'Obby 'Oss festival facts for kids
The 'Obby 'Oss festival is a special folk custom that happens every year on May 1st in Padstow, a town by the sea in North Cornwall. It involves two different parades moving through the town. Each parade has its own unique horse-like figure, called an 'Obby 'Oss.
The festival begins at midnight on April 30th. People gather outside the Golden Lion Inn to sing the "Night Song." By morning, the town is decorated with green plants and flowers, especially around the maypole. The excitement truly starts when one of the 'Obby 'Osses appears. Male dancers dress up as one of two 'Obby 'Osses: the "Old" or the "Blue Ribbon" (also called "Methodist") 'Obby 'Oss. They are like pretend horses. Helpers called "Teasers" guide them. Each 'Oss wears a mask and a black cape. Under the cape, they try to playfully catch young maidens passing by.
All day long, the two parades move through the town. A leader in a top hat, called the "MC," guides each parade. A band with accordions and drums follows, then the 'Oss and its Teaser. Many people, called "Mayers," join in, singing the "Morning Song." Late in the evening, the two 'Osses meet at the maypole. Then they go back to their "stables." The crowd sings about the 'Obby 'Oss "dying," until it "comes back to life" the next May Eve.
In the 1900s, experts who study folk customs wrote about the festival. This made more people notice it. The event became a popular place for tourists to visit. It is now one of the most famous folk customs in Britain.
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What is the 'Obby 'Oss Festival?
The festival takes place on May Day every year. It has two separate parades that travel around Padstow. Each parade takes about twelve hours to complete its journey. These parades represent different parts of the town's community.
Only families who have lived in Padstow for at least two generations can take part in the parades.
Each parade features an 'Obby 'Oss. This is a hobby horse made from an oval frame covered in black oilskin. It has a small horse's head in the front with a mouth that can snap. A person called the Teaser leads the 'Oss. The Teaser wears white and carries a painted club. The parade also includes many people dressed in white. Some play accordions, melodeons, and drums.
These people sing a local version of a Mayers' song. Sometimes, the music becomes sad and slow, like a dirge. When this happens, the 'Obby 'Oss sinks to the ground and lies flat. When the song becomes happy and strong again, the 'Oss rises and continues the parade.
History of the Festival
How Did It Start?
No one knows exactly how the Padstow celebrations began. We know that May Day celebrations happened in Britain as early as the 1500s. However, the first time the 'Obby 'Oss in Padstow was mentioned in writing was in 1803. An older hobby horse was mentioned in a play from Cornwall, but there is no proof that the 'Obby 'Oss festival is older than the 1700s.
Some people think these festivals might have come from older, pre-Christian traditions. For example, the Celtic festival of Beltane in Celtic nations or the Germanic celebrations in England.
The custom was not well-known outside Padstow until 1907. That's when a folklorist named Francis Etherington wrote about it. In 1913, another folklorist, Thurstan Peter, wrote about it too. He thought the 'Obby 'Oss custom might have been an old religious ritual to help crops grow and animals have babies. This idea made the custom more popular with tourists. Locals in Padstow also started to believe it was an ancient pagan tradition.
In the 1950s, Alan Lomax and Peter Douglas Kennedy made a 16-minute color film about the festival called Oss Oss Wee Oss (1953).
Recent Changes
By the 1990s, the 'Obby 'Oss festival was a huge event. It brought many visitors to Padstow. One expert called it "one of the most famous and most dramatic folk customs of modern Britain." He said it shows how proud and united the community of Padstow is. Another expert, Doc Rowe, who has seen the custom every year since 1963, says it's like a strong statement from the community. It helps to "recharge" the town's spirit and good friendships.
The festival was not held in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, there was an investigation into an accident at the 2019 event. A person was hurt when they were hit by a wooden 'Oss. The investigation found that the 'Oss caused the injuries. It was also noted that the event had "no single event organizer" in charge of safety. The report suggested that such events should have a named organizer and that police might need more power to control them.
How the Celebration Works
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The celebration begins at midnight on April 30th. People sing without music around the town, starting at the Golden Lion Inn. By the morning of May 1st, the town is decorated with green plants, flowers, and flags. The maypole is a main focus.
The most exciting part is when two groups of dancers move through the town. One person in each team wears a special horse costume. These two 'Osses are called the "Old" and the "Blue Ribbon" 'Osses. During the day, some "Junior" or "colt" 'Osses appear, operated by children. Drums and accordions play music. Helpers called "Teasers" lead each 'Oss. Each 'Oss has a scary mask and a black, oilskin cape on a round frame. Under the cape, they try to playfully catch young maidens as they pass by.
The Blue Ribbon 'Oss is newer. In the late 1800s, people who wanted to stop alcohol use supported the Blue 'Oss. They were trying to reduce drinking, which was linked to the "Old" 'Oss followers. After World War I, the focus on stopping alcohol faded. The Blue 'Oss became known as the Peace 'Oss. Each 'Oss has a "stable" where it starts and ends the day. The Old 'Oss uses the Golden Lion Inn, and the Blue Ribbon 'Oss uses the institute. Sometimes in the late afternoon, the 'Osses meet at the maypole and dance together.
Night Song
Unite and unite and let us all unite,
For summer is acome unto day,
And whither we are going we will all unite,
In the merry morning of May.
I warn you young men everyone,
For summer is acome unto day,
To go to the green-wood and fetch your May home,
In the merry morning of May.
Arise up Mr. ..... and joy you betide,
For summer is acome unto day,
And bright is your bride that lies by your side,
In the merry morning of May.
Arise up Mrs. ..... and gold be your ring,
For summer is acome unto day,
And give to us a cup of ale the merrier we shall sing,
In the merry morning of May.
Arise up Miss ..... all in your gown of green,
For summer is acome unto day,
You are as fine a lady as wait upon the Queen,
In the merry morning of May.
Now fare you well, and we bid you all good cheer,
For summer is acome unto day,
We call once more unto your house before another year,
In the merry morning of May.
Day Song
Unite and unite and let us all unite,
For summer is acome unto day,
And whither we are going we will all unite,
In the merry morning of May.
Arise up Mr. ..... I know you well afine,
For summer is acome unto day,
You have a shilling in your purse and I wish it were in mine,
In the merry morning of May.
All out of your beds,
For summer is acome unto day,
Your chamber shall be strewed with the white rose and the red
In the merry morning of May.
Where are the young men that here now should dance,
For summer is acome unto day,
Some they are in England some they are in France,
In the merry morning of May.
Where are the maidens that here now should sing,
For summer is acome unto day,
They are in the meadows the flowers gathering,
In the merry morning of May.
Arise up Mr. ..... with your sword by your side,
For summer is acome unto day,
Your steed is in the stable awaiting for to ride,
In the merry morning of May.
Arise up Miss ..... and strew all your flowers,
For summer is acome unto day,
It is but a while ago since we have strewn ours,
In the merry morning of May.
O! where is St. George,
O!, where is he O,
He is out in his long boat on the salt sea O.
Up flies the kite and down tails the lark O.
Aunt Ursula Birdhood she had an old ewe
And she died in her own Park O.
With the merry ring, adieu the merry spring,
For summer is acome unto day,
How happy is the little bird that merrily doth sing,
In the merry morning of May.
The young men of Padstow they might if they would,
For summer is acome unto day,
They might have built a ship and gilded her with gold,
In the merry morning of May.
The young women of Padstow might if they would,
For summer is acome unto day,
They might have made a garland with the white rose and the red,
In the merry morning of May.
Arise up Mr. ..... and reach me your hand,
For summer is acome unto day,
And you shall have a lively lass with a thousand pounds in hand.
In the merry morning of May.
Arise up Miss ..... all in your cloak of silk,
For summer is acome unto day,
And all your body under as white as any milk,
In the merry morning of May.
O! where is St. George,
O!, where is he O,
He is out in his long boat on the salt sea O.
Up flies the kite and down tails the lark O.
Aunt Ursula Birdhood she had an old ewe
And she died in her own Park O.
Now fare you well and bid you all good cheer,
For summer is acome unto day,
We call no more unto your house before another year,
In the merry morning of May.
Similar Horse Traditions Elsewhere
Other 'Obby 'Oss traditions exist nearby in Barnstaple and Combe Martin.
Minehead in Somerset also has two large hobby horses: the Sailors' Horse and the Town Horse. They are more pointed or boat-shaped than the Padstow 'Osses. But they are similar because the dancer inside wears a tall, cone-shaped hat with a strange mask. The horse frame hangs from the dancer's shoulders, and a long skirt hides their body. The animal heads are small and wooden with snapping jaws. They also playfully "capture" people watching.
There is also a record of an 'Oss in Penzance in the late 1800s. It was made with a caped stick and a skull. This inspired the Penglaz 'Obby 'Oss, which appears during the Golowan festival and the Montol Festival today. These are modern versions of old customs. The skull 'oss is very much like the Mari Lwyd in Wales.
The Tarasque parade from southern France is very old, going back to pre-Roman times. It features a scary monster.
There are some similarities between this festival and the Lajkonik hobby-horse festival in Kraków, Poland. Both have the idea that young women might be playfully "captured" or tapped with a stick for "luck" or to help them have children. This suggests a very old, possibly pagan, origin. The Lajkonik festival is 700 years old.
More recently, the Banbury Hobby-Horse festival started in 2000. It features traditional animal costumes from all over Britain, some old and some new.
