'Obby 'Oss festival
Encyclopedia
Padstow
Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...
, in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, UK is internationally famous for its traditional 'Obby 'Oss day (dialect for Hobby Horse
Hobby horse
The term hobby horse is used, principally by folklorists, to refer to the costumed characters that feature in some traditional seasonal customs, processions and similar observances around the world. They are particularly associated with May Day celebrations, Mummers Plays and the Morris dance in...
). Held annually on May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
(1 May), which in Cornwall, largely dates back to the Celtic Beltane
Beltane
Beltane or Beltaine is the anglicised spelling of Old Irish Beltaine or Beltine , the Gaelic name for either the month of May or the festival that takes place on the first day of May.Bealtaine was historically a Gaelic festival celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.Bealtaine...
, the day celebrates the coming of Summer.
The celebrations were the basis of the song "Padstow" by Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span are an English folk-rock band, formed in 1969 and remaining active today. Along with Fairport Convention they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat"....
.
Origins
The origins of the celebrations in Padstow are unknown. There is extensive documentary evidence of British community May Day celebrations in the 16th century and earlier, although the earliest mention of the Obby 'Oss at Padstow dates from 1803. An earlier hobby horse is mentioned in the Cornish language drama Beunans MeriasekBeunans Meriasek
Beunans Meriasek is a Cornish play completed in 1504. Its subject is the legends of the life of Saint Meriasek or Meriadoc, patron saint of Camborne, whose veneration was popular in Cornwall, Brittany, and elsewhere...
, a life of the Camborne saint, where it is associated with a troupe, or "companions."
It has been speculated that such festivals have pre-Christian origins, such as in the Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic festival of Beltane
Beltane
Beltane or Beltaine is the anglicised spelling of Old Irish Beltaine or Beltine , the Gaelic name for either the month of May or the festival that takes place on the first day of May.Bealtaine was historically a Gaelic festival celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.Bealtaine...
in the Celtic nations
Celtic nations
The Celtic nations are territories in North-West Europe in which that area's own Celtic languages and some cultural traits have survived.The term "nation" is used in its original sense to mean a people who share a common traditional identity and culture and are identified with a traditional...
, and the Germanic
Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
celebrations during the Þrimilci-mōnaþ
Germanic calendar
The Germanic calendars were the regional calendars used amongst the early Germanic peoples, prior to the adoption of the Julian calendar in the Early Middle Ages....
(literally Three-Milking Month or Month of Three Milkings) in England. It has also been proposed that the worship of horse deities such as Epona
Epona
In Gallo-Roman religion, Epona was a protector of horses, donkeys, and mules. She was particularly a goddess of fertility, as shown by her attributes of a patera, cornucopia, ears of grain and the presence of foals in some sculptures suggested that the goddess and her horses were leaders of the...
was found in ancient Celtic societies such as the possibly related Mari Lwyd
Mari Lwyd
The Mari Lwyd , also Y Fari Lwyd, is a Welsh midwinter tradition, possibly to celebrate New Year , although it formerly took place over a period stretching from Christmas to late January...
('Grey Mare') traditions of South Wales.
Festival practice
The festival itself starts at midnight on May 1 with unaccompanied singing around the town starting at the Golden Lion Inn. By the morning, the town is dressed with greenery, flowers and flags, with the focus being the maypoleMaypole
A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, particularly on May Day, or Pentecost although in some countries it is instead erected at Midsummer...
.
The climax arrives when two groups of dancers progress through the town, one of each team wearing a stylised recreation of a 'horse.' The two 'osses are known as the "Old" and the "Blue Ribbon" 'osses. During the day a number of "Junior" 'osses appear, operated by children. Accompanied by drums and accordions and led by acolytes known as "Teasers", each 'oss is adorned by a gruesome mask and black frame-hung cape under which they try to catch young maidens as they pass through the town. The Blue ribbon oss is apparently of more recent origin. In the late 19th century it was supported by members of the Temperance movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
who were trying to discourage the consumption of alcohol associated with the "old" 'oss followers. After the first world war the imperative of temperance was lost, and the 'oss became known as the Peace 'Oss. Each 'oss has a "stable" (in the case of the Old 'Oss, the Golden Lion Inn and the Blue Ribbon 'Oss, the Institute, from which they emerge at the start of the day's proceedings and retire at the end. Sometimes in the late afternoon, the 'osses may meet at the maypole and dance together.
Night song
- Unite and unite and let us all unite,
- For summer is acomeSumer Is Icumen In"Sumer Is Icumen In" is a traditional English round, and possibly the oldest such example of counterpoint in existence. The title might be translated as "Summer has come in" or "Summer has arrived"....
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 hobby horses elsewhere
(See also: Hobby horseHobby horse
The term hobby horse is used, principally by folklorists, to refer to the costumed characters that feature in some traditional seasonal customs, processions and similar observances around the world. They are particularly associated with May Day celebrations, Mummers Plays and the Morris dance in...
)
'Obby 'Oss traditions also exist in nearby Barnstaple
Barnstaple
Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...
and Combe Martin
Combe Martin
Combe Martin is a village and civil parish on the North Devon coast about east of Ilfracombe. It is a small seaside resort with a sheltered cove on the edge of the Exmoor National Park...
.
Minehead
Minehead
Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the border with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National Park...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
also has two large hobby horses, the Sailors' Horse and the Town Horse. Although more pointed or boat-shaped than the Padstow 'Osses, they are similar in that the dancer within the costume wears a tall, conical hat with a grotesque mask over their face; the horse framework is suspended from the dancer's shoulders and a long skirt hangs down to partly hide their body; the animal's heads are small and wooden with snapping jaws. They also capture bystanders.
There is documentary evidence of an 'Oss at Penzance in the late 19th century, made with a caped stick and skull which has formed the basis of the Penglaz 'Obby 'Oss which appears during the Golowan festival
Golowan Festival
Golowan is the Cornish language word for the Midsummer celebrations in Cornwall, UK: widespread prior to the late 19th century and most popular in the Penwith area and in particular Penzance and Newlyn...
and the Montol Festival
Montol Festival
The Montol Festival is an annual heritage, arts and community festival in Penzance, Cornwall held between the 16th and 22nd of December each year. The festival is a revival or reinterpretation of many of the traditional Cornish midwinter customs & Christmas traditions formerly practiced in and...
; the 'oss is strikingly similar to the Mari Lwyd
Mari Lwyd
The Mari Lwyd , also Y Fari Lwyd, is a Welsh midwinter tradition, possibly to celebrate New Year , although it formerly took place over a period stretching from Christmas to late January...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. There are some similarities between this festival and the Lajkonik
Lajkonik
The Lajkonik is one of the unofficial symbols of the city of Kraków, Poland. It is represented as a bearded man resembling a Tatar in a characteristic pointed hat, dressed in Mongol attire, with a wooden horse around his waist...
hobby-horse festival in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. In particular the idea that young women may be captured or struck with a stick in order to bring them "luck" or fertility suggests a pagan, or at least medieval origin. Lajkonik is 700 years old.
Rather more recent is the Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
Hobby-Horse festival, which started in 2000, and features ritual animals from all parts of the British Isles.
External links
- Blue Ribbon Oss
- Video of the "Old Oss" emerging from its stable
- OssTales DVD Includes the complete 1953 film by Alan LomaxAlan LomaxAlan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
& Peter Douglas KennedyPeter Douglas KennedyPeter Douglas Kennedy was an English collector of folk songs in the 1950s. Peter's father, Douglas, was EFDSS director after Cecil Sharp....
plus a revisit to Padstow in 2004