What is Padstow’s Obby Oss festival?

10 things you need to know about Cornwall’s most famous festival: the Padstow Obby Oss

 If you fancy seeing some traditional May Day celebrations over the bank holiday weekend, Padstow will be making merry the old-fashioned way with its famous Obby Oss, a festival steeped in pagan mystery. It’s the biggest day of Padstow’s year and tens of thousands of people cram into the town’s narrow streets and harbour, which are festooned with flowers and flags. Here are 10 things you need to know about this most unique of Cornish festivals.

1. It always falls on 1 May (unless 1 May is a Sunday).

Like this year. So, 2022’s celebration falls on Monday 2 May.

2. It’s a truly fantastic Cornish spectacle. 

Padstow’s Obby Oss (hobby horse) is an awesome family day out. It’s got it all: quirky Cornish tradition, bags of atmosphere, bizarre effigies, beautiful white costumes, dancing and making merry all over town, songs, music, drums, decorations – and a massive maypole. 

3. It’s thought to be rooted in an ancient fertility ritual.

Ancient Celts in Britain observed Beltane, which celebrates life, the end of spring and the beginning of summer. The Celts were herdsmen, and life revolved around their cattle, horses, and sheep, so the festival also marked the beginning of a new livestock cycle. Perhaps this could explain why the Padstow Obby Oss is why horses (or people dressed as horses) should be lord of the dance and lead thousands of people on an annual tour of the town. 

3. There’s a huge procession.

Dancers, drummers, musicians and local people dressed in white costumes decorated with ribbons, cowslips and bluebells throng the streets. The procession winds around Padstow, following first the blue ‘oss’ and then later the red ‘oss’. They prance through the streets entertaining the crowds, who follow on singing traditional May Day songs to accordions. Children dance with little osses, too.

5. The locals love it. 

The Padstow May celebrations are famous throughout Britain and are prized by the nation’s Pagan community, because they’re seen as a continuation of folklore practices. A local historian has said that the Obby Oss is: ‘Christmas and birthdays and everything rolled into one for most people. There are young people in the town who can’t wait to carry the Oss, it’s a rite of passage.’

6. The festivities begin on May Eve at midnight.

For a dedicated few, Obby Oss kicks off at midnight on 30 April, when folk gather outside the Golden Lion pub in Padstow and sing the ‘Night Song’.  For most people, however, the celebrations start at 10 am on May Day. You can party right up until midnight, when the locals sing the ‘May Song’.

7. There are two stars of the show. 

The main draw is the red and blue ‘osses’, also known as the Blue Ribbon and the Old. The osses are made from wooden frames covered in black oilskin with a small horse’s head featuring a snapping jaw (although they look more like a witch doctor’s mask). Since both outfits weigh in at 100lb, the honour of wearing it is shared out between groups of about 60 people who have their roots in Padstow. The two osses take separate routes and are led out by a ‘teaser’ carrying a club. The teaser’s purpose is to dance in front of the oss and goad it, while the crowd follows. At the end of the circuit, the two horses meet at the maypole. They are said to die and be resurrected on the next May Eve. 

8. The osses often try to grab pretty maidens on their way. 

Tradition has it that any woman who goes beneath the apron of the oss will be married or pregnant within the year! In former years this involved trapping the maiden under the oss’s skirt and covering her with soot. (Some of the older generations recall seeing unmarried women running the length of whole streets to escape its clutches rather than be caught).

9. The oss is appeased with coins (which now go to charity) 

The creature’s snapping jaws are placated with coins, once used by revellers to fund their drinking. Now money raised goes to charity. 

10. No one knows where the design of the mask came from.

The fearsome red oss mask is thought to have been inspired by those brought back by Cornish sailors, back when wooden ships explored the world.

Obby Oss is one of Cornwall’s most historic and unique festivals. Why not grab a pasty, a pint and a song sheet and join in? Book your Padstow cottage here.