Rituals are similar to charms; they involve a specific sequence of words, actions or objects. They can be performed individually and in a community. Many rituals became traditions that took part yearly; they also focused on the rural environment.
Running water is featured in many rituals, this included springs, fountains and wells. On Easter Monday or Palm Sunday, the villagers of Yorkshire and the Midlands filled their bottles with water. This was so the ‘lady of the well’ would provide clean water for the following year.
Another ritual in Derbyshire, which thanked the gods for good water supply, was called well-dressing. The wells would be decorated with floral arrangements in thanks for their purity.
A Celtic Ritual involved putting strips of clothing or rags on the surrounding trees of a well. In Scotland, these strips would count as offerings for the wishing wells, but this was seen as a healing ritual in England.
In Scotland, it was believed for the wish to come true; you had to approach the well from the southeast and then drink three handfuls of water from the well while wishing for a cure.
In England, it was believed that as the rag rotted on the trees, so would the illness that they had acquired. It was also believed that if someone removed the strip put on the tree, they would take the disease of the person who put it on the tree.
These sites were called “Clootie Wells” in Cornwall, Scotland and Ireland, but in Dublin, Newcastle, Benton and Northumberland, these sites were called “Rag Wells.”
Other extreme rituals included fire and May Day. In Scotland, they called this day ‘Beltane.’ In the Highlands, bonfires were lit at dawn, and a special drink was prepared, which consisted of eggs, milk and oatmeal, which was cooked on the bonfire. Some of this was drunk by the party, but the rest was poured on the ground as an offering to the gods. In return, they preyed for a rich harvest, for cows to produce lots of milk, and chickens to go overboard on the eggs that year.
At the Beltane, there were also two fires burning for purification. People and cattle had to pass through these fires. Or in some unlucky occasions where there was only one fire burning, people had to leap over the fire, whilst children and animals were passed over burning embers. The fire was believed to stop fever, bad luck, and witches during the year…shame it did not stop burns!
Bewitching Britain 