The Hooden Horse
At Christmas in east Kent, farm workers once carried a wooden horse's head on a pole, its jaws snapping, from house to house in the dark.
What was reported
Hoodening is an old Christmas custom of east Kent. A group of farm labourers would go round the houses carrying a 'hooden horse': a carved wooden horse's head on a pole, with a hinged jaw that snapped open and shut, worked by a man hidden under a sacking cloth.
With a driver, a rider who tried to mount it, and a 'Mollie' in women's clothes, they performed a short play, sang carols and collected money or food. The custom almost died out but was revived in the 20th century.
Explanations offered
Hoodening is related to other animal-disguise customs of midwinter, like the Mari Lwyd in Wales. Its origins are unknown. The snapping wooden jaws in the dark were meant to delight, and frighten, those who opened their doors.
- When
- At Christmas, since at least the 1700s
- Where
- East Kent, England, UK
- Witnesses
- Kent villagers
- Status
- Folk custom
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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