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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Alice Fisher

Cool as folk: why Britain’s young rebels are embracing ancient rites

The Abbots Bromley Horn Dance takes place every year in the Staffordshire village of the same name.
The Abbots Bromley Horn Dance takes place every year in the Staffordshire village of the same name. Photograph: WEIRD WALK

If you’ve never danced with the “obby oss” or been daubed by a bogie, then a new show at Compton Verney art gallery in Warwickshire is for you. Making Mischief is the first exhibition dedicated to British folk costume and the traditions celebrated by communities all over the UK.

There you can learn about the game of Haxey Hood played in Lincolnshire each January or Padstow’s May Day celebrations and the stylised obby osses that lead the celebration. Or there’s the Jack in the Green festival in Hastings where the bogies splatter onlookers with green paint.

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