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Since Tumblr embraces the Mari Lwyd, I thought you might enjoy some photos of some of her Cornish relatives the 'Obby Osses at the revival Montol festival.
England and Wales and their weird horse spirits going out of their way to upset Scotland. Obby osses and Mari Lwyd and Penglaz.
Like they're harmless and just want a wee drinkie at the local pub but honestly? Horrifying.
Scotland thinks he's tough shit with Kelpies as his own resident horse nightmare fuel but really we all know he loves his Unicorns.
Each Christmas, Wales comes around and places Mari on the mantelpiece, and then in Midsummer Arthur drunkenly crashes in with Penglaz and suddenly the spirits that trick children to climb on their backs and ride out to the water to drown them doesn't look so bad in comparison.
Today is May Day, the historical Beltane. It is the day that the border between the mortal realm and that of Faerie is at its most porous and the risk of humans desirable to the faeries for whatever reason, being abducted and spirited away to their enchanted domain, is high. Traditions of wearing May Day garlands remain very strong, symbolic of the returning colourful foliage of summer. The most visible example of garlanding is that of Jack-in- the-Green, a pre-Christian embodiment of the forest and the return of spring, he features in many of the May Day parades that take place today in the villages of England. Another May Day parade figure with similar pagan origins is the ‘Obby ‘Oss of Padstow, a wooden, snapping hobby horse surrounded by an immense veil. If the ‘Oss envelops a young woman in its folds it is certain she will become pregnant in the coming year, perhaps a nod to its horse-god fertility origins.
Maypoles are perhaps the quintessential symbol of May Day festivities. Their origin is supposed to lie in the erection of huge phallic constructions in pre-Celtic times to symbolise the fertility of spring’s transition into summer. There is actually no evidence for this interpretation, but the Puritan government of the Commonwealth certainly believed it. In the 1650s May Day celebrations were banned across England and Maypoles were torn down. It is possible the poles are a remembrance of Anglo-Saxon and Norse sacred trees and the fact young women process around them may hint at a fertility origin - or that may be a more recent innovation. The Catholic Church embraced the festival, dedicating May Day to the Virgin Mary, itself perhaps a repurposing of pagan celebrations of nature goddesses, of which the tradition of the crowning of May Queens on 1st May is perhaps a distant echo.
Beltane arrives tomorrow*; its one of the best known of the stops on the wheel of the year and its also one of the most celebrated. May Queens, Maypoles, dancers, Obby Osses, its got a wealth of celebrations and associations, not even counting the specific intentional rituals that some will participate in.
Now, I happen to think that there's huge value in simply noticing the turning wheel of the year and that the 8 spokes of the wheel are fantastic ways to do that. When we stop and pay attention to those moments, we allow ourselves to participate, to feel a part of something larger, something absolutely beyond our control and that is an enchantment in itself. The wheel will turn whether we want it to or not; acknowledging that is already taking a step into a wider world.
Enchantment is everywhere tomorrow, but what if rituals and crowds aren't your thing? What if you live somewhere where no one is interested in it being Beltane? Here's some things that you can do to mark the moment on the wheel for yourself.
Be up early enough to watch the sunrise! This can be a big ask, I know, but if you can manage it, its worthwhile. The growing light, the birdsong, a world lacking in human made noise and it feels like you're the only one alive. Its special.
Don't do early? Just get outside at some point during the day, close your eyes, turn your face to the sun and let it flood you. Be grateful for its warmth and light. Feel it filling you.
Find some safe, green ground. Take your shoes off. Walk around barefoot. Feel your direct connection to the earth.
Find some flowers and simply watch them for a while; you don't need to be able to identify them, just appreciate them! Enjoy the varied shapes and colours and the other lives they make possible as bees and other insects visit.
Spend some time in a wild area. Better still, do some forest bathing. Take the time to let the spirit of the place surround you and sink into you.
Do you have a favourite tree? No? Now is the perfect time to pick one! Picking a favourite tree helps to ground you in a place and its land, you can observe and follow how it changes with the wheel of the year. It will become a part of you, a spirit tree. If you have a favourite already, spend some time up close with it today, touch it, feel it beneath your hands.
Do something creative that you normally do inside, but outside. Write, draw, play an instrument, post to your blog. Do it outside and notice how different it can feel to do that.
Just do something you love doing, but do it outside. Beltane really marks the start of the outside times, its about celebrating and acknowledging and welcoming all the good things that the outside months bring. Marking that will connect you to the wheel of the year.
You don't have to believe in anything specific to mark reaching Beltane in the wheel of the year; the wheel doesn't need anyone to believe in it to happen, it'll just keep on turning and happen anyway, that's part of the joy of it. It connects you to the earth and the heavens and what they're doing, it connects you to a moment that will never come again - there's only one Beltane on this trip around the sun! Acknowledging that there is something bigger than ourselves happening is definitely enchanting but also empowering.
There are lots of different rituals and ceremonies, solo or in groups, that are used to mark Beltane and you can be a part of too - but its not in any way required. You can simply use one of the ways above to mark the day, or come up with your own. The important thing is to be open to the enchantment that happens when you connect, so go and do it and enjoy your Beltane this year!
*Technically it arrives with the moon rise tonight, but seeing as its a new moon tonight (the black moon, when you get 2 new moons in a month) AND there's a lunar eclipse tonight, then she won't be visible at all, so there's not much enchantment to be found in looking at something you can't see in a dark sky!
The 'Obby 'Oss festival is a folk custom that takes place each 1st of May in Padstow, a coastal town in North Cornwall. It involves two separate processions around the town, each containing an eponymous hobby horse known as the 'Obby 'Oss. outside of this date, effigies of the 'Obby 'Oss can still be found adorning the Oss' "stables", the Blue Ribbon 'Oss having its own pale ale. Two rare porcelain 'Obby 'Oss' created by an unknown artist are from my collection.
idk if anyone answered you about the cornish montol horses but our general term for them is obby osses (obby oss singular) ! they tend to all have their own unique names! in that pic the black cloaked oss is named Penglaz and the grey cloaked one is named Kasek Nos! :>
Oh incredible!! I had not gotten an answer so thank you so much <3 I love that they all have names, that's so excellent
Padstow's 'Obby 'Oss festival returns after two years
Padstow’s ‘Obby ‘Oss festival returns after two years
However, senior coroner Andrew Cox also said he would write to the government with concerns about management of community events, after he was told the festival up until 2019 had “no single event organiser” who was involved with safety advisory groups, police or other external agencies.
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