In the Picture

Maibaum und Männer im Pferdekostüm? TALITHA LINEHAN berichtet über einen eigenartigen Festtagsbrauch in Cornwall.

Horsing around — a strange May Day tradition in Cornwall

Spring is in the air in the English coastal town of Padstow, in north Cornwall. People here celebrate the season with a festival that takes place every 1 May: ’Obby ’Oss — an adaptation of “hobby horse”. The term describes a person who takes part in a traditional event dressed as a horse.

The ’Obby ’Oss festival begins at midnight on 30 April and continues throughout May Day, with singing, dancing and two separate processions: one for each ’oss. Leading each parade is a man dressed to represent a horse — who pretends to catch young women during the day-long processions through the narrow streets — accompanied by dancers, marching drummers and accordion players. Late in the evening, the two “osses” and their followers gather around the huge decorated maypole in the town centre to sing together. Although the exact origins of the festival are unknown, it is thought to have come from a traditional pagan fertility rite.