The longest day celebrated at Cornwall’s new summer solstice event

It’s 5.30am and the car park is completely full – it seems most people have started the longest day of the year long before me. The more discerning arrive at Falmouth’s Pendennis Point by bike or on foot, greeted by the sound of bagpipes and a discreet sunrise.

Summer solstice celebrations have been popular for millennia, so it should come as no surprise that crowds flock to this early morning gathering overlooking Falmouth Bay. However, despite its apparent popularity, this particular Cornish summer solstice custom dates back only 365 days.

Started last year as a “secret event” to mark the longest day of the year, “Krak O Dawn” has attracted around 150 curious early risers through whispered words. This year, without any advertising, the event has grown in size, with at least several hundred people experiencing Cornwall’s last summer solstice tradition.

Read more: Wonderfully Weird and Charming Worm Championships

Read more: Soul of Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson up for sale at Cornwall salvage yard

Seamas Carey, known for his podcast “The Reason Why” and cross-generational male voice choir “Men Are Singing,” came up with the idea for Krak O Dawn. “I’m just a big fan of traditions and rituals. I think they serve a huge purpose for society, and maybe with the decline of religion, you could argue that’s what we’re missing now – ceremony and ritual.”

“I love making up rituals and I was really inspired by May Day in Padstow and Helston Flora Day. I love things that happen early in the morning! So I wanted to start something for Falmouth involving our choir, Men Are Singing. And it transforms. A few of the men are married to members of the morris WAD group, so we combined and last year thought we’d give it a go. We announced it the night before and this year it feels like it’s growing.”

To kick off the longest day of celebration of the year, Krak O Dawn features singing from Seamas’ Male Voice Choir and dancing from the truly unique The WAD. Sam Trenerry, one of The WAD’s Morris dancers explained its origins: “The WAD has been running since October 2022, so we’re still quite new. We follow all the traditions of Morris dancing, but we try to make a few of our own. own and have fun with bad costumes and makeup.

“We’re here to celebrate the solstice with Men Are Singing, who are our male counterparts, so to speak, in Falmouth. Last year, we didn’t know what to expect and it became this absolutely magical event. And then this year was just as magical and a lot of people were crazy enough to wake up at this ungodly hour to come watch us.”

With full singing and dancing, the final custom of Krak O Dawn is the sharing of oranges that people are encouraged to bring (it’s said to be bad luck to eat your own!) Depending on who you ask, the oranges are symbolic. of the sun, or just one of Seamas’ favorite morning snacks. Either way, the morning air is filled with the sweet smell of citrus, there are smiles all around, and on this longest day of the year, it’s not even 7am.

There are 33 images in this photo story – click the “NEXT” button at the bottom of the page to see them all.