Pagan Padstow and May Mornings
As full of spirit as the month of May, and as gorgeous as the sun in Midsummer. — William Shakespeare
May Day is a funny old holiday. Maypoles; Morris dancing; Crowning a ‘May Queen’. It might all seem completely random, but May Day is steeped in over two thousand years of history and tradition.
This historical celebration, held on the first of May, traditionally heralded the arrival of summer. Sadly - according to the meteorological calendar – we aren’t quite there yet, but the celebration remains. May Day weaves together centuries-old customs with the vibrant threads of contemporary festivity (despite John Major’s attempts to abolish the holiday). Every country, county, and even town, celebrates slightly differently. Perhaps I’m biased, but Cornwall marks the day with a particularly vivid tapestry of tradition and community spirit.
The Historical Roots of May Day
May Day's origins trace all the way back to the Roman Republic. As early as the 2nd century AD, Maiouma, a festival celebrating Dionysus (the god of wine) and Aphrodite (the goddess of love), was held every three years during the month of May. During this time, enough money was set aside by the Senate for torches, lights, and other expenses to cover a 30-day festival of "all-night revels." The Maiouma was celebrated with splendorous banquets and offerings – and gained a reputation for licentiousness.
The tradition continued into the Middle Ages in Europe (albeit more child-friendly), becoming known as the celebration of Beltane, a festival celebrating the fertility of the coming year. Cattle were sent to jump over bonfires to protect their milk from fairies and maypoles were erected to signify that the happy season of warmth and comfort had returned. As centuries turned, May Day evolved further and was adopted by Roman Catholics, devoting the month to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Peculiarly Diverse Means of Celebration
Today, the day of celebration has absorbed over two millennia worth of influences from various cultures. In Oxford, hundreds of revellers gather at 6am on 1st May below the Great Tower of Magdalen College to listen to the college choir sing traditional madrigals (often now inaudible due to the up-all-night chattering crowds and usually followed by some jumping off Magdalen Bridge into the River Cherwell).
Many towns and villages like Kingsbury Episcopi in Somerset and Whitstable in Kent, host more traditional May Day festivities. At sunrise, Morris dancers proceed through the streets to welcome in the sun and the summer season. However, in the quaint lanes of Padstow, May Day sees a unique and mesmerising celebration that harks back to its more arcane roots.
Padstow's 'Obby 'Oss Festival
In Cornwall, we mark May Day in the weirdest and probably best way of all. Padstow famously signals the arrival of May with the Obby Oss festival (Hobby Horse for those without the Cornish Twang). The festival is centred around two main characters: the Old Oss and the Blue Ribbon Oss. These mysterious figures, men cloaked in circular frames draped with black and white cloths and sporting fearsome horse masks, dance through the town’s streets, led by a "Teaser" wielding a padded club.
Believed to be one of the oldest fertility rites in the UK, and accompanied by drums and accordions, the Obby Oss parades through the town, which has been decorated in flags, flowers, branches and bunting, as they try to catch young maidens – any woman that goes beneath the apron of the Oss will be married or pregnant within the year!
The Old Oss, 1st May 2024 © Evie Manning, The Wool Company.
Covid aside, Evie, who runs our warehouse operations can't remember a time when she has missed Obby Oss. And she has a great memory. Padstow’s celebration of May Day is unique in that it has remained a perfectly pagan fertility ritual, some claiming it to be over two thousand years old. Well, as a county, we do love our folklore.
Obby Oss, Teaser and Maids, © Evie Manning, The Wool Company
Two Thousand Years On
In our day and age, with imported food and modern fertilisation techniques, you’d think that fertility rituals would have gone out of fashion. But May Day seems to be more popular than ever. 14,000 people attended Oxford’s celebrations this year, and the Obby Oss is so popular, it has now been revived in St Ives and Penzance.
Celebrations that commemorate the day attract thousands of visitors every year across the country: some are drawn to witness the spectacles, others come to feel part of the heritage and folklore, and some simply view the celebration as an excuse for a pint or two. Regardless of motivations for partaking, May Day brings communities together for a day of fun, revelry, and cultural weirdness steeped in tradition.
Oss Oss Wee Oss!
A fabulous historical video dating back to 1953, and well worth a watch!
Two Thousand Years Later
In our day and age, with imported food and modern fertilization techniques, you’d think that fertility rituals would have gone out of fashion. But May Day seems to be more popular than ever. 14,000 people attended Oxford’s celebrations this year, and the ‘Obby’ Oss is so popular, it has now been revived in St Ives and Penzance.
Celebrations that commemorate the day attract thousands of visitors every year across the country: some are drawn to witness the spectacles, others come to feel part of the heritage and folklore, and some simply view the celebration as an excuse for a pint or two. Regardless of motivations for partaking, May Day brings communities together for a day of fun, revelry, and cultural weirdness steeped in tradition.