IT is coming up to that time again when those of us old enough to remember will start talking about the famous “Bolton holidays”.
The Wakes Weeks as they were known date back to the Industrial Revolution.
The name was developed from the old English waecan which translated to wake and referred to the late hour of church services that took place at sunset.
Each village had a wake with semi-religious celebrations followed by church services then a variety of fun events including dancing and drinking.
During the Industrial Revolution this tradition became a regular summer holiday which was most prominently enjoyed in the north of England including Bolton.
Each area decided on a date for the holidays and during this time local factories, mines and other local industries would close for at least a week.
The holiday was, at one time, an unpaid and enforced holiday when mills and factories were closed down in order to carry out maintenance work.
Each town in the area took their holidays on a different week in the summer so that from the period June to September you would be able to find one town each week enjoying a break.
Blackpool was the most popular choice for trips.
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