THE midwinter solstice was celebrated with misrule on Sunday, December 21 as thousands came together in Penzance to ‘turn the world upside down’.

The longest night of the year saw fire, beasts and masked revellers filling the streets for the return of the increasingly popular Montol Festival - a community event celebrating the midwinter solstice, Cornish midwinter traditions of the past, and customs associated with Old Christmas.

Funded by Penzance Council, the event sees local residents and visitors alike donning elaborate costumes to take part in the parades which begin at sundown, and carry on well into the night.

Montol Festival began in 2007 and - led by Simon Reed and the Cornish Culture Association - soon became one of the highlights of the year for Penzance.

Now in its 18th year, the event has grown under the Montol Organising Committee, but at its heart remains a re-imagining of many of the Cornish midwinter customs and Christmas traditions which were formerly practised in and around the Penzance area - and were once common to much of Cornwall.

This year, Penzance Council awarded the Montol Organising Committee £7,500 of grant funding to put towards the costs involved in putting on the festival.

Mayor of Penzance, Stephen Reynolds commented: “Penzance is a town like no other, and Montol is a festival like no other. It’s a vibrant, creative reinvention of a tradition with deep roots in this Celtic land, bring people together to celebrate the solstice with music, dance, fire – and a huge dose of community spirit.

“I’m proud that Penzance Council continues to support the amazing band of volunteers who not only keep the Montol tradition alive, but refresh it every year as a living event for one and all.”

From early afternoon on Sunday, ‘Beasts’ and ‘Osses’ such as Pen Hood, Maw Bras and Alargh Du could be seen roaming the town, whilst Morris sides and carol singers gathered to perform. However, the real festivities began with the setting of the sun at 4.21pm, signalling the start of the Sundowner Parade.

The Raffidy Dumitz Band, Lord and Lady Montol and their honoured guests, led the family-friendly parade down Causewayhead to a huge crowd in the centre of town.

Following the spectacular Summoning of the Sun Ceremony, seeing a battle between the Oak and Holly Kings, the main procession ‘The Progress of the Sun’ set off from Greenmarket.

With the giant crow ‘Old Ned’ leading the way, a large procession of illuminated musicians, Guise Guilds, Beasts, Osses, and members of the public made its way up Causewayhead to the Princess May Recreation Ground for the Burning of the Sun.

The number of Guise Guilds grows every year at Montol, with some taking their inspiration from descriptions of similarly-named groups from early in the 19th century.

The present-day guilds are still based on the tradition of friends getting together in small groups, and producing costumes linked to themes.

The oldest surviving guilds are The Cornmarket Revellers and The ‘Gyptians, joined in recent years by the Physicians, the Turks, The Peccadilloes, The Scaleybacks, The Frolicking Fishy Folk, The Radical Ramblers, The Coddiwomplers, The Hwymm Hwamm Hyggas, The Hedgerows, The Tatty Mummers, and The Sticklers.

After the Burning of the Sun and dancing around the fire at the Princess May Recreation Ground, The Raffidy Dumitz Band led the revellers back into the town centre for more guise dancing and Morris dancing.

With the Guise Guilds assembled once again, Tas Nadelik’s Parade and the Progress of the Mock torch-lit procession set off from Greenmarket to end the evening with the traditional Cornish custom of Chalking the Mock, as well as a little bit more misrule.