| Where: | Whitby, North Yorkshire at Whitby Abbey, Cholmley House (next to the Abbey) and various hostelries around town |
| When: | Easter Weekend with Pub Crawl on Saturday only |
| Time: | Fair 11 am- 4pm, Abbey 10 am-5pm, Pub Crawl 11 am- 11 pm |
The Synod of Whitby in 664 was an influential Christian meeting in which the dating of Easter was set, which still determines its dating today. Previously there were two Christian traditions in Britain, the Celtic and the Roman, and at Whitby it was decided that in future the Roman tradition should prevail ,which meant that Easter would follow its lunisolar dating system- Easter Sunday is thus the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox/21st March so Easter is always between March 22nd and April 25th. Whitby still has majestic ruins at the Abbey, though the buildings you can visit to day aren’t the ones founded by St Hilda, the first Abbess, who hosted the Synod. Today in Whitby you can expect a craft fair, children’s activities and storytelling at the Made in Whitby event at Cholmley House, Easter trails at the Abbey itself, Pilgrims, and the famous annual Whitby Pub Crawl which takes in over 30 pubs in twelve hours. If you look closely at the “coconut shy” photo at the Fair you’ll see it’s filled with Easter Eggs. The pub crawl has been an annual fixture since 1999 (barring pestilence of course) and it begins at opening time, 11 am- full details and timings are available on the links below. Most of the activities are over the whole Easter Weekend but the pub crawl is only on the Saturday, and of course Whitby is also famed for its seafood so it’s a logical place to visit for Good Friday Fish and Chips, though you may have to queue as in the photo below.
Helpful Hints
In 2027 Easter will be celebrated from Good Friday on 26th March to Easter Monday on 29th and the Pub Crawl should be on Saturday 27th (follow the links below for the schedule).
Ammonites have been found around the coast nearby for centuries -legend has it that St Hilda turned a plague of snakes into stone so you’ll often see her depicted with them in artworks.
Click here for Made in Whitby: https://www.facebook.com/madeinwhitbyuk
Click here for the Abbey: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/whitby-abbey/
and https://www.facebook.com/whitbyabbey
Click here for the Pub Crawl: https://www.facebook.com/groups/38817862430 and https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10164861181968255&set=gm.1451195679843843&idorvanity=1391586015804810
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