Montol Festival
montol festival often montol annual festival penzance cornwall england united kingdom held december year since festival revival reinterpretation many traditional cornish midwinter custom christmas tradition formerly practiced around penzance area common much cornwall one point festival span several day main event held traditional date feast st thomas apostle usually december always coincides winter solstice montol came community created golowan midsummer festival also held penzance though different people involved idea formed success golowan order celebrate winter solstice similar manner montol sought revive practice recorded antiquarian reportedly died second world war first festival initially funded grant central government festival cancelled due covid pandemic edward lhuyd ms vocabulary cornish language state montol mean winter solstice however later translates word balance latin trutina – set scale montol based particular historical festival rather incorporates many different recorded custom festival centre around montol eve december several revived tradition west cornwall including predominantly guise dancing guise dancing cornish custom people dress costume mask play music dance sing take part parade somewhat similar mummering elsewhere england evening large guiser procession seen town carrying lantern wearing mask traditional costume early evening lord misrule chosen among masked reveller drawing coloured bean lord misrule lead main procession certain honorary function although historical basis part event prior since pen hood montol obby os penglaz golowan obby os appear later leading parade revelling evening culminating ceremony chalking mock mock cornish yule log marked stick figure burnt montol bonfire early year festival bonfire beacon lit lescudjack hill fort similar vein beacon lit old cornwall society midsummer recently bonfire held princess may recreation ground opposite humphry davy school custom include cornish candle dance dance around basket full lit brightlycoloured candle performance traditional guisers play st george turkish knight buffy bucca cornish christmas carol also feature festivity historical basis many custom described taken text notable cornish antiquarian contemporary research subject k hamilton jenkin book cornish home custom describes guise dance procession performance like italian carnival noted everyone including rich great came masked disguised street detailed description penzance guise dancer given william bottrell book tradition hearthside story west cornwall – early part last century costume guise dancer often consisted antique finery would raise envy heart collector chief glory men lay cocked hat surmounted plume decked streamer ribbon girl less magnificently attired steeple crowned hat stiff bodied gown bag skirt train ruffle hanging elbow festival often includes communityoriented event public music series workshop dedicated making mask costume people join guise parade community carol service ceilidh golowan festival tom bawcocks eve mari lwyd official website montol festival amateur footage montol festival origin word montol teer ha tavaz website archived version river fire montol festival penzance eyewitness account celebration