Saint Piran's Day (Cornish: Gool Peran), or the Feast of Saint Piran, is the national day of Cornwall and celebrated on March 5 every year with parades, re-enactments, and parties. Cornwall (Kernow) is one of the six Celtic countries situated in the southwesternmost peninsula of England with a unique culture and language and a strong sense of identity to this day.
Saint Piran’s Day honours the legend of the sixth century abbot who survived after being bound to a millstone and thrown into the sea off the highest cliff in Munster by his angry pagan Irish rulers. Miraculously the water became calm and the holy man floated safely across the Irish Sea on the millstone before arriving on the beach at Perranzabuloe, near Newquay in Cornwall where he set about preaching Christianity.
Though little is known about his life, it’s believed that Saint Piran "discovered" tin smelting when his black hearthstone which contained tin bearing ore got hot enough for the tin to melt out as white liquid. After he shared the secrets of tin extraction with local miners, the industry became the bedrock of Cornwall’s economy for centuries to come. Saint Piran became the patron saint of tin miners and died in the year 480 before his relics were subsequently distributed to various churches.
The Cornish flag was inspired by Saint Piran as its white cross represents the white tin flowing from the black rock symbolising the light of God in a dark world and good triumphing over evil.
Other resources
information about St Piran on the website of the Cornwall Heritage Trust - even more reliable than Wikipedia perhaps..
https://www.cornwallheritagetrust.org/learn/resources/stories-and-rhymes/st-piran/
a link to many of the St Piran's Day events in Cornwall in 2025
a link to the traditional Cornish dances which are famously performed in Helston on May 8 to celebrate Flora Day. This is a spring festival of events to drive out winter and welcome spring including the arrival of St. Piran and St. Michael slaying the Dragon. More information here: https://cornishstory.com/2022/05/07/helston-flora-day-the-basics/
two videos here:
by Philip Selbie, The Wild Geese
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