Why do we associate misteltoe with Christmas time?
Do cattle in cow sheds really kneel down at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve?
Has anyone born on December 25 ever seen a ghost?
And how did the tradition of a Yule log (one to burn, rather than the chocolate sponge roll cake bought from Marks and Sparks) begin?

Answers to these questions and many more about the midwinter seasonal superstitions – some of which date back to Medieval and even pagan times – will be provided when George Hoyle, a folk performer, storyteller and music promoter, gives a free talk at the Shelverdine Goathouse pub in South Norwood on Monday night, December 17, from 7pm.

“It being the festive season I thought I would get into the spirit with Christmas superstitions,” Hoyle says.

The Shelverdine, an Antic pub at 7-8 High Street, SE25 6EP, offers food and drink, but table space for Hoyle’s performance is expected to fill up fast, so come early.

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