What have the Celts ever done for us?
From cheese rolling to maypole dancing, age-old rituals to welcome in the spring are still thriving.
Padstow 's May Day Obby 'Oss festival dates back to the 14th century. The Cornish town is decorated with spring flowers and two processions of dancers, musicians and singers, headed by people dressed as hobby horses, weave through the streets to the sound of a special May song. The Old 'Oss starts from the Golden Lion Hotel, the Blue Ribbon 'Oss from the Harbour Inn, and the two meet at the maypole for a mock fight. During the processions they are prodded with a padded stick by 'teasers', and pull adolescent girls from the crowd - who were traditionally expected to fall pregnant within the year.
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