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The 'Old Oss' capturing a passing maiden during the Mayday festival.
Padstow is best known for its "'Obby 'Oss" festival. Although its origins are unclear, it most likely stems from an ancient fertility rite, perhaps the Celtic festival of Beltane. The festival starts at midnight on May Eve when townspeople sing the "Morning Song".[1] In the morning, the town is dressed with greenery and flowers are placed around a maypole. The climax arrives when male dancers cavort through the town dressed as one of two 'Obby 'Osses, the "Old" and the "Blue Ribbon" 'Obby 'Osses; as the name suggests, they are stylised kinds of horses. Prodded on by acolytes known as "Teasers", each wears a mask and black frame-hung cape under which they try to catch young maidens as they pass through the town. Finally, at midnight on May Day, the crowd sings of the 'Obby 'Oss death, until its resurrection the following May Eve.
The 'Old Oss' party attending the Oss with dozens of accordions and drums.
[edit] Mummers' or Darkie Day
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Main article: Mummer's Day
On Boxing Day and New Year's Day, it is a tradition for some residents to don blackface and parade through the town singing 'minstrel' songs. This is an ancient Cornish midwinter celebration that occurs every year in Padstow and was originally part of the pagan heritage of midwinter celebrations that were regularly celebrated all over Cornwall where people would guise dance and disguise themselves by blackening up their faces or wearing masks. (Recently the people of Penzance have revived its midwinter celebration with the Montol Festival which like Padstow at times would have had people darkening or painting their skin to disguise themselves as well as masking).
Folklorists associate the practice with the widespread British custom of blacking up for mumming and morris dancing, and suggest there is no record of slave ships coming to Padstow. Once an unknown local charity event, the day has recently become controversial, perhaps since a description was published.[6] Also some now suggest it is racist for white people to "black up" for any reason.[7] Although "outsiders" have linked the day with racism, Padstonians insist that this is not the case and are incredulous at both description and allegations. Long before the controversy Charlie Bate, noted Padstow folk advocate, recounted that in the 1970s the content and conduct of the day were carefully reviewed to avoid potential offence.[8] The Devon and Cornwall Constabulary have taken video evidence twice and concluded there were no grounds for prosecution.[9] Nonetheless protests resurface annually. The day has now been renamed Mummer's day in an attempt to avoid offence and identify it more clearly with established Cornish tradition.[10] The debate has now been subject to academic scrutiny.[11]
[edit] Notable residents
[edit] History
Padstow was originally named Petroc-stow, after the Welsh missionary St. Petroc, who landed at nearby Trebetherick around AD 500.
Padstow isn't usually thought of as a "Viking town", but it was near Padstow that in 722 AD the Britons of Cornwall united with the Vikings of Denmark to destroy an invading Anglo-Saxon army led by Ine of Wessex at "Hehil". The Saxons army was slaughtered, and this decisive battle gave Cornwall 100 years of freedom from attacks by Wessex.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- , Parish population for North Cornwall district, Cornwall County Council and ONS, 2001
- , Camel Trail website
- , Immigrants to Canada: Vessels Arriving at Quebec 1843
- , John Eynon's Journal: Voyage to Quebec in 1833 from Padstow
- , Cornish Housing: Home Page
- , J. R. Daeschner, True Brits (Arrow, London, 2004)
- , "Way out West", The Guardian 3 January 2007
- , M. O'Connor, Ilow Kernow 3 (St Ervan, 2005) p27
- , No action on town's 'Darkie Day'. BBC News.
- , MP calls for 'Darkie Day' to stop. BBC News.
- , M. Davey, Guizing: Ancient Traditions and Modern Sensitivities, P.Payton (ed), Cornish Studies 14 (Exeter, 2006) p229
[edit] External links
(Source: Wikipedia) |
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