Whitsuntide Festivities -- Sole Religious Festival that continues a Popular one -- this partly owing to Friendly Societies -- Joyous Aspect of this Village Fete -- Whitsuntide Village Processions as seen by the Author in his Youth -- fine Subject for a Painter -- these Love-Feasts of the People very appropriate to this Period, being that of the AGAPAI, or Love-Feasts of the early Christians -- Objections to their being held at Public Houses -- this remediable -- Whitsuntide as witnessed at Warsop in Nottinghamshire -- Concluding Remarks 444 CHAPTER VI. Christmas Festivities -- the Festival of the Fireside -- Its Ancient Usages made familiar by our Popular Writers -- Burton’s Account of Christmas Games -- Withers’ Poetical Description of Christmas 200 years ago -- Scott’s View of them as seen in the past -- Pageants at this Season in Catholic Countries, as at Rome, Naples, and in Spain -- Interesting Domestic Custom in Germany -- Christmas as now passed by the Poor, and by the Middle and Higher Classes -- the Waits -- Christmas Visiting and Country Games -- Christmas Carols, as sung about Manchester, collected by the late Miss Jewsbury -- Christmas Customs still kept up -- George and the Dragon -- Blessing Orchards, etc. -- Concluding Remarks on the Present State of Popular Festivals 451 CHAPTER VII. The Fairy Superstitions -- Fairies all vanished from the Country -- gone in Chaucer’s Days -- Bishop Corbett’s Farewell to them -- Hogg their last Poet -- Fairies of Caldon-Low -- Made Immortal by Milton and Shakspeare -- Belief of them yet lingering in Wales -- Robin Goodfellow and the Lubberfiend of Milton thrown out of employ by the Thrashing Machine -- Fairie’s-Waterfall at Aberpergum -- Morgan Lewis the Neath Guide’s Account of their positive Departure 473 CHAPTER VIII. The Village Inn -- the Old-fashioned Village Inn a very different place to the New Beer-Shop -- its General Aspect -- its Old Tree -- Remarkable Tree of this kind at the Golden Grove, near Chertsey -- the Country Inn Kitchen -- Description of Landlords by which such Inns are kept -- their Cleanness and Rural Plenty -- Patronized by all Classes, from the Squire downwards -- Humorous Characters often found there -- Curious Scene once witnessed by the Author at a Country Inn in Yorkshire -- The New Beer-Shops a universal Nuisance 480 CHAPTER IX.