Wikipedia:Today's featured article/May 20, 2023

Hoodening is a folk custom found in Kent, a county in south-eastern England. The tradition entails the use of a wooden hobby horse, known as a "hooden horse", that is mounted on a pole and carried by an individual hidden under a sackcloth. It represents a regional variation of a hooded animal tradition that appears throughout the British Isles. As recorded from the eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries, hoodening was performed at Christmas time by groups of farm labourers who would form into teams to accompany the hooden horse on its travels. These often included an individual to carry the horse, another to lead the horse, a man in female clothing known as a "Mollie", and several musicians. The team would then carry the horse to local houses and shops, where they would expect payment for their appearance. Although this practice is now extinct, the hooden horse is still incorporated into various Kentish Mummers' plays and Morris dances that take place at different times of the year.