7na.m.: Morning Dance
n
n
n
n8na.m.: Hal-an-Tow Pageant
n
n
n
n10na.m.: Children’s Dance
n
n
n
n12nnoon: Midday Dance
n
n
n
n5np.m.: Evening Dance
n
nThat’sna whole lot of dancing, in one day!
n
n
n
n
nTodaynthe whole town of Helston, England, turns out to welcome spring ornsummer, dancing in and out of houses and stores, through streets andnyards and gardens. People travel from all over the world to see the n
n
n
n
n
Overn1,000 kids from 7 to 18 participate in the Children’s Dance. Theyndress up in white, the boys wearing ties in their school colors, andnthe girls wearing matching flowers—blue cornflowers,nforget-me-nots, daisies, and poppies. The boys wear Lilies of thenValley as boutonnieres. n
Overn1,000 kids from 7 to 18 participate in the Children’s Dance. Theyndress up in white, the boys wearing ties in their school colors, andnthe girls wearing matching flowers—blue cornflowers,nforget-me-nots, daisies, and poppies. The boys wear Lilies of thenValley as boutonnieres. nn
n
n
nFornthe Midday Dance, men wear top hats and tails, and women dress inntheir best gowns. Both men and women wear Lilies of the Valley.nApparently a lot of these flowers grow near Helston!
n
n
n
n
n
n
Nobodynseems to know what “Hal-an-Tow” means. I assumed it was anreference to “heel and toe,” which are very important in dancenmoves, but the scholarly opinions I read said that it might meann“hoist the roof,” or that”halan” means the first of thenmonth, whereas “tow” means garland. At any rate, the Hal-an-TownPageant is a mystery play, a good-vs.-evil battle that includesncharacters such as Friar Tuck, Robin Hood, St. George, and St.nMichael. n
Nobodynseems to know what “Hal-an-Tow” means. I assumed it was anreference to “heel and toe,” which are very important in dancenmoves, but the scholarly opinions I read said that it might meann“hoist the roof,” or that”halan” means the first of thenmonth, whereas “tow” means garland. At any rate, the Hal-an-TownPageant is a mystery play, a good-vs.-evil battle that includesncharacters such as Friar Tuck, Robin Hood, St. George, and St.nMichael. nn
n
n
nSpeakingnthe meaning of names, there is a story of how Helston got its name:nSt. Michael was fighting the devil, and the devil threw a huge rocknat him. That huge Stone from Hell crashed to Earth in England, wherenHelston is today. The boulder didn’t hurt anybody—least of all St.nMichael—and so the town celebrates each year. Also, the name “FurrynDance” comes from the Cornish word “fer,” which means feast ornfestival.
n
n
n
nOnenmore note about names is that there is another name for this holiday,nwhich is The Flora. n
n
n
nPlannAhead…
n
nChecknout my Pinterest boards of Maynholidays, historicalnevents in May,nand Maynbirthdays.
n
n
n
n
n
nAlsonon this date:
n
n
n
n
n
nCigar mogul and theater patron Oscar Hammerstein’s birthday
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
Educatornand writer Henry Baker’s birthday
Educatornand writer Henry Baker’s birthdayn
n
