March Customs: Braggot Sunday - Time for Honey Beer

Everyone in England knows this Sunday is our Mother's Day - a different date from that celebrated in the US. You might not know it's also Braggot Sunday, a traditional time to partake in one of the oldest alcoholic beverages: braggot. I learnt this snippet of folklore from Steve Roud's book The English Year, a month-by-month guide to customs and festivals.

Braggot is fermented honey and ale, which is apparently similar to mead or metheglin, but with a more beery taste. I'd love to give it a try. A bit of web searching showed that Colchester Brewery still produces it, sold as a type of honey beer. I've posted a picture of the label, which I found on the brewery website. You can find the link here. A bit of research also revealed that braggot is still often drunk in Wales.

Steve Roud mentioned that Braggot Sunday always falls on the same day as Mothering Sunday, in mid Lent. The drink is mentioned in Chaucer's The Miller's Tale: "Her mouth was swete as bragot or the meeth."

So, if you aren't visiting your mum this weekend, or you need a drink after you've got home, you could treat yourself to a glass of braggot if you can get hold of it. I think any honey beer, or mead, would do at a pinch.

You can find out more about seasonal customs and crafts in my book Rounding the Wheel of the Year.

Other previous related posts
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/01/january-folklore-distaff-day-when-women.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/02/customs-galentines-day-and-tarot.html
https://www.badwitch.co.uk/2026/02/folklore-shrove-tuesday-pancake-day.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2025/01/pagan-eye-horse-brasses-in-south-london.html