Fire on the longest days
Lighting fires on the eve of the summer solstice, or around it, is one of the oldest and most widely found of all seasonal customs in Europe. In Cornwall, the custom has long been associated with the night of June 23, the eve of the feast of Saint John the Baptist, which falls close to the solstice. Fires were lit on hilltops and in villages, and people gathered to watch, sing and sometimes jump the embers.
The custom has a mixed history. It faded in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, was revived by heritage groups, and continues today in different forms. This article tries to separate what is documented from what is simply repeated.
What is reported
Antiquarians and folklorists in the nineteenth century recorded that midsummer fires were still lit in parts of West Cornwall during their lifetimes. Accounts describe fires on high ground such as hills and carns, visible from a distance, and in some places a chain of fires across the landscape. People were said to carry burning torches or embers, to walk around the flames, or to pass children or animals near the smoke for good luck and protection. Such details vary and should be taken as reports of belief and practice, not as proof of how every community behaved.
The general purpose given in these sources is protection and good fortune for the community, crops and livestock. This fits the pattern of Saint John’s Eve fires in many parts of Europe, where similar customs were common. It is therefore reasonable to see Cornwall as part of a broad European tradition rather than as the home of an unusual or isolated rite.
Hilltops and high places
Why hills? A hilltop fire can be seen from many miles around, and fires on high ground have long been used for signaling and celebration. Cornwall has many natural viewpoints, from granite tors on Bodmin Moor to coastal headlands, and some bear names such as “Beacon” because they were once used for warning fires. The same sites sometimes have older monuments close by, including Iron Age hillforts, burial mounds and standing stones.
It is tempting to assume that these locations were chosen because of an unbroken ritual tradition running back to prehistory. That is an attractive story, but it goes beyond the evidence. What can be said is that high places were practical and symbolic for people across many periods, and that later fire customs often took place at places already known as landmarks.
The Celtic associations
Midsummer fires are often described as Celtic. The usual claim is that the Celts lit fires at the summer solstice, and that the custom survived in Cornwall, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany. In truth, historians point out that the main Celtic fire festivals in the traditional calendar, as usually described, were at the start of May and the start of November, not at midsummer. Midsummer fires were, in Britain and Europe, strongly tied to Christian saints’ days and widespread folk practice.
Some writers have also linked the Cornish custom to the god Bel or “Baal”, producing names such as “Baal fires” in older accounts. This idea was popular in the nineteenth century but is now treated with caution, since the supposed connection rests largely on guesswork about word origins. A fair summary is that Celtic cultural ideas have strongly shaped how Cornish people think about midsummer fires today, but the direct ancient lineage is uncertain.
The revival
In the early twentieth century, the Old Cornwall Societies, groups formed to document and celebrate Cornish history, language and customs, helped to revive the bonfire tradition. Beginning in the early decades of the century, fires were lit on hilltops by volunteers, often accompanied by short speeches, Cornish-language greetings and singing. The tradition was linked with the wider revival of Cornish culture and reflected a desire to reconnect with community and landscape.
A chain of fires lit from hill to hill, each seen from the next, became a symbol of connection among communities. Over time, these events have been organized by various groups and have taken different forms. Some are small and private, others open to the public, and the details of timing and location change from year to year.
Penzance and the Golowan festival
In Penzance, the Golowan festival, whose name is often explained as a Cornish word connected with “light” or “feast of Saint John”, was revived at the end of the twentieth century and includes events around midsummer. It has included processions, music, street performance and a busy day known as Mazey Day. Details of the festival have changed over time, so check what is happening in any given year. Whether it follows older customs is arguable, but the connection to Saint John’s Eve is explicit in the festival’s roots, and it is a notable example of a modern event drawing on an older calendar.
Safety and etiquette
Fire demands care, especially in the Cornish landscape. Dry vegetation on heathland and moor can ignite quickly, and coastal gorse and bracken can burn fiercely in summer. Never light your own fire on open land. Use only events that are organized, permitted and managed, where stewards control the site.
If you attend a public bonfire:
- Follow marshals’ instructions and keep behind barriers.
- Wear sturdy footwear and bring a torch, since hilltop sites may be uneven and dark.
- Check weather, since high winds can cause events to be changed or canceled.
- Keep dogs and children close, and stay clear of cliff edges and mine shafts, especially in poor light.
- Take your litter home and leave the site as you found it.
Many hilltops are protected or sensitive areas, and some have ancient monuments that should not be damaged by fire or crowds. Local advice and the coastal safety guidance applies as much at night as during the day.