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Hoodeners in 1909

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. (Full article...)

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Amidst a political crisis in Ecuador, President Guillermo Lasso (pictured) dissolves the National Assembly and triggers an early general election.
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Cyclone Mocha strikes Myanmar and Bangladesh, killing more than 400 people.
In the Thai general election, an opposition coalition led by the Move Forward Party wins a majority in the House of Representatives.

On this day

May 20: National Day of Remembrance in Cambodia (1975); National Awakening Day in Indonesia (1908)

The Luttra Woman's skull

685 – The Picts defeated the Northumbrians at the Battle of Dun Nechtain, severely weakening the latter's power in northern Great Britain.
1811 – A British squadron under Charles Marsh Schomberg defeated a French force off Tamatave, Madagascar, that was attempting to reinforce the French garrison on Mauritius.
1943 – The Luttra Woman (skull pictured), a bog body from the Early Neolithic period, was discovered near Luttra, Sweden.
1947 – The first session of the National Diet opened in Tokyo, Japan.
2013 – A tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, United States, killing 24 people and causing an estimated $2 billion of damage.

Honoré de Balzac (b. 1799)
Astrid Kirchherr (b. 1938)
Cher (b. 1946)

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Today's featured picture

Sándor Vay (1859–1918) was a Hungarian poet and journalist. Born as a female named Sarolta, Vay was one of the first Hungarian women to complete university studies. Vay then began identifying as a male journalist, both before and after the sensational trial for his marriage to another woman in 1889. The case drew the attention of noted sexologists of the period, including Havelock Ellis and Richard von Krafft-Ebing, who used it to explore female inversion in the emerging field of sexology. During his lifetime, he was well respected as an author of historical articles on notable figures and cultural topics related to Hungary. Many of his works have been posthumously republished and are considered an important part of his country's literary heritage.

Unknown author; restored by Adam Cuerden

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