A Year of Late Cornish Day 345

Trei Hansves Dedh Dogens ha Pemp

De Merher, dewdhegves mis Kevardhû.

Wednesday, 12^th December

Perran ew sans tasek stenoryon. Ma henwhedhel adro dhodho – ev a wrüg dismygya fatel teudha sten, de Yow Chewidden. En nos yeyn ev a worras lam dû war an tan, saw na veu an lam glow - ev a veu stof stenys. An tomder a deudhas an olcan sten gwydn lin dhort an men. Rag hedna crows wydn war wel dû ew baner Perran, baner a Gernow. Ha “Chewidden”, ew hedna “Yow Gwydn”, po a veu Chewidden sans erel, coweth Perran? Piw a or? Avorow a vedh de Yow Chewidden. En termyn eus passyes an jedh a veu degol rag stenoryon.

St Piran is the patron saint of tinners. There is a legend about him – he discovered how to smelt tin, on Chewidden (or White) Thursday. In a cold night he put a black lump on the fire, but the lump was not coal - it was tin ore. The heat melted the liquid white tin metal from the stone. Therefore a white cross on a black background is St Piran’s flag, the flag of Cornwall. And “Chewidden”, is that “White Thursday”, or was Chewidden another saint, a friend of St Piran? Who knows? Tomorrow will be Chewidden Thursday. In past times the day was a holiday for tinners.