In Search of Old Buck: Old Christmas on the Outer Banks

“I know someone in Rodanthe,” a Hatteras fisherman confided, “who has Old Buck’s head in a box in a closet.” I had heard that the mythological bull made his Old Christmas appearance late in the evening, rope-led by a handler. His long horns were shiny and formidable, his hide speckled and tough, and his four legs? They were pants-clad and wearing shoes! Tales of shrieking children, encouraged by their parents to touch Old Buck for good luck, indicated that they were none the wiser about the two men crouched under the cow hide.

I called the “keeper of the head,” probably sounding a little too eager to chat. She hung up on me after exclaiming, “Outsiders make fun of us.”

Fortunately, other banks residents were more than willing to talk about Rodanthe’s unusual ritual, and many had fond memories of participating in the annual event. So just what is Old Christmas?

Read more at South Writ Large.