25/10/2024
Stow Horse Fair. This is a really ancient fair, dating back centuries in an important market town set on five roads. Today the fancy horses, the good saddlery and agricultural equipment have disappeared onto the Internet and specialist sales and it has become a gypsy fair, celebrating the unique culture of Travellers and Gypsies. There are still horses for sale: the classic hairy cobs unique to the British Isles. I arrived too late to see them being "flashed". The term "chav" used a few years ago as a disparaging term for "a young person of a type characterized by coarse and brash behaviour" comes from a Romani word "chavi" meaning "child" (and earlier, Hindi). So the amount of fake brands, gold jewelry and extreme bling for sale on rather sketchy market stalls was fascinating. The classic Romany Bow Top wagons, of which there were several, arrived on trailers, often towed by new high-end 4x4s. Women, glammed up to the max, sat in folding chairs beside a smoking wood fire complete with a tripod and kettle, celebrating elements of the heritage. Men in little clumps discussed sales and horses and dodgy deals. Every pub in town was closed.