As a visitor to Padstow on May day I can echo the feeling of the maker of the Wicker man. The locals were not rude but they did not have the normal politeness that most give to strangers. An example was that a local barman would not serve one promptly even if it was to his financial benefit. I loved their celebration because it is the only traditional event that I have witnessed where the celebration still has some deep seated emotional involvement as opposed to a re-enactment of a distant past event.

@newsheridanclub

3 ай бұрын

Hi John, can you tell me when this was? I'm just curious to know if attitudes are moving in one direction or another. As I say, my experience was 20 years ago, so hardly current.

@johntimbrell

3 ай бұрын

@@newsheridanclub My experience was over a period of 20 years from the 1980s. The Cornish people in my experience still have a love hate relationship with 'foreigners' from the other side of the Tamar but my assessment of the May Day celebration, or perhaps better described as observance, was that it still was just more than re-enacting the past. I once went from Padstow's May day to watch Helston's Furry Dance. I found that that was just a re-enactment of a past tradition which is had no relevance today. This is similar to most other re-creations of the past. After watching your summary of the History of Padstow's May Day I have formed this opinion. The supposed meaning of the present day version of the song is a conglomeration of past events which meant something to the people at the time but mean very little to the present day people who sing it today. This is not an unusual phenomenon. Most people who sing hymns in Churches rarely know the meaning of the words they sing. I asked a devout regular churchgoer if they still said the Apostle's creed each Sunday. She said no and I believe that she did not know what the Apostles creed was even though she chanted it each Sunday. My assessment is that the people of Padstow are a bit remote from other centres and become somewhat insular and close knit over each winter. The 1st of May is when they 'allow' foreigners into their lives because they need them to survive. They sing THEIR song which has no meaning to the present day singers except that it is THEIR song and the meaning has little importance. One difference between the Padstow event and other such events where the meanings of celebratory songs are sung is that there is no controller in overall charge of the group. I'm thinking of our churches or our state where hymns and Land of Hope and Glory are sung. at the last night of the Proms. From what I have written one might assess that I am being cynical. I am not. I think that there is value in communities being close and caring for each other. That is the good side of human nature. Dare I state what I see as the bad side? It is that the people of this country do not stop the controllers using our taxes to fund wars that are no concern to us the ordinary people. Our controllers are making huge sums to line their pockets to support arms manufacturers who send the weapons to such as Ukraine and Israel.

Gwyth hy ow mos dres oll an nos, Cala' Me bys vyken.