Grotto Day

Grotto Day

August 5; July 25

In England during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, oysters were not considered the rare delicacy they are today and were, in fact, one of the common staples of fishermen's diets. The large number of oysters eaten at that time meant there were lots of shells around. On St. James's Day, which was observed on August 5 before the Gregorian, or New Style, Calendar came into use and on July 25 thereafter, children used the shells to construct small decorative grottoes. Perhaps these were to represent the shrine of St. James in Spain. Sometimes the children begged for pennies as a reward for their efforts. Most of this grotto-building took place in London, and the custom continued right up to the 1950s. St. James the Great was one of the Apostles and brother to St. John the Evangelist, and the scallop shell was his emblem.

SOURCES:
DictDays-1988, pp. 50, 85
OxYear-1999, pp. 307, 323

Celebration days: Jul 25, Aug 5