The obby oss (hobby horse) is a very strange site, being a man enveloped in a wooden hoop, six feet in diameter and draped in black tarpaulin. There is a small horse’s head on the front of the frame and a wispy tail behind. The real head of the animal though is a devilish mask, with a cruel snapping beak, hanging tongue and tufts of fur. Surmounting the mask is a black and white pointed hat with the inscription O B on it. This is a simplified version of ‘Obby.’
It emerges from the Golden Lion pub on May Day morning.
]]>With their blackened faces and garish costumes, there’s nothing quite like the dancing ‘nutters’ of Bacup.
These traditional folk dancers perform on Easter Saturday every year,
dancing from boundary to boundary of the town, starting at 9am at the Travellers Rest Public House on the A671 Rochdale to Bacup road.
Thought to possibly have originated from Moorish Pirates who settled in this country and worked as miners, firstly in Cornwall and later moving North to Lancashire, they’re certainly unique.
You can read more about the fascinating history of this very British celebration on the official Nutters website.
This is an annual event which has been played in its present form since 1932.
Marbles is a game which was popular in Roman times so it’s been around for a long time. It’s particularly popular in Sussex and Surrey and it is commonly supposed that the championship is a legacy from one played between two rivals for the hand of a beautiful maiden in the 1600’s.
The current winners receive a silver cup and play under the rules of the British Marbles Control Board.
How to play
The playing ‘field’ is a 6 foot diameter concrete ring covered with sand.
There are 49 marbles and a team of six players. Each player grips a glass ‘tolley’ and uses it to try and knock as many of the 49 marbles out of the ring as possible. The player grips the tolley between the forefinger and thumb and ’shoots’ at the other marbles without using their whole hand.
Watch the video clip above of the 2008 World Championship to see the technique in action.
Rules of marbles (pdf)
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Norfolk
The King’s Lynn Fair has been held every year since the 11th century.
Only the plague in 1666 and two World Wars have stopped it from taking place.
It’s one of the earliest fairs held in the year and lasts for six days. The fair is opened by the mayor who has the privilege of being the first person to ride on the roundabouts!
It’s now known as the King’s Lynn Mart and lasts for two weeks. Some of the rides are extremely scary!
]]>It takes place every Shrove Tuesday in only two places in the UK; Shepton Beauchamp and Stoke St. Gregory, Somerset.
In the morning each child writes their name on an egg which they then take to school. The eggs are placed in a large sieve or riddle and shaken gently – shackled. As each one cracks or breaks it’s removed, until one egg remains. This happens on a classroom by classroom basis and each winner is given a small cash prize.
Here is a video of the egg shackling in Shepton Beauchamp in 2008.
]]>This annual cheese rolling event is free for anyone to take part in or watch, other than a £5 car parking fee, which covers the costs of the cheeses etc.
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