Padstow Mayday

SAM Club 2

On May eve, the people of Padstow go out to the

surrounding countryside and “bring home the May” –

cutting green boughs to decorate the village.

The focus of the day are the two hobby horses, or ‘osses, which dance wildly, and

somewhat dangerously, amongst the crowd, around the village. The men who carry the ‘os

must be descended from at least 5 generations of Padstonians, as must all the

other important participants.

Each oss’ procession is lead by a top-

hatted master of ceremonies, who must clear a path

through the crowd, lead the

band, and generally keep

control

Each Oss is accompanied by a band of accordionists…And drummers, as everyone

joins in with the Padstow May song, which rings through the

village all day.

Each oss is encouraged in the wildness of it’s dance by a “Teazer”, who dances with the Oss, waving his staff

The first oss out on the street is the Blue Oss, or “Peace Oss”, so called as it was first danced by young men returning from the First World

War.

The red, or “Old Oss” comes out next. Each Oss dances three times throughout the day, culminating in a meeting between the two

osses at the harbour.

As the osses rear up, there is a tradition that any women trapped underneath will become

pregnant within the year. During the osses’ wild dance, there is a slow point in the May song, where the oss sinks to

the ground, but springs up again as the strong beat of the May song returns.

The figure of the oss even dominates the Padstow Maypole.