The old Orkney festival where girls dress as horses

Elaborate costumes are proudly made for the Festival of the Horse on South Ronaldsay. PIC: Orkney Library and Archive Service.placeholder image
Elaborate costumes are proudly made for the Festival of the Horse on South Ronaldsay. PIC: Orkney Library and Archive Service.

The Festival of the Horse has celebrated the strong agricultural tradition of South Ronaldsay for more than 200 years.

Girls are paraded in elaborate horse costumes made from trinkets, baubles, ribbons and fringes before the South Ronaldsay Boys Ploughing Match gets underway on a nearby beach. This summer celebration is still held today.

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