Cornish Culture: A Vibrant Celtic Tradition

The Culture of Cornwall is probably the least well known of the native cultures of the British Isles.  Like its Celtic cousins of Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Brittany and the Isles of Man, Cornwall has a long history of distinctive separateness and cultural identity that goes back possibly thousands of years.  Like many regional cultures in Europe the Cornish saw a rapid decline in participation in traditional activities in the early 20th century largely due to the effects of World War 1 and the terrible loss of life associated with the conflict. Simply put there were not enough young people to be take part in these traditions and many feel into disuse.  Thankfully a small group of revivalists set about recording the remnants of the culture and now thanks to their efforts it is on the rise like never before.  So what is Cornish Culture?  The Cornish are a Celtic people as previously stated and their culture is similar in particular to the Welsh and Breton cultures.  The Cornish have their own language Kernewek which is spoken by about 1000 users, although nearly all Cornish people know simple words from the language such as “Kernow” – Cornish for Cornwall.  Cornish place names are full of Cornish words, (Penzance for example means Pen – Head, and Sans – Holy or Holy Head) and the Celtic language still influences dialect and accent.  The Cornish also have distinctive traditions of dance and music, Cornish bagpipes a variant of the European pips exist, Cornish folk music is popular and widely known, Cornish dance is distinctive but definitely Celtic in origin and contains fascinating traditions such as “Guise Dancing” where performers dress in formal clothing and masks to hide their identities and cause mischief among the populace. 

The Cornish also have their own distinctive set of calendar dates, Golowan, Guldize and Allantide are all names unfamiliar to most English speakers but actually mean Midsummer, Harvest and Halloween.  Each of these dates invite different customs, Golowan is a fire festival, Guldize involves a ceremony of “Crying the neck” or cutting the last shock of wheat, and Allantide although falling on the 31st of October is an Apple festival where dreams are sought by the holders of special “Allan Apples”.  The most famous of the Cornish customs is that of Padstow ‘Obby ‘Oss which occurs every year on the first of May.  The ‘Obby ‘Oss is a dance of fertility led by a bazaar black disked monster that wirls and twists through the streets of the small Cornish town calling in the summer.  Women caught under the ‘Oss’ skirts are said to become pregnant within 12 months of this visitation.

Curiously Cornwall although an historical “Celtic nation” was absorbed into the Kingdom of England through foul means or fair a fact that leads to many in the Cornish movement to be resentful of English culture which is seen as an aggressor.  Where ever Cornwall is, one thing is clear, that the practices and traditions of the Cornish people are distinct and different and whatever the government of the day says they will remain Cornish and proud.