Are carols like ours sung elsewhere? What makes the Odcombe Carol Tradition unique?
Traditional carols are sung in just a handful of places across England; in a dozen or so villages to the North and West of Sheffield, in Padstow, Cornwall and in two Somerset locations; Dunster and Odcombe. There are other villages where traditional carol manuscripts are now being discovered, (such as Exford and High Ham) and just a few places where people are trying to revive the tradition. One of these is nearby Longburton, in Dorset.
In Sheffield carols are sung with great gusto in the pubs, as is the case in Dunster. In Padstow, as in Odcombe, the carols are sung outside in the streets, but this takes place only at certain places in the town.
Only in Odcombe do the carollers walk the length and breadth of the village, Thomas Hardy-fashion, with a caller addressing every household by name. Our tradition may be described as more personal and inclusive than any of the others. It is truly unique to Odcombe and a very special heritage.
