The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
This film is part of Free
Jarping
An ancient Swiss tradition or just an incomprehensible egg smashing excuse for a booze up?
From the collection of:
Overview
Like many folk traditions the 'ancient' practice of egg tapping or jarping involves the local pub. In this case it's the Crown Inn at Chinnor in Oxfordshire where the locals are celebrating the first official May Day bank holiday with an 'extraordinary jarp'. As Chris Tarrant finds out, plenty of eggs are smashed as the sailors of HMS Warrior do battle with some 'ghastly' local children. Woe betide anyone who tries a private jarp without an official jumpire though.
While jarping looks like something made up by Chris Tarrant and the ATV Today film crew, it is actually a recognised folk tradition. Apparently egg tapping contests have been taking place across central Europe since the middle ages. A tip for anyone fancying a go: use calcium rich chicken feed to produce an unbeatable jarping egg.
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