Das Kraftfuttermischwerk Beiträge

Rückständige Brauchtümer gibt es nicht nur hierzulande. Auch andere Nationen hegen und pflegen sie. So wie das Atherstone Ball Game in England, bei dem sich hunderte Männer um einen Ball kloppen. Was aussieht wie eine Straßenschlacht unter Hooligans ist dort eine sogenannte „Tradition“. Beim Zusehen kann man dann auch ganz fix mal den Glauben an die Menschheit verlieren, oder die Frage stellen, ob Männer an sich nicht vielleicht ein bisschen zurückgeblieben sind. Nur mal historisch betrachtet.

The two-hour game is played in the town’s main street, Long Street, and sees groups of players compete for possession of a giant ball that is specially made for the occasion. The match is usually started at 3.00pm on Shrove Tuesday by a celebrity guest, usually someone associated with the area, who is invited to throw the ball from an upstairs window of the Atherstone branch of Barclays Bank. The game itself has few rules, two being that play is restricted to Long Street and participants are not allowed to kill anyone. The winner is declared at 5.00pm, the title going to the person who has possession of the ball when the whistle sounds. Ahead of the game itself, sweets and pennies are thrown from Barclays Bank to local children. The ball is decorated with ribbons before the game, and prizes are also awarded to anyone who gets hold of one, as well as to the person who gets the golden penny, thrown into the crowd shortly before the game commences.

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