The English Celebration
Padstow May Day
Spring is celebrated annually through the May Day Blue Ribbon “Obby “Oss in Padstow, Cornwall. The “Obby “Oss is believed to have started 4,000 years ago and was a pagan festival held to welcome Spring. Over the years, the “Obby “Oss has evolved to be one of the oldest surviving customs of the English tradition and is believed to be an ancient fertility rite.
On the sunny morning of the “Obby “Oss, Pastow would be filled with revelers dancing through the street wearing sashes of blue, red and white ribbons. Above the lively commotion are overhanging streams of rainbow-coloured flags and ribbons. Men and women alike would adorn fresh spring flowers of yellow, violet, green and red on their hats or on their clothes. Early in the morning, the game starts as a Blue Ribbon “Obby “Oss emerges from its “stable”, called out by singers and dancers, and led by the “teaser”. For the uninitiated, “Obby “Oss is the English dialect for Hobby Horse. The “Oss is really a man dressed up in a grotesque costume of a horse, along with a grotesque costume of a horse, along with a gruesome mask and black frame-hung cape. The “Oss will proceed to dance merrily up the streets of Padstow, led by the “teaser” and surrounded by the lively music of the accordions and drums. The “Oss will try to catch women and girls under it’s cape as part of the fertility rite and anyone caught is said to become pregnant within a year. The colourful celebration is a sight to behold as the procession will be joined by thousands of people. The “Obby “Oss will slowly make its journey through the streets and celebrations, which started at midnight will last an entire day, ending again at
Pages: 1 2