DOI Heft:
Special winter-number 1896-7
DOI Artikel:Garstin, Norman: Helston and its "Furry Dance"
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17298#0397
The "Furry Dance"
ever pleases them, which means every variety of face of the sun in heaven and of a large crowd,
summery garment allowed by fashion. On they go down the streets of a country town, footing it
with the band ahead. Sometimes the big drum merrily through the parlours and the shops of the
will not be coerced through some narrow entry, butcher and the baker and the candlestick-maker,
and he stands outside to bear the witticisms of the led on by the mayor and the band, and they will
crowd ; the dancers seem warm but determined, be shocked and incredulous, but tell them that this
and down the street they step it, treading their has always been done on the eighth of May in
measure, which is as much like a polka as curb- Helston, that the age of the custom would sanctify
stones, lamp posts, and a dense crowd will permit, worse things, and they will dance too—silk hats
There is also a graceful interchange of partners, and all.
which is, however, only temporary, and does not Time was when this dancing began at six in the
impede the progress of the dance, that for two morning, when the country lads brought " the
hours winds in and out of houses and gardens and may," as they call sycamore sprays, into town and
streets, abating only of the sternness of their pur- danced with the servant lasses ; at one o'clock the
pose to be photographed on a cool lawn, among gentry roused themselves to a sense of what they
rhododendrons and lilacs. owed to an immemorial custom and danced as they
Dear me ! how strong is custom, and what do still, and at four the tradespeople took up the
strange liberties it takes with the proprieties. Tell burden of usage and frolicked through the town ;
the well-brought-up young ladies and gentlemen of but to-day the early dance is given up, and, sooth
our day that they would dance at high noon in the to say, I can pardon the death of a custom that
was so terribly early in its
habits.
What it was that has set
all these good people danc-
ing down the ages, I do not
know, nor does any one
else ; there is of course a
legend of a dragon and a
plague; but as every one
tells it differently, and
neither a dragon nor a
plague seems to have much
to do with dancing, I am
no wiser. The Helstonian
explains it by saying that
it was always like that, and
that is perhaps as far as we
can go. May has several
joyous customs even down
here in Cornwall, where the
people are more drawn to
the grim and funereal as-
pects of life—if a funeral
can be properly called an
aspect of life—than to the
frivolous and giddy amuse-
ments thereof. At Pen-
zance, for instance, May
I )ay is ushered in by the
deep notes of the May horn,
whereon all the boys play
—most distractingly, be it
observed.
At Bodmin there is what
is called the " May riding,"
when some one comes into
town on horseback with
the " may," and, I believe,
holds a court. At Scilly
a Queen of May is still
A BIT OF HELSTON FROM A PAINTING BY NORMAN GARSTIN choSeil from amongst the
73
ever pleases them, which means every variety of face of the sun in heaven and of a large crowd,
summery garment allowed by fashion. On they go down the streets of a country town, footing it
with the band ahead. Sometimes the big drum merrily through the parlours and the shops of the
will not be coerced through some narrow entry, butcher and the baker and the candlestick-maker,
and he stands outside to bear the witticisms of the led on by the mayor and the band, and they will
crowd ; the dancers seem warm but determined, be shocked and incredulous, but tell them that this
and down the street they step it, treading their has always been done on the eighth of May in
measure, which is as much like a polka as curb- Helston, that the age of the custom would sanctify
stones, lamp posts, and a dense crowd will permit, worse things, and they will dance too—silk hats
There is also a graceful interchange of partners, and all.
which is, however, only temporary, and does not Time was when this dancing began at six in the
impede the progress of the dance, that for two morning, when the country lads brought " the
hours winds in and out of houses and gardens and may," as they call sycamore sprays, into town and
streets, abating only of the sternness of their pur- danced with the servant lasses ; at one o'clock the
pose to be photographed on a cool lawn, among gentry roused themselves to a sense of what they
rhododendrons and lilacs. owed to an immemorial custom and danced as they
Dear me ! how strong is custom, and what do still, and at four the tradespeople took up the
strange liberties it takes with the proprieties. Tell burden of usage and frolicked through the town ;
the well-brought-up young ladies and gentlemen of but to-day the early dance is given up, and, sooth
our day that they would dance at high noon in the to say, I can pardon the death of a custom that
was so terribly early in its
habits.
What it was that has set
all these good people danc-
ing down the ages, I do not
know, nor does any one
else ; there is of course a
legend of a dragon and a
plague; but as every one
tells it differently, and
neither a dragon nor a
plague seems to have much
to do with dancing, I am
no wiser. The Helstonian
explains it by saying that
it was always like that, and
that is perhaps as far as we
can go. May has several
joyous customs even down
here in Cornwall, where the
people are more drawn to
the grim and funereal as-
pects of life—if a funeral
can be properly called an
aspect of life—than to the
frivolous and giddy amuse-
ments thereof. At Pen-
zance, for instance, May
I )ay is ushered in by the
deep notes of the May horn,
whereon all the boys play
—most distractingly, be it
observed.
At Bodmin there is what
is called the " May riding,"
when some one comes into
town on horseback with
the " may," and, I believe,
holds a court. At Scilly
a Queen of May is still
A BIT OF HELSTON FROM A PAINTING BY NORMAN GARSTIN choSeil from amongst the
73