SCARECROWS, wassailing and merry mayhem at the grand wheelbarrow race will mark the beginning of winter at the Kalan Gwav Festival in Saltash on Saturday, November 3.
Kalan Gwav is Cornish for ‘first day of winter’ and the tradition of Saltash celebrating the festival stretches back to Celtic times, when the beginning of the dark months were marked with rituals to honour the dead and ask for earthly fertility.
The outdoor market, bouncy castles and carousel rides will start at 2pm and continue to 7pm, with the children’s entertainer Zig Zag kicking off the live entertainment at 2pm.
The wheelbarrow race will set off at 3pm. One of the highlights will be the Wassail dance led by children from local schools, at 3.30pm, led by the Guardian of the Apple in his cloak adorned with felt apples made by members of Girlguiding Saltash.
Another highlight will be the band Black Friday on stage from 5.45pm. Dancing to their high-energy Celtic rhythms will ward off the chills of the crisp evening air before the firework display at 6.45pm.
The Festival will be held on Warfelton Field. Spectators will be asked to donate in the collection boxes on the night or go online via the ‘Fireworks at Saltash Kalan Gwav’ page on www.crowdfunder.org.uk. They need to raise £1,500 to cover the cost of the fireworks.
The programme will also include the Simon and his Uncle rap at 4.30pm.