From touching wood to saluting a lone magpie, Britain's protective rituals have tangled roots in tree spirits, church custom and simple uncertainty. Here's what's behind them.

Magpies, robins, crows, swans and cuckoos each carry their own superstition in Britain. Here is what the old lore says — and what to do when you meet one.

A seasonal guide to British May Day folklore: maypoles, hawthorn, dew-washing, weather rhymes and the superstitions that still cling to the first of May.