Montol a full history.
Ancient origins in Penzance
An un chartered fair is described as "anciently being held in the town of Penzance on the 21st of December (The feast day of St Thomas the Apostle)" in the Victorian pamphlet the Cornish year still held by Penzance library. St Thomas the Apostle is sometimes called doubting Thomas his feast day being held on the darkest day because "he remained in darkness longest". No mention of this fair occurs in the charters of the town, however this is not unusual as the Quay fair held at the feast of the nativity of St John the Baptist is not described in the town charter of 1614 or proceeding documents. The Mayor of Penzance seems to have also given some kind of financial relief to poor on this day, The Mayor's diary on the 21st December 1816 stating "Many applications from paupers, some of which I referred to the town, some to the vestry and some from my own purse".
The history of the word Montol
Edward Lhuyd in his visit to Cornwall in 1700 recorded the phrase Montol or An Vontol as being the Winter Solstice. Lhuyds visit was primarily concerned with recording the Cornish language in its final "traditional stages" the main parishes were Cornish was still known and spoken was around Mount's Bay and towards Land's End. The later recorded meaning of Montol meaning balance could have had a dual meaning in West Cornwall were the Winter Solstice was seen as the "balance of the year" or the pivot of the year. The fact that this word was recorded in an age of considerable decay in the language may indicate that there was a popular conception prior to the 16th Century of the Solstice being a popular celebration.
Nadelik & The Cornish Christmas.
Many of the traditions celebrated in the modern Montol festival are direct revivals of the practices of Nadelik (Cornish for Christmas), strange as it seems to us now prior to the mid 19th Century Christmas had all but disappeared as popular tradition, the far flung communities of Wales, Cumbria, Yorkshire and Cornwall kept many of the traditions of Christmas alive. Many of our modern celebrations come from 2 sources, the popularisation of the feast by Charles Dickens in a "Christmas Carol" and 20th century marketing by large American companies like Coca Cola who popularised the "Santa Claus" vision of Father Christmas among other things.
Christmas as celebrated by the Cornish prior to the 19th century had much of the elements we see in the modern Montol. In particular the singing of Carol's (Christmas folk songs as opposed to Christmas Hymns), the masking of the geese dancers, the wassail (A blessing ceremony for next years harvest, in West Cornwall's case not Apples and cider but honey and mead), The lighting of the Mock or Cornish Yule log and its chalking or carving with a stick man symbol, the candle dance and 'Obby 'Oss (two of which are described the first being the famous Penglaz, and the second a wooden colourful snap jawed creature not unlike the one found in Paul Church by the Spanish in 1595).
The spirit of 1831
In 1831 so many residents of the town took part in the celebration that it was noted that every kind of person was present and the "Bal Masque" that took place rivaled that of the Venice Carnival. By 1890 however the borough council which had within the last 5 years banned the midsummer Golowan festivities had also put down by force the Geese dancers, posting notices every Christmas eve to that effect unto the advent of World War 1. As with many of our traditions the celebrations were seen as perhaps uncouth and involving too much alcohol, the temperance movement being at its height at this time (Ironically prior to the later half of the 19th Century Cornish Methodism had no strong traditions of abstaining, the origins of much of the tee-total ethos being Victorian moral crusades against poverty more than religion). It is also clear that in 1831 with the town population being around 3000 and the number of churches, chapels, meeting houses and dissenting prayer rooms being as high as 20 before and after this period, that an overwhelming majority of the Christian population would have taken part in the feast celebrations.
The Lord of Misrule
As part of the masking tradition a "Lord of Misrule" would have been chosen to oversee the revels otherwise known as "The King of the Bean" or "The Abbot of Unreason". This person would have been selected by the casting of lots in particular using coloured beans. In many places this Lord would have been accompanied by a Master of Ceremonies or Sergeants of Ceremonies often mocking the official offices of state.
Light, Fire, Darkness
The lighting of the Mock and other light and fire traditions were held in high importance by local people, often selecting huge logs for burning often made of ash, many antiquarians noted the similarity between the midsummer fires and the midwinter dances, and burnings some producing large studies on the matter.
To the far distant past
Many have speculated that all these traditions hark back to pagan celebration of old, in particular the Roman Saturnalia feast that Christmas absorbed in the 4th Century. What is very clear is that prior to the Cornish conversion to Christianity Midwinter and Midsummer were times to mark with feasting, joy and celebration and that folk memory is not easily erased. The Penzance community will continue to mark these occasions with happiness and find meaning for some either in the feast of St Thomas, The Midwinter Solstice or as the noted historian AK Hamilton Jenkin said just for fun "For is that not the very best reason to do these things".