#yes we have traditional folk costumes and folklore and architecture styles and chruch traditions

[the-nettle-knight]

To other English people, stop saying "England has no culture", it is actively harming us. There is a reason the Tories defunded the arts and heritage sectors whilst scapegoating immigrants. The fear that immigrants will come and destroy Englishness is only working as the government is literally trying to actively wipe it out. If we a) recognise the things that are distinctly cultural (eg architecture styles) and b) actively participate in the traditions you're always told are silly (Morris and Molly dancing, scarecrow competitions and folk songs), it will actually make us better as a country and more difficult to divide via classism, racism and xenophobia

To be extra clear, these traditions are for everyone, queer people, imagrants and anyone of any faith (including Islam).

The deliberate eroding of our folklore/traditions by conservatives (both big and little c) is allowing for the insecurities weaponised by the types of Tommy Robinson against imagrants. These traditions and folklore do still need challenging from a modern critical lense (like how blackface has been removed from Morris dancing). Nor should they be preserved exactly how they used to be, because folklore and customs have always changed with the times. Having a good understanding of our past, critically understanding and accepting of the problems in it will absolutely contribute to decolonisation. Hopefully, having a solid grasp of our own traditions and folklore in a meaningful positive way will allow us to step back from clinging desperately to the parts of Welsh, Scottish and Irish culture we cling to because we don't think we have our own. Doing so will also hopefully allow for more support of the Welsh, Scottish and Irish independence movements. Also, it will hopefully stop the rampant cultural appropriation of other sacred traditions - it's ridiculous that modern wiccans believe that smudging with a non native plant (white sage) that's being driven to extinction by over harvesting will clear any sort of bad luck.