The small community of Jedburgh...
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...has maintained its strong sense of identity and with it many traditions which have long since vanished elsewhere.
 The Fastern Eve HandBa' is played every February in the streets of the town. Popular throughout medieval Scotland, one gruesome explanation of the origin of the game is that, following a particularly bloody battle between the Scots and their Auld Enemy, the victorious Scots used the head of a fallen English general as a ball.
The Jedburgh version acquired its current format in the 1700's. A series of beribboned balls are thrown up at the Mercat Cross and two teams - the "Uppies" and "Doonies" - struggle to "hail" the ball at the Castle and the Jedwater at the Townfoot, respectively.
 The boys play for a couple of hours before the men take over and it is usual for hundreds to participate. The traditions involved are complicated and strictly observed and only the players are experts on the rules.
Various kings and Town Councils have tried to stop the HandBa' but the game has only been missed once, when the HandBa' coincided with Queen Victoria's funeral in 1901.
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In the turbulent past...
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...the local families fought the English bitterly and reived over the Border, and the Jethart Callants with their Jethart axes had a reputation for steadfast bravery.
 These stirring days are commemorated annually at the Jedburgh Callant's Festival. This takes place every year from the last Saturday in June, particularly highlighting the Redeswire Raid, last of the Border skirmishes.
For two weeks the townsfolk ride the Burgh Marches on horseback led by the Callant - a young man chosen to represent the town - culminating in a day of ceremony and fun topped off with a traditional all-night Ball.
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Our traditions...
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...have been kept fresh by the numbers of old families still based in Jedburgh. Although our local names surnames are spread around the world, many visitors are delighted at how easy it is to discover relatives and connections with this historic town.
The various spellings of Kerr or Carr, Elliot, Laidlaw, Veitch, Brewster, Rutherford, Jeffrey, Scott, Douglas and Campbell are just some of the typical local names which can be simply traced to existing estates, farms and locations.
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