Montol Festival

In the town of Penzance Cornwall about once a year there is a Festival known throughout Cornwall as The Montol Festival.

Origin of the word Montol

Edward Lhuyd in his 1700 MSS. of vocabulary in the Cornish language states that "Montol" means Winter Solstice. However he later translates the word as "balance" (in Latin Trutina)

Like The Mazey Day Festival Montol is one of the old Time Traditional Cornish Holidays that Happened Once a Year until World War I in Penzance and in St Ives the festival Was Stopped in 1984 and has only Recently in the past Few years Been Brought Back into the Cornish Community.

http://www.montol.co.uk/full.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montol_Festival

The Organisation of the Festival

The Festival Isn't Just something you can Make up On The Day (Oh No) This Event Takes Time To Plan During Which Time you have to get a Road Closure Notice (this takes 3 Months).

What The Festival Includes

The Festival includes The Traditional Chalking of The Mark Which is the way of Seeing out The Old Year in Style This Involves a Wooden Trunk of a tree that is marked in white chalk and is Ceremoniously Burned at the Top of Lescudjack Hill Fort After The Precession Through the Town Of Penzance. Montol is Also The last Time of the Year You Will Get To See The Legendary Penglaze The Local Obby Oss