None of these answers are accurate. What happened is that this county gathering has been happening for centuries. Since 1253 in truth. First it was called a

None of these answers are accurate. What happened is that this county gathering has been happening for centuries. Since 1253 in truth. First it was called a gathering, then a cobble, and finally in 1582, the Franks took it over. It was highly popularized as a French affair. The whimsical garb, the music, all something the stodgy English would have no part in. In fact, so stodge were they that it was forced outdoors, as none would rent to the Franks for this. Quite rude, in the rainy land of the Brits! Eventually it became Frank-aire, just as other loan words from French, like concessionaire or millionaire, and then just Faire. It's really the world's longest running annual gathering, where there's always a redhead in the same maid outfit. 538 years running, this year in fact! You can find it in the Guinness Book of World Records!