It's all fantastically insane. I love it.

I smiled the whole time I watched that! Now that is how you welcome in the May!

Awesome ! Very Well Done To Everyone Involved God Bless you all Much love from Edinburgh xxx

What a great local festival. This reminds me so much of the Wicker Man movie. Nice to see the Greenman and lady... and Marcus Aurelius as well :)

@helenswan705

Жыл бұрын

this is a celebration of life, with no death involved. and it's not a movie!

The costumed enactment seen in the video was actually introduced only in 1930 by the Helston Old Cornwall Society. Prior to that it is recorded in 1790 that 'troublesome rogues' would, from early morning, parade round the streets 'with drums, or noisy instruments, disturbing their sober neighbours' and singing a version of the song heard in the video. This part of the festivities was suppressed in the 19th century until re-introduced in the sanitised version of 1930.

@roguishpaladin

Жыл бұрын

It can be traced back much further. Yes, perhaps this instance can only be traced back to 1930, but the celebration is referenced in a 1790 publication. The celebratory song "Hal-An-Tow" is Roud 1520, and was also written about in A Book of the West by Baring-Gould in 1899. More loosely, however, the idea of a spring caroling ritual in the hinterlands of Britain isn't exactly crazy, and most communities had them at one point or another. You searched for one bit of negative info, considered the question closed, and posted. That's called confirmation bias.

@Wotsitorlabart

Жыл бұрын

@@roguishpaladin I was referring to the costumed enactment - the song was noted in 1790. And clearly from the information we have the dancing part of the celebrations was in existence before that date. But, yes, my tone was wrong and I have amended my comment. Of course the celebration of spring and the return of the warmer months have no doubt been celebrated since stone age man but there are many on KZread and elsewhere who see traditions such as those at Helston or Padstow and presume a direct link to a 'pagan' or ''Celtic' 'pre-Christian' past - that the Anglo-Saxons or ancient Britons were carrying out the self same traditions. But there is no evidence whatsoever of an unbroken link back to those times - most traditions being barely 200 years old. There is a lot of wishful thinking out there.

Fabulous, thanks so much for this, here we are in 2020 and we cannot go out . Beltane greetings to all

Awesome!! Cheers from Virginia. 🍻🍻🍻

Doesn't strike me as very accurate, more like they are trying to copy something they heard about at a few removes and kind of making it up as they go. And a bunch of local volunteers kind of standing looking embarrassed because they aren't sure what they are supposed to be doing. Anyway i only clicked on this because i just saw some reference to this within the last week, and i can't recall where. I remember thinking it was an interesting term, "hal-and-tow", wondered if that is closer to haul and tow or heel and toe, or something totally different and unrelated, and why that is the term they used. But now i can't remember where i even read the term. I have been reading Patrick O'Brian again, maybe it was mentioned in there?

@YorkyOne

3 ай бұрын

The song is from the late 18th century - the enactment is from 1930. Probably 'heel and toe' referring to the dance.

🤘🤘

You wouldn't get many politicians dressing up as a saint with a granite wheel around his waist.

pagan AF fam!

@YorkyOne

3 ай бұрын

Actually, from 1930.

@tartanhandbag

3 ай бұрын

@@YorkyOne what, people weren't frollicking about in flowers and twigs, banging drums, making a big May-time racket in town squares in non-christian traditions before 1930? somehow i don't think so fam. for a start it was referenced in Gentleman's Magazine back in 1790, also in Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England (James Henry Dixon, 1846).

@YorkyOne

3 ай бұрын

@@tartanhandbag I was referring to the scenes in the video. The Helston Flora or Furry Day takes place on 8th May which is St. Michael's Day to whom the local parish church is dedicated. Fairs were held on the local saint's day during the Middle Ages - 'furry day' being the local dialect form of 'fair day'. The name 'Flora Day' probably introduced in the 18th century. So, mediaeval - not 'pagan'. The description in 'Gentleman's Magazine' of 1790 describes the proceedings much as they are today. However, the 'Hal-n-Tow' song and the 'troublesome rogues' who sang it were suppressed in the 19th century. In 1930 the Helston Old Cornwall Society decided to reintroduce a sanitised version of this part of the day's celebrations but added the costumed enactment as seen in the video. So, medieval and 1930 - not 'pagan AF', fam.

@tartanhandbag

3 ай бұрын

@YorkyOne oh right, got you, so when you said 1930, what you actually meant was something completely different, probs medieval at least, got you. why didn't you say so in the first place? and of course there weren't any pagans back then either, presumably? no persecution of tree-worshipping polytheistic non-christians during the middle ages i take it? ok mate, got you. cheers for the history lesson. medieval = not pagan. for a second there i thought pagan was a loose term for a whole number of non-judeochristian rural traditions. as to 8th of May being St Michaels day, I don't believe for a second that you're not familiar with the practice of co-opting/assimilation of pagan festivities to align with christian ones, sometimes referred to as syncretism. would it remove the bee from your bonnet if i'd have said "neo-pagan AF fam!" instead. coz if that's the kind of pedantic semantics you're into, so be it! but then let's also start referring to the modern church as "neo-christians" since it doesn't look much like medieval christianity.

@YorkyOne

3 ай бұрын

@@tartanhandbag I simply pointed out that the enactment shown in the video originated in 1930. The bee appears to be in your bonnet. No 'probs' about it - the feast is mediaeval. What pagan festival occured on that day in Helston? Absolutely no evidence of 'pagan survival' in mediaeval England. What 'tree worshipping polytheistic non-Christians' during the Middle Ages? Depends which Christian Church you are referring to. In England I would say the Catholic Church is very much like its mediaeval self, the Church of England was not actually mediaeval - the Protestant denominations clearly not in the equation at all.

I kind of miss our stuff.We don't do it nearly enough, but when we do we take it Back! Here it is dreary Catholic stuff. They do it very well, but I feel myself wanting to scream 'FFS this is giving credence to something invented by an Empire and cobbled together from bits of old folklore from a Foreign Land!' Keep True to your Own. Well done Kernow! Like everything British it is a total shambles (ditch the silly whistles) but it is a Start.

@Wotsitorlabart

Жыл бұрын

What on earth are you talking about?

@roguishpaladin

Жыл бұрын

Hal-An-Tow literally references St. George, St. Michael, and (though a later addition) St. Piran. While certainly a lot of rural festivities based around seasons reach back to pagan traditions, and May Day celebrations and their like fall in that category, this particular ceremony is less pagan than I think you are projecting it to be.

@Wotsitorlabart

Жыл бұрын

@@roguishpaladin The later St Piran reference suggests Cornish nationalistic tamperings with the song.

@helenswan705

Жыл бұрын

@@Wotsitorlabart tamperings???? Like we English have not 'tampered' with the Cornish???? Give them a break!

@helenswan705

Жыл бұрын

@@roguishpaladin I dont know this history but thanks for your input. Just been to morris dancing display at out local Totnes Castle as we do every May Day Dawn. And sang this song. If something is not ancient, does not mean it cannot be pagan, and respectful of the seasons. be you also.