Editing Padstow (section)

==Culture==

==='Obby 'Oss festival===
{{main|'Obby 'Oss festival}}
[[File:Red obby oss maiden 20050502.jpg|thumb|right|The 'Old Oss' capturing a passing maiden during the Mayday festival]]
The "'Obby 'Oss" festival is a major tourist attraction. The festival starts at midnight on [[May Day|May Eve]] when townspeople gather outside the Golden Lion Inn to sing the "Night Song." By morning, the town has been dressed with greenery and flowers placed around the [[maypole]]. The excitement begins with the appearance of one of the 'Obby 'Osses. Male dancers cavort through the town dressed as one of two 'Obby 'Osses, the "Old" and the "Blue Ribbon" 'Obby 'Osses; as the name suggests, they are stylised kinds of horses. Prodded on by [[acolyte]]s known as "Teasers," each wears a mask and black frame-hung cape under which they try to catch young maidens as they pass through the town. Throughout the day, the two parades, led by the "Mayer" in his top hat and decorated stick, followed by a band of accordions and drums, then the 'Oss and the Teaser, with a host of people – all singing the "Morning Song" – passing along the streets of the town. Finally, late in the evening, the two 'osses meet, at the maypole, before returning to their respective stables where the crowd sings of the 'Obby 'Oss death, until its resurrection the following May Eve.
[[File:Red obby oss party 20050502.jpg|thumb|right|The 'Old Oss' party attending the Oss with dozens of accordions and drums]]

===Mummers' or Darkie Day===

On [[Boxing Day]] and New Year's Day, it is a tradition for some residents to don [[blackface]] and parade through the town singing '[[minstrel]]' songs. This is an ancient [[Winter solstice|midwinter celebration]] that occurs every year in Padstow and was originally part of the pagan heritage of midwinter celebrations that were regularly celebrated all over Cornwall where people would [[Guise dancing|guise dance]] and disguise themselves by blackening up their faces or wearing masks. Recently (since 2007), the people of [[Penzance]] have revived its midwinter celebration with the [[Montol Festival]] which like Padstow at times would have had people darkening or painting their skin to disguise themselves as well as masking.)

Folklorists associate the practice with the widespread British custom of blacking up for mumming and morris dancing, and suggest there is no record of slave ships coming to Padstow. Once an unknown local charity event, the day has recently become controversial, perhaps since a description was published.<ref>J. R. Daeschner, ''True Brits'' (Arrow, London, 2004)</ref> 
Also some now suggest it is racist for white people to "black up" for any reason.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,,1981661,00.html "Way out West"], ''The Guardian'' 3 January 2007</ref>  
Although "outsiders" have linked the day with racism, Padstonians insist that this is not the case and are incredulous at both description and allegations. Long before the controversy Charlie Bate, noted Padstow folk advocate, recounted that in the 1970s the content and conduct of the day were carefully reviewed to avoid potential offence.<ref>M. O'Connor, ''Ilow Kernow 3'' (St Ervan, 2005) p27</ref> 
The Devon and Cornwall Constabulary have taken video evidence twice and concluded there were no grounds for prosecution.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/4337475.stm|title=No action on town's 'Darkie Day'|work=BBC News|date=10 March 2005|access-date=3 January 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315150812/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/4337475.stm|archive-date=15 March 2009}}</ref> 
Nonetheless protests resurface annually. The day has now been renamed ''Mummers' Day'' in an attempt to avoid offence and identify it more clearly with established Cornish tradition.<ref>{{cite news
 |url         = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/4603886.stm
 |title       = MP calls for 'Darkie Day' to stop
 |work   = BBC News
 |date        = 11 January 2006
|access-date  = 3 January 2010
|url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070129093239/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/4603886.stm
 |archive-date = 29 January 2007
|df          = dmy-all
}}</ref> 
The debate has now been subject to academic scrutiny.<ref>M. Davey, ''Guizing: Ancient Traditions and Modern Sensitivities'', In: P. Payton (ed), ''Cornish Studies 14'' (Exeter, 2006) p.229</ref>

Other similar traditions that use the black-face disguise and are still celebrated within the United Kingdom are the [[Border Morris]] dancers, and [[Molly dance]]rs of the [[East Midlands]] and [[East Anglia]].