Hundreds of people gathered in a Lincolnshire village on January 6, 2025, for the annual Haxey Hood, one of England's oldest surviving folk traditions.

The event took place in Haxey, North Lincolnshire, where crowds assembled to take part in the centuries-old contest centred on the "sway hood", a long piece of leather used in the game."

Held each year on the Twelfth Day of Christmas, the Haxey Hood involves a large group of participants forming a slow-moving mass known as the "sway", which pushes the hood through village streets. The aim is to move it to the doorway of one of four pubs traditionally linked to the event."

The hood cannot be carried or thrown and is moved only by collective force. There are no fixed teams, no set route and no time limit, with the contest continuing until the hood reaches a pub doorway.

The tradition is believed to date back more than 600 years and has been passed down through generations. The pub that receives the hood keeps it until the following year's event.