Montol Festival
Encyclopedia
The Montol Festival is an annual heritage, arts and community festival in Penzance
, Cornwall
held between the 16th and 22nd of December each year. The festival is a revival or reinterpretation of many of the traditional Cornish
midwinter customs & Christmas traditions formerly practiced in and around the Penzance area and common to much of Cornwall at one point. Every year the main event, Montol eve is held on the traditional date of the feast of St Thomas the Apostle
,usually the 21st of December, which always coincides with the Winter Solstice
.
in his 1700 MSS. of vocabulary in the Cornish language
states that "Montol" means Winter Solstice
. However he later translates the word as "balance" (in Latin Trutina,).
the masked celebrations common to Cornwall in the 19th Century, the Cornish candle dance (Dons Cantol) in revived Cornish
and the performance of traditional Guisers plays such as St George and the Turkish Knight or Buffy and the Bucca. Cornish Christmas carol
s also feature heavily during the festivities.
A detailed description of the Penzance Guise dancers is given by William Bottrell in his book Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall (1870-80),
is chosen from among the masked revellers who leads the main processions and has certain honorary functions. Later on the appearance of the 'Obby 'Oss Penglaz occurs in several locations throughout the town culminating in the ceremony of the chalking of the Mock. The Mock is the Cornish Yule Log
, a member of the public is chosen to mark the Mock with a stick man. In tradition this represents either the Christ Child or Old Father Time
marking the death of the year,or the celebration of the birth of Christ "the light of the world". Some suggest that this very old Cornish imagery may have some connection to the sacrificial nature of the Roman Saturnalia
the likelihood of this is open to question. A great deal of Cornish dance
and music is performed during the evening often in an improvised and impromptu manner. . The symbols of the festival are the spear and square of St Thomas, and the "Sun Resplendent", a traditional image used by Guise Dancers.
s which are used in a large lantern parade on 21 December in Penzance Town Centre followed by the lighting of a beacon at Lescudjack Hill Fort
one of the most ancient sites in the Penzance parish. There are also arts events with the theme of light and darkness, disguise, topsy turvy and Cornish traditions.
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
held between the 16th and 22nd of December each year. The festival is a revival or reinterpretation of many of the traditional Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
midwinter customs & Christmas traditions formerly practiced in and around the Penzance area and common to much of Cornwall at one point. Every year the main event, Montol eve is held on the traditional date of the feast of St Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...
,usually the 21st of December, which always coincides with the Winter Solstice
Winter solstice
Winter solstice may refer to:* Winter solstice, astronomical event* Winter Solstice , former band* Winter Solstice: North , seasonal songs* Winter Solstice , 2005 American film...
.
Origin of the word Montol
Edward LhuydEdward Lhuyd
Edward Lhuyd was a Welsh naturalist, botanist, linguist, geographer and antiquary. He is also known by the Latinized form of his name, Eduardus Luidius....
in his 1700 MSS. of vocabulary in the Cornish language
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
states that "Montol" means Winter Solstice
Winter solstice
Winter solstice may refer to:* Winter solstice, astronomical event* Winter Solstice , former band* Winter Solstice: North , seasonal songs* Winter Solstice , 2005 American film...
. However he later translates the word as "balance" (in Latin Trutina,).
Revived customs
At the very core of the festival are several of the revived customs of the West Cornwall area including, predominantly Guise dancingGuise Dancing
Guise dancing is a folk practice celebrated between Christmas Day and Twelfth Night in Cornwall, UK...
the masked celebrations common to Cornwall in the 19th Century, the Cornish candle dance (Dons Cantol) in revived Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
and the performance of traditional Guisers plays such as St George and the Turkish Knight or Buffy and the Bucca. Cornish Christmas carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
s also feature heavily during the festivities.
Historical basis for revived customs
The historical basis for many of the customs described above is taken from the texts of notable Cornish antiquarians. For example A. K. Hamilton Jenkin in his book Cornish Homes and Customs describes the Guise dance processions and performances of 1831 as "like an Italian carnival" and further noted that "everyone including the rich and the great came masked and disguised on to the streets".A detailed description of the Penzance Guise dancers is given by William Bottrell in his book Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall (1870-80),
Montol Eve
The main event of the festival is Montol Eve on the 21st of December every year. During the evening large guisers processions can be seen all over the town, carrying lanterns, wearing masks and traditional costumes. These processions are known as the "Rivers of Fire" Early in the evening a Lord of MisruleLord of Misrule
In England, the Lord of Misrule — known in Scotland as the Abbot of Unreason and in France as the Prince des Sots — was an officer appointed by lot at Christmas to preside over the Feast of Fools...
is chosen from among the masked revellers who leads the main processions and has certain honorary functions. Later on the appearance of the 'Obby 'Oss Penglaz occurs in several locations throughout the town culminating in the ceremony of the chalking of the Mock. The Mock is the Cornish Yule Log
Yule log
A Yule log is a large and extremely hard log which is burned in the hearth as a part of traditional Yule or Christmas celebrations in several European cultures...
, a member of the public is chosen to mark the Mock with a stick man. In tradition this represents either the Christ Child or Old Father Time
Old Father Time
Old Father Time is a weather vane at Lord's Cricket Ground, London, in the shape of Father Time removing the bails from a wicket. The weathervane is a total of 6 ft 6 in tall, with the figure of Father Time standing at 5 ft 4 in...
marking the death of the year,or the celebration of the birth of Christ "the light of the world". Some suggest that this very old Cornish imagery may have some connection to the sacrificial nature of the Roman Saturnalia
Saturnalia
Saturnalia is an Ancient Roman festival/ celebration held in honour of Saturn , the youngest of the Titans, father of the major gods of the Greeks and Romans, and son of Uranus and Gaia...
the likelihood of this is open to question. A great deal of Cornish dance
Cornish dance
Cornish dance originates from Cornwall in the British Isles. It has largely been shaped by the Cornish people and the industries they worked in. In most cases, particularly with the step dancing, the dances were still being performed across the region when they were collected...
and music is performed during the evening often in an improvised and impromptu manner. . The symbols of the festival are the spear and square of St Thomas, and the "Sun Resplendent", a traditional image used by Guise Dancers.
Community events
During the festival there are a series of workshops dedicated to the making of LanternLantern
A lantern is a portable lighting device or mounted light fixture used to illuminate broad areas. Lanterns may also be used for signaling, as 'torches', or as general light sources outdoors . Low light level varieties are used for decoration. The term "lantern" is also used more generically to...
s which are used in a large lantern parade on 21 December in Penzance Town Centre followed by the lighting of a beacon at Lescudjack Hill Fort
Lescudjack Hill Fort
Lescudjack Hill fort is the name given to the unexcavated Iron Age settlement located in Penzance, Cornwall. The name might originate from the Cornish words lan and scosek - shielded enclosure or, more likely, "nans" and "cosek"...
one of the most ancient sites in the Penzance parish. There are also arts events with the theme of light and darkness, disguise, topsy turvy and Cornish traditions.