music performances with the whole family.

Pre-booking workshops: All the Butser BookFest workshops are designed to help participants hone their craft and bring their stories to life, and come with a fee to help fundraise for Butser Ancient Farm’s experimental archaeology efforts. Pre-booking is highly recommended for these interactive sessions, so reserve your spot early!

Says Butser Book Festival's organiser, Sofie Kitts: "Nothing brings historical fiction, folkloric and nature writing to life more than by celebrating it in an ancient setting like ours. 

"We're really very lucky to reach so many booklovers, artists and writers, and feel so excited to bring them all together in a venue like no other book festival takes place with such a diverse, fascinating programme of workshops, talks and much more besides."

But Butser Book Festival is more than just a celebration of books. "It's a real opportunity to experience the magic of stories both ancient and new in an inspiring setting, making it the perfect weekend for families, bookworms, craft-lovers and writers alike.

That's Christmas recommends that you should book your tickets as soon as possible. Don’t miss out on this extraordinary festival at Butser Ancient Farm. Purchase tickets, book workshops, and explore the full programme here: www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/butser-book-literary-writing-festival. 

Advance booking is strongly advised as spaces for workshops are limited.

Unwrap the Magic of Winter at Butser's Alternative Christmas Event: ‘Midwinter's Magical Quest’

We at That's Christmas were wondering what the Butser Ancient Farm were doing for the Christmas period... and now we know!

Families can join them for under £35 and leave with a deeper understanding of Winter folklore, delightful crafts, and magical memories.

Butser Ancient Farm in the South Downs is opening to the public this Winter and inviting families to embark on an enchanting festive adventure to escape commercial Christmas, honour nature and bring ancient traditions to life in a very special way.

As an alternative to the Father Christmas experience, Midwinter’s Magical Quest honours the balance of the feminine and masculine energies as the season turns. The majestic Deer Queen and jolly Holly King are back in Butser’s ancient dwellings and need your help to complete their quest and help celebrate the turning of the year.

The Holly King will greet all questers in their Saxon House, which is beautifully recreated from foundations excavated close to the neighbouring village of Chalton. This Winter it will be transformed into the Holly King’s Evergreen Hall, where visitors can make evergreen crowns and decorations to put a Spring in their step ready for the adventure. 

The Holly King is the personification of Winter in folklore and his power peaks in Midwinter before he hands the crown over to his brother The Oak King of Summer. The everlasting cycle of the Oak and Holly brothers reflects the seasonal cycles of solar light and dark, renewal and growth.

As you follow the trail of folklore and lost traditions, you’ll come to Little Woodbury, their great Iron Age roundhouse. 

The roundhouse will become the Realm of Winter Wishes where families who are visiting can cast their hopes and dreams into the wishing tree and learn the ancient craft of corn dolly making to find a hidden message for the Deer Queen.

Once questers have pieced together the magic throughout the trail, they will find the Deer Queen’s Grotto in Butser’s reconstructed Neolithic Horton House, which originally stood around 3800-3600 BC. Visitors will be able to share the knowledge they have collected to give Mother Deer what she needs to make the journey to return the Sun to the land safely on the Winter Solstice.

The Deer Queen is an important part of Butser’s event, bringing a female presence to this Wintery time of year. The character has been inspired by an ancient folktale from Northern Europe that tells of the brave Mother Deer who must journey South to bring the sun goddess back to warm the lands again. It has been said that this ancient story is the origin of Rudolph. Unlike other deer, both female and male reindeers have antlers.

The difference is, after the Autumn rutting season the males lose their antlers while the females keep theirs to protect their precious growing fawns. Throughout the years and even today the deer and her antlers are drawn as the tree of life, carrying everything from small animals to celestial bodies within them. So, when you see antlered reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh in Midwinter you can be sure that Rudolph and her gang are unmistakably girls!

They are aware that ancient sites in Britain have clear evidence of celebration at this time of year, with sites like Newgrange in Ireland and Stonehenge aligned with Winter sun. They also have evidence that ever since the Stone Age people around the world have revered the deer, with her image painted on cave walls, etched in stone and tattooed on skin.

Kristin Devey, Events Coordinator at Butser Ancient Farm, shared her excitement about the upcoming event: “We are really thrilled to open the farm to the public once again this winter, offering a chance for more people to experience the wonder of Butser during this special time of year. 

Families can join us for under £35 and leave with a deeper understanding of Winter folklore, delightful crafts, and magical memories. Whether you're celebrating Solstice, Yule, or simply seeking a unique family Christmas day out, 'Midwinter's Magical Quest' offers an inclusive and non-denominational celebration that appeals to all. We invite local families to join us for a memorable and magical experience that honours the wonders of the season and its ancient traditions.”

Event Details and Ticket Information

The Midwinter's Magical Quest trail runs from 10am to 3:30pm on Saturday December 2nd, Sunday December 3rd, Saturday December 9th, and Sunday December 10th, 2023. Butser Ancient Farm also features a full schedule of festive events, including Tales of Winter Magic, Festive Fireside Storytelling, and a Winter Solstice Celtic Celebration complete with drumming, poetry, and prose.

Tickets for Midwinter's Magical Quest are available on the Butser Ancient Farm website at https://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/christmas-yule-winter-events.

Butser Ancient Farm is a living history museum nestled in the picturesque Hampshire countryside. The farm offers visitors a unique opportunity to step back in time and experience the lives of our ancient ancestors through reconstructed buildings, authentic crafts, and immersive events.

Despite its humble beginnings as a research site 50 years ago, Butser Ancient Farm has become one of the South East’s top visitor attractions welcoming visitors throughout the year including some 35,000 schoolchildren who learn about the lives of our ancient ancestors from the Stone Age through to the Anglo-Saxon periods. As a not-for-profit, independently run community interest company (CIC) they rely on the support of many organisations and individuals, as well as their own fundraising events, to make their research and education work possible. More about the farm can be found at www.butserancientfarm.co.uk

Experience Halloween Like Never Before at Butser Ancient Farm

Visitors can expect an extraordinary evening of spine-tingling stories, enchanting melodies, and eerie atmospheres.

This Halloween, dive headfirst into an extraordinary evening of spine-tingling stories, enchanting melodies, and eerie atmospheres at Butser Ancient Farm's "Fearsome Folktales and Enchanted Echoes" event. As the veil between the realms thins and the spirits of the past awaken, join them on Saturday, October 28, 2023, from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM, for a truly mystical and macabre celebration of Halloween.

An Eerie Atmosphere Like No Other

Step into the mystical ambiance as you follow flickering lanterns down to the Great Roundhouse. Here, an eerie atmosphere will envelop you, where the spirits of history come to life. This is a realm where the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur, offering a rare glimpse of the supernatural.

Masterful Storytellers and Haunting Sagas

Prepare to be enthralled by skilled, masterful storytellers who will send shivers down your spines with tales of restless spirits, ghostly apparitions, and ancient curses. Jason Buck, our enigmatic host for the evening, will lead you into the unknown with captivating narratives. Andrew Shorter will bring to life the haunting saga of Glam's Ghost from the Icelandic Saga of Grettir the Strong.

Enchanting Fairy Music

Amidst these eerie tales, let the enchanting sounds of fairy musicians from Fae as Folk serenade your senses. They will weave their haunting melodies on enchanted instruments, adding a touch of magic to your Halloween night.

A Feast for the Senses

Their event offers more than just spooky stories and enchanting music. A bar will be available, featuring locally produced cider, mead and a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. If you're craving a hot drink or a snack, they have you covered.

A Night of Wonder, Suspense, and Enchantment

Gather around the fire, kindled by ancient spirits, for a night of wonder, suspense, and enchantment. Fearsome Folktales and Enchanted Echoes is a one-of-a-kind experience that celebrates the magic of storytelling, the allure of the ancient past, and the captivating melodies of the fairy realm. This is a Halloween adventure you won't soon forget!

Event Details:

Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023

Time: 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Location: Butser Ancient Farm, Hampshire, UK

Secure your spot for an unforgettable Halloween adventure. Get your Halloween tickets now and prepare to step into a world where history, folklore, and enchantment converge.

What is Butser Ancient Farm? It's a totally unique open-air archaeological site nestled in the heart of the South Downs National Park in Hampshire. 

The farm offers glimpses into the past, showcasing reconstructed ancient buildings, historical farming practices and methods, and a variety of educational and immersive events.

Butser welcomes thousands of visitors and school groups to the farm every year to explore its timeline of structures from the Stone Age, Iron Age, Bronze Age, Roman and Saxon periods, plus discovering crops from pre-history and meeting rare-breed animals like Manx Loaghtan sheep and English goats. More about the farm can be found at www.butserancientfarm.co.uk.

Why not ask them for details of their December/Christmas activities?