Padstow, Cornwall
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.