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Cornish Folklore: The Festival of Allantide

Basket of Apples – Levi Wells Prentice, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Festival of Allantide

In Cornwall, the 31st of October was the Festival of Allantide, but it has largely been replaced by Halloween in modern times. Nevertheless, people still celebrate the Allantide festival at home, in parts of the county, keeping alive a sense of community and tradition. Central to the festival was giving someone a gift of a sweet, large red apple, known as an Allan Apple. No specific species of apple has been identified as being used, but they needed to have been as red as possible to be polished up to be as shiny as possible. The were sold in the run-up to the festival in shops and special markets called Allan markets. These were given to family members, especially children who looked excitedly forward to receiving their apple. The apples were believed to bring good luck, as well as being a delicious and nutritious snack. Children placed them under their pillows to bring good fortune, and older girls hoped that doing this would inspire dreams of their future spouse.

Saint Allan

Allantide is the Cornish version of the Welsh and Manx festival of Hollantide, as well as the Irish festival of Samhain, which celebrates the harvest and the arrival of the darker, shorter days of winter. It is believed to have been named after the 6th-century Saint Allan, a Bishop of Quimper, Brittany who had connections to Cornwall. The festival became absorbed into the church calendar from earlier Celtic pagan traditions related to Kalan Gwav or Samhain. 

October the 31st

The 31st of October was a time when the Earthly realm entered a state of liminality, and the barriers that separate the living world from that of the dead could be passed. This time of year, is associated with the death of the earth, vegetation, and the waning of light and heat. This is not a morbid fascination, but a recognition of the cyclical nature of life and the importance of the harvest season. People celebrated in various ways, and many superstitions and customs were observed to ward off the supernatural and the dead. Despite the fear, paradoxically, many people at this time of year sought the advice, guidance, and goodwill of the deceased or otherworldly entities.

This was a time when rituals invoking sympathetic magic were enacted. Bonfires were lit on hillsides in imitation of the fading sun in memory of the old ways. Over time, most of the old pagan rituals were slowly Christianized. Churches rang their bells to help the departed souls of Christians pass from this world into the next.

Allantide Apples Divination Games

Allantide Game 2009 – Reedgunner, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Historically, apples have long been considered a special fruit in the sacred traditions of people in many parts of the world. The Romans are believed to have introduced apples to Britain, which were adopted by the indigenous Celtic people, becoming symbols of love, marriage, and fertility and believed to be the fruit of the gods, hence their connection with the otherworld.

Apples begin to ripen in autumn, which is one reason for their strong association with Allantide. During this season, they were thought to have special qualities used for divination and magical practices. Because apples were closely tied to love and marriage, many believed they could help reveal the identity of a future spouse for those who were still single. Young men and women in Cornwall who were old enough to marry would often sleep with the ‘Allan’ apple they had received, placing it under their pillow or beside their bed on the night they received it. They hoped this would help them dream of their future partner. In some places, people thought the dream would only come true if the person ate the apple the next day.

In some areas, instead of, or in addition to, sleeping with the apple under her pillow, a young woman would peel the apple in front of a mirror, trying to cut one continuous strip. She would then throw the peel over her left shoulder onto the floor. When settled on the floor, the peel would form the initials of her husband, true love, or soul mate.

Apple bobbing, another centuries-old Halloween tradition, was linked to love and marriage in Cornwall. The girls polished and marked their apples, then placed them in water to float. Boys then bobbed for an apple, believing they would marry the girl whose mark was on the apple they retrieved. “Snap Apple,” was another popular divination game played on Allantide, involving boys leaping to bite a suspended apple. The first to succeed was believed to be the first to marry, though the game did not reveal their spouse.

An Allantide Candelabra

Another popular game in the Penzance area around the turn of the nineteenth century also involved apples. Two strips of wood, each between eighteen and twenty inches in length and up to an inch and a half in width, were fixed together to form a simple cross. The cross was suspended from the ceiling, and a lighted candle was placed on each arm, and an apple was tied to each arm so that it was suspended in the air. Like apple bobbing, eager, ready for marriage, maidens would mark the apples before suspending them from the cross. Boys would gather under this Allantide “candelabra” when candles were lit and jump to catch an apple with their mouths, risking hot wax in the face if they missed and hit the cross.

Other Ways of Divination

Other ways to discover the name of a future spouse, lover, or to ensure faithfulness throughout the coming year were also practised at this time of year. Married couples threw chestnuts or walnuts into a fire to ensure fidelity throughout the year. Single people curious to know who their future lover was going to be threw molten metal, such as lead, into cold water. The occupation of their future partner was revealed by the shape the molten metal formed when cooled. The shape of a fish indicated a fisherman, fishmonger or another trade associated with fish. A gun might indicate someone who used firearms, such as a soldier or perhaps a hunter. A broom or brush might indicate someone who works as a road sweeper.

Another way for girls curious to know their future spouse was to write three names on separate pieces of paper, which were rolled into balls and placed inside three round clumps of earth. These were submerged in water, and the first clump to open and release its paper revealed the name of the future spouse, adding a sense of mystery and anticipation to the festival.

A less messy way for a girl to discover who her future husband would be was for her to put the front door key in her left garter between a chapter of the “Song of Solomon.” Next, she suspended it from her forefinger while speaking the names of men. When the name of her future husband was spoken, it was said to turn. An alternative method was to pass a line of cotton through a wedding ring. Hold the cotton between the thumb and forefinger. Then ask, “If my husband’s name is to be so-and-so, let this ring swing to the right.”

Until the end of the 19th Century, Newlyn, Penzance, and St. Ives continued to host public Allantide festivals, but this tradition has mostly died out. However, the giving of apples, a symbol of respect for the past and continuity, is still often followed privately by Cornish people, showing the resilience of traditions.

© zteve t evans 20/09/2025

References, Attributions and Further References

Copyright 20th, September 2025 zteve t evans

Cornish Folklore: The Legendary Tom Bawcock of Mousehole
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Cornish Folklore: The Legendary Tom Bawcock of Mousehole

The sea and the rugged Cornish coastline dotted with fishing villages and harbors is a fertile breeding ground of many legends and traditions.  For many of the Cornish folk living around the coast, the sea provided them with a means to make a living by fishing.  As well as selling their catch for small profits it was the basic ingredient of their diet.  To catch the fish they needed suitable weather so their livelihoods were inextricably linked to the sea and the weather.

georges_jean_marie_haquette

Georges Jean-Marie Haquette (1854 – 1906) – Public Domain

Stormy Weather

Tom Bawcock was a legendary fisherman in the 16th century who lived in the Cornish fishing village of Mousehole. Like many other local people, he made his living from fishing the seas around Cornwall.  According to legend during one wintertime the area was afflicted by a series of storms and bad weather which prevented the local fishermen from putting out to sea.  This is said to have happened around Christmas time and the fishing boats remained stationary in the harbor. This bad weather continued over a prolonged period and the local people could not catch the fish that consisted of their main diet and began to starve.

Brave Tom Bawcock

According to local folklore this state of affairs continued for some time and by the 23rd of December with the village people in dire straights, one man decided something had to be done.  Tom Bawcock decided he would chance the weather and take his boat out to try and make a catch. Bravely he took his fishing boat out in the most appalling of weather and horrendous seas but good fortune was with him.  He managed to drop his nets and haul in a huge catch of fish.  When he returned he found he had several different kinds of fish all mixed together.

baked_stargazy_pieBy Krista – Baked stargazy pie – CC BY 2.0

Stargazy Pie

These were all placed together in one big pie with egg and potatoes providing enough to feed the entire village.  They called the dish stargazy pie.   In this dish, some of the fish heads are deliberately placed to poke through the pastry as if looking at the stars and the tails protrude as well so that it looks like the fish are leaping in and out as they would in water.  Placing them this way is also said to let the fish oils run back into the pie improving the taste and nutritional value.

Tom Bawcock’s Eve

Naturally, the villagers were delighted and Tom became their hero. A festival has been held on 23rd December which became known as Tom Bawcock’s Eve ever since in the village of Mousehole. During the evening of the 23rd, a huge stargazy pie is the centerpiece of a parade through Mousehole accompanied by villagers carrying lanterns and the pie is then eaten.  But even the Cornish weather can affect this and sometimes the lantern parade is postponed if the weather is particularly bad.

tombawcockseve

The lantern parade for Tom Bawcock’s Eve – Public Domain

There was once an older festival held in the village during the end of December which also featured a fish pie made with several varieties of seafood and it may be that Tom Bawcock’s Eve has evolved from that. Over the years the festival has grown and since 1963 the famous Christmas festive illuminations of Mousehole are included adding extra color and sparkle.

The origin of Tom Bawcock

There are alternative theories as to how the festival originated.  One proposed by a nautical archaeologist, Robert Morton Nance (1873–1959) an authority in his time on the Cornish language and one of the founders of the Old Cornish Society put forward the idea that the name Bowcock  was derived from the French Beau Coq. He thought the festival was from an era that pre-dated Christianity and thought the cock in pagan times was the bringer of light or the sun in the morning with its crowing.

Another explanation is that the name Bawcock in Middle English is a nickname for someone who is regarded as a good fellow and Tom a generic name used to describe any man.  So Tom Bawcock would mean any good fellow and perhaps, in this case, any good fellow, who was brave enough to risk his life to feed the village.  It could have been a kind of Harvest Festival celebration in honor of any or all of the village’s brave fishermen if read like this.

The Devil in a Pie!

There is a tradition that the Devil never went to Cornwall.  According to Robert Hunt, after the Old Nick crossed the River Tamar he noticed the Cornish people liked to put everything in pies.  Not fancying his chances he decided to hightail it back  before they decided to place him in one!

References, Attributions and Further Information

Copyright zteve t evans

 

The Ancient Pagan Origins of Christmas – The Festival of Saturnalia

Dice players – Author: WolfgangRieger – Public Domain Image

The Festival of Saturnalia

Christmas in the modern world is a time of festivity, overindulgence in eating and drinking, giving presents, carol singing, and indulgent and excessive behaviour. The Roman festival of Saturnalia is believed to have been a forerunner of the Christmas we know and celebrate today, giving us many customs and traditions that we use, enjoy and are familiar with. This festival honoured the god Saturn, an agricultural deity who reigned during the Golden Age, which was a time of peace, prosperity and abundance when people’s needs were met without having to work, and everyone lived in equality with one another.

The festival of Saturnalia commenced on the 17th of December and ended on the 23rd of December and could be celebrated throughout the Roman Empire. It was a time of great feasting, merry-making and revelry, with copious amounts of drinking and overindulging in food. People went out in the streets singing from door to door. It was a time for giving and receiving presents, and the revelry was supposed to reflect the conditions of the Golden Age.

During Saturnalia, leaves and evergreen branches were fashioned into wreaths and carried by priests in processions. Gambling and throwing dice, usually discouraged in ancient Rome, became permitted for both enslavers and slaves throughout the festival. Public buildings and squares were adorned with flowers and lit with candles. Candles may have represented the search for truth, knowledge, and the sun’s return after the winter solstice. Later, on the 25th of December, according to the Julian calendar, Romans celebrated Dies Natalis of Sol Invictus, or the “Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun.”

Role Reversal

During Saturnalia, roles were reversed between master and slave, with the slave becoming the master and the master the slave. Some reports from ancient sources say slaves and masters ate at the same table together. Other reports say the enslaved people ate first, and others say that the masters served them their food. No doubt, it was the slaves who did the actual preparation and clearing up. Slaves were also said to be allowed to show a certain amount of disrespect to their masters. However, it was more of an act because the role reversal was temporary, only lasting through Saturnalia, so the slave had to wary of upsetting their master too much.

Dressing for Saturnalia

As can be expected, during important festivals, people like to dress up and wear their best clothes, and Romans were no different. During Saturnalia, men set aside the toga, their usual garment, in favour of Greek-styled clothing. They also wore a conical cap of felt called the pilleus, which was a token of a freedman and even the enslaved were allowed to wear it during Saturnalia.

Giving Presents

The 23rd of December was known as “The Sigillaria,” and gifts were given on this day. Against the season’s spirit, the value of gifts given and received was a sign of social status. These might be candles, pottery items, wax figurines, writing tablets, combs, lamps, and many other such articles. Sometimes, birds or animals were given. The rich sometimes gave a slave or an exotic animal, and children were given toys.

The Lord of Misrule

The ruler of Saturnalia and the master of ceremonies was called Saturnalicius princeps and was chosen by lot. A similar figure is seen in medieval times presiding over the Feast of Fools and was known as the Lord of Misrule. He would issue absurd and whimsical commands that had to be obeyed, creating chaos, (mis)rule, and an outrageous world.

The Influence of Saturnalia on Christmas Today

Many historians and scholars see the festival of Saturnalia as one of the sources of many of today’s Christmas practices. The giving of presents, carol singing, the lighting of candles and using evergreen plants for decorations continue to this day. The practice of eating and drinking to excess and the carnival atmosphere that prevails over the season is reminiscent of the festival of Saturnalia.

© 19/11/2013 zteve t evans

References, Attributions and Further Reading

Copyright zteve t evans November 19, 2013. Revised by zteve t evans December 12, 2024