Its Origin.

For many years eminent scholars have made exhaustive researches into the origin and development of the dance. There is general agreement that it is one of the oldest customs still preserved in the British Isles, but its beginnings are veiled in the mist of unrecorded or even destroyed history.

The dance is certainly pre-Christian and probably the survival of a pagan ritual dance as old as man himself. For the people of Helston there is a spiritual and emotional content to this old custom. this heritage from those who once breathed the sweet air of this old town is ageless, and Helstonians have wisely kept the threads of the intangible cord unbroken. Its purpose lies in the very soul of man and those who see but art and charm of it are all the poorer if they are n ot conscious, too, of the spell and wonder which is at its heart.

Its Meaning.

The seasonal setting of the dance suggests its meaning. it is essentially a Spring Festival, the first after Winter, when Natures seeming barrenness gives place to fertility and life. the dance is an expression of the joy at the triumph of life (Spring) over Death (Winter), the passing of Darkness into Light, the emergence of man victorious from the eternal struggle for survival.

Its Tradition Date -May 8th

For many hundreds of years the dance has taken place on May 8th, except when it falls on Sunday or Monday.

This is an instance of the wisdom of the early Christian Church in adapting old pagan seasonal customs to appropriate festivals in the church calendar. For on this date is held the Feast of the Apparition of St Michael the Archangel, Helstons Patron Saint. St Michael is said to have appeared on no less then four occasions, at Monte Cargano (near Brindisi) in A.D 391, at San Angelo in Rome in A.D 590, at the French Mont St Michel in A.D 715, and at our own Cornish St Michaels Mount in A.D 495.

St Michael's association with Helston may have originated with Robert, Count of Mortain after the Norman conquest, but it should be remembered that the Archangel was the patron Saint of Cornwall at probably a much earlier date. No more suitable patron Saint could be found for Helston, the home of the Furry dance, than the slayer of the fiery dragon, the beast of darkness.

There is a likelihood that , before the Church adopted the pagan custom, the dance took place on May Day. Being the commencement of Beltaine in the Celtic calendar. This is supported by the fact that the Helston Town Band still plays the tune around the streets in the early morning and evening on that day, but this is now regarded as heralding in the great feast day and for many hundreds of years the traditional date of the dance has been May 8th.

Its Form.

The dance is processional and has an order and dignity about it. For the principal dance at mid-day the gentleman wear top hats and morning suits, while partners wear their most charming dresses. Some critics have seen a lack of spontaneity and have called for a less formal , freer demonstration of joy. These are they who , seeing only the art and beauty of the dance have failed to apprehend the deeper meaning of the custom. the dancers dress as they should dress for an occasion which is, at once, happy, graceful and yet dignified: like their early forefathers they rejoice at the deliverance from the powers of darkness, but with a deep and sobering sense of wonder at the greater forces which have wrought the miracle of Spring.

The streets and houses are gaily decorated with flowers and greenery, and the dancers enter the shops and houses by one door, emerging from another, dancing around many of the gardens, which are left freely open to them and spectators alike. This entering of premises has some significance about which the authorities differ. It may be a survival of a purification rite, or the act of driving out the spirit of darkness and bringing in the spirit of light. Whatever its meaning, Helstonians welcome into their homes the dancers and the happy spirit they bring with them.

The Music.

The origin of the tune, which was doubtless acquired in the development of the custom of the dance, is not known. There are no words set to the music, nor is a written score used by the Helston Band. the parts are passed on by Helston Bandmasters to their successors through the years, and they are jealous for its tradition and its rendering. the tune is simple, but for its best rendering, needs the proper tempo and spirit. Indeed it needs the Helston Band to play it as it should be played.

This feature of the day is distinct from the Furry dance and, owing to its association with drunken revels in the 19th century, fell in disrepute and decay. In 1930 it was happily and decorously revived by the Helston Old Cornwall Society, and is now one of the interesting events connected with Flora day. Some antiquarians declare that Hal-an-Tow may be the oldest part of the days proceedings. Whether this is correct or not, there can be no doubt that it is a further expression of the reason for the day's rejoicings. "For Summer is a come O, and the Winter is a Gone O."

Very early in the morning youths go out into the neighbouring woods to gather branches of sycamore. they return at 8.30 a.m., and waving the branches above their heads perambulate the town, stopping at places of vantage to sing the Hal-an-Tow song. Some youths dress in costume to represent the characters in the song.

Morton Nance, the late Grand bard of Cornwall, suggests that the delightful old song seems likely to be Elizabethan rather than much older. the words in the chorus, "Hal-an Tow, Jolly Rumble O" appear to have come from a mediaeval seaman's shanty, while the verses are all in the English tradition and have no special Cornish flavour about them. We must remember the "Pray Book Rebellion" the tragic loss of Cornish Learning at Glasney, and the way in the Tudor period this contributed to the decline of the Cornish Language. We could assume that prior to the Tudor period the "Hal-an-Tow" could have been inacted and sung in a different way with Cornish words.

The first verse celebrates those popular heroes whose deeds are so often included in the English May revels.

The second verse presumably refers to the challenge of the Spanish Armada, a challenge confidently accepted by the English longbowmen, ready and eager with their grey goose feathers (arrows).

The third verse celebrates the English Patron Saint, St George, and is said to have been added in recent times.

A fourth verse by Morton Nance, to repair the grave omission of St Michael and Helston in the traditional song.

The last verse introduces the colourful name of Aunt Mary Moses, whose origin has led to much speculation by scholars. It has been suggested with great probability this name has at some time been substituted for that of the monarch of the realm; probably during the Commonwealth period but left unaltered at the Restoration.

The chorus used between all the above mentioned verses is as follows.