Golowan Serpent Dance
by Terri Waters
Title
Golowan Serpent Dance
Artist
Terri Waters
Medium
Photograph
Description
The Golowan Festival is a midsummer solstice celebration in Penzance in the far west of Cornwall and bonfire celebrations have been held at this time of year since pre-Christian times.
Golowan, in the Cornish language, Golowan (or Goluan or Gol-Jowan) means the Feast of St John, who is the town’s patron saint, and it is on St John’s eve, the 23rd of June, that the festivities begin for this revived tradition in Penzance.
It commences with the Serpent Dance, when Penglaz, a fertility figure represented by a dancing horse’s skull, leads a throng of townsfolk through the moonlit streets of the town to the traditional Golowan tune played by the festival band. Torches aloft, the parade eventually arrives at the sea where a display of fireworks marks the beginning of the festivities.
Uploaded
March 21st, 2018
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