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MAY DAY
Forget morris men and maypole plaiting. Out in the West Country, May Day is still a raucous event involving several days of rutting and 'smutting', punch-ups and 'bootings', all fuelled by barrels of alcohol. |
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The rival ports of Padstow in Cornwall and Minehead in Somerset both claim to have the oldest hobby horse-or Obby Oss-traditions in the world. 'Minehead copied ours,' Padstonians will tell you, while their counterparts less than 100 miles up the coast argue to the contrary. Given that the celebrations take place at the same time, neither town knows what the other gets up to on May Day.But here, for the first time, they'll be able to see for themselves. And Padstonians, at least, aren't going to like it. |
| MINEHEAD'S MOCKERY In the next segment, though, two Minehead men commit the ultimate sacrilege, mocking Padstow's icons by donning make-up and rubbish-bin liners, doing a striptease and pretend-buggering each other. |
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WHIPPING AND BOOTING I got suckered in by it once and wound up with the retch-making stink of dead cow and manure smeared across my face and hair. In this clip, the cow-tailed Horse attacks another cameraman-before symbolically 'booting' a Swedish maiden and escorting her off into the bushes. |
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DIRTY LIMERICKS After parading through town, the members of the 'Traditional Sailors Horse' party-not to be confused with the bitterly opposed 'Original Sailors Horse' group-end the night with a pub singalong, including some terrible limericks: |
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There was a young man from Australia Who painted his balls like a dahlia. Tuppence a smell Was all very well But thruppence a lick was a failure. CHORUS: That was a terrible song, Sing us another one Just like the other one Sing us another one do! There once was a local called Land Who had a quite limber right hand. One night he screamed, 'That damn Vaseline, Some bastard has mixed it with sand!' FOR MORE DIRTY LIMERICKS, click here. FOR MAY DAY TRIVIA, click here. |