Gurning
Tommy Mattinson - current World Gurning Champion (male) Every September, a peculiar event takes place at the Egremont Crab Fair. Egremont is a small town in the county of Cumberland in north-western England. The event I am thinking of involves contestants putting their heads through a horse collar and pulling the most ugly faces they can muster without using their hands or any other aids. There are events for both men and women which in fact form The World Gurning Championships. "Gurning" is simply the art of pulling a very ugly face. The Crab Fair was established in 1267 but I am not sure when the gurning competition element began - it certainly happened in 1852 and for many years before that. By the way, the celebration of gurning is not unique to Egremont. Have you ever gurned yourself? Most people would understandably feel quite shy about gurning in public but all of us can gurn confidently in the privacy of our own homes. Why not try it? Next time you are alone i...