The Cornish Midsummer Bonfire (Tansys Golowan) was held on St John the Baptist Eve at Bolitho Farm, Liskeard, on June 23, when around 50 people gathered to help preserve one of Cornwall’s ancient traditions.

In very early pagan times, sun worshippers prayed for a fine summer to produce a successful harvest. To avoid antagonising the Cornish people, early Christians continued with the ceremony, but introduced a more religious content, renaming it St John the Baptist Eve.

It was in Victorian times that the revelry and drunkenness got out of hand and led to the festival being discontinued. It was the Old Cornwall Society movement that revived the ceremony in 1929, over 1,000 people arrived at St Cleer Down by charabancs to attend the revival in that first year.

The event was conducted in both Cornish and English following an established format.

The Lady and Maid of the Flowers cast on to the fire their bouquets of ‘evil’ plants and herbs, with the Mayor of Liskeard lighting the Bonfire.

A fine rendition of traditional Cornish songs by Liskeard-based Melodi Liskerret rounded off the evening ending, of course, with Trelawny.