Crafty in the Med

I am here to enjoy meeting other bloggers and to share my love of craft ,mostly crochet, my thoughts and my daily happenings here in Alicante,Spain, my adopted country. I belong to a local choir because singing and music makes me happy. Flea markets and book shops are two of my favourite places to be. I read lots......sci´fi/fantasy,buried treasure, and off world adventures. I have a passion for history! I walk and walk and walk for about 10 months per year during the hot months I swim.

Tuesday, 5 April 2016

Traditions...old...old traditions!

Putting my hometown on the map!
I've heard people say Minehead in West Somerset is in the back of beyond,nothing there,rural,small and it's behind the times ect...ect...    Which I certainly disagree with but ... THEY can say what they like!!!
However there is no getting away from the fact that Minehead is beautiful!




The Gateway to Exmoor park!!




 






 




 

 I'd jump at the chance to buy a little cottage there!


Right so what has bought about these poignant thoughts of home ...there is a reason!




 I shall be giving another Public talk at the Business College at the end of this month and this time I have chosen to  focus on   "Familiarity with English Culture and Traditions is imperative in English Language Learning" as the topic of the talk and being a Somerset gal from Minehead I am going to talk about a very old May tradition which takes place in my hometown.
The Hobby Horse... or as we say in the West Country dialect "obby oss" .

 

"HAIL TO THE ANCIENT KING OF MAY"



I believe there are just two places left in the British Isles where this tradition still continues, Minehead and Padstow in Cornwall. I have been doing my homework these last few months and the deeper I delved into this tradition the more interesting I found it. 

Do you know Minehead has been welcoming the King of May (The Hobby Horse) since the 9th century! The origin of the Hobby Horse is somewhat blurry but it seems it goes back to some jolly celebrations after a victory,that of scaring away some rather nasty Vikings who had their eyes on plunder! 

There is more of course but I'll leave you this link so you can read all about it


The Hobby Horse



Amanda :-)








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19 comments:

  1. KC'sCourt!5 April 2016 at 15:24

    Well I just had to read this and comment! We have lived in Minehead for 26 years and hope to live here for another. We love it here! We have a giant train set at the bottom of the road! We have moors to the left, the sea to the right, and is may take a while to get anywhere but we love it here!

    Julie xxxxxxxx

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  2. mamasmercantile5 April 2016 at 16:05

    Fascinating to hear about the hobby horse, I actually thought it was a toy. You learn something new everyday...What a great tradition.

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  3. Betsy5 April 2016 at 16:59

    That is so interesting...and Minehead looks like an absolutely lovely place to live. Far away from the hustle and bustle is what I like the best! Thank you for shrine.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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    1. Crafty in the Med5 April 2016 at 21:50

      I am a country girl myself Betsy so like you I don't like hustle and bustle at all :-)

      A

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  4. Betsy5 April 2016 at 17:00

    "Sharing" not "shrine". Ha! I need to proofread before I hit publish!
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  5. Vintage Jane5 April 2016 at 17:24

    There is good and bad everywhere and it is great that you have shown people that there is a lovely side to Minehead!

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  6. linda5 April 2016 at 18:15

    It looks like a stunning place to live Amanda it's so beautiful, your talk sounds very interesting it's fascinating to hear about different traditions and cultures I'm sure it will go really well. :) xx

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  7. Chrissie5 April 2016 at 18:18

    We used to love visiting Exmoor and the surrounding villages as a day out when we lived in Creacombe, near Tiverton north/mid Devon. The villages in this part of the world were always charming. Didn´t know of the tradition but it sounds like party time. We used to go to the carnivals too, again fascinating traditions. Thank you for your research and link xcx

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  8. Sweet Posy Dreams5 April 2016 at 23:43

    I had not heard of Minehead, but you are right -- it is very lovely.

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  9. Amy at love made my home6 April 2016 at 22:07

    So great to see the praises of Minehead being sung! I hope that your lecture goes really well and that you and those coming to see and hear you really enjoy it!! xx

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  10. Teresa Kasner6 April 2016 at 22:11

    Oh how I'd love a thatched roof cottage there! Thanks for sharing those great photos! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  11. Jill at emeraldcottage6 April 2016 at 23:22

    What a great post, it looks like a beautiful area :)

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  12. Gracie Saylor7 April 2016 at 08:29

    You picked an interesting topic for your presentation, Amanda! I enjoyed your photos, narrative and link in this post. As you might imagine I found the Sailor Hobby Horse of particular note :) Thanks for sharing!

    Oh, and in answer to your question, I was wearing pink clogs in my first picture of my last post. I think pink boots would be fab, too! xx

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  13. Meredith8 April 2016 at 22:19

    Good luck on your talk Amanda, I think it would be so interesting to hear your perspective. I am all about slowing down and being behind the times. The current times run way to fast for me.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  14. Jacky H9 April 2016 at 18:49

    Hi Minehead look beautiful. .
    Good luck with talk.

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Thank you for your comments. I do read them and try to reply to all as well.Please keep them coming. Amanda :-)

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