We’ve previously mentioned Doc Rowe and his impressive archive of records and here’s an.earlier article looking at a few of.the weirdest customs he’s catalogued:

Rowe, now 74, has almost certainly attended and documented more folk rituals than anyone else alive. He maps out his year according to calendar customs: by the time you read this, he’ll be in Padstow for the town’s Obby Oss festival, which takes place on May Day. It’s his 57th visit.

NRowe’s trove is the subject of a new exhibition, Lore and the Living Archive, opening shortly in Rochdale. Three young artists have created work in response to his collection and this will be displayed alongside his own film footage and stills. “People often think of these traditions as being rather twee,” he says. “Little girls in white dancing round maypoles. But they are very far from that.”

To prove the point, we asked him to describe five of the most memorable …