What is Plough Monday?
Plough Monday was the traditional start of the agricultural year in England. For our ancestors, who lived largely as agricultural labourers in rural communities, it marked going back to work in the fields at the end of the Christmas celebrations. It falls on the first Monday after Epiphany, which marks the end of the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ on 6 January.
When is Plough Monday 2026?
Plough Monday 2026 will take place on Monday 12 January 2026.
How was Plough Monday celebrated?
Traditionally, Plough Monday began with a plough being brought into the local church to be blessed the previous Sunday. Although the church’s involvement died out, the Plough Monday tradition continued. This involved a plough being paraded around the village by a group of celebrants known as Plough Boys, Bullocks, Lads, Jacks, Stots, and Witches. The Plough Boys usually dressed in costume, including women’s clothing. Villagers would be asked to give money to the Plough Boys. If they refused the Plough Boys would turn their doorstep over with the plough or cut a deep furrow in front of their door. Plough Monday was particularly common in the east of England and also occurred in Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Cornwall.
Is Plough Monday still celebrated today?
Some English villages still have a version of Plough Monday today. Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire holds the ‘Straw Bear’ festival, where a villager dresses as a straw bear and parades through the streets, accompanied by musicians and dancers. The next Whittlesey Straw Bear Festival will be held on 16-18 January 2026.
