As I stood with Laetitia by the gate waiting with our lanterns, I noticed the beauty of the changing colours of advancing twilight that was falling upon Tintagel, and recalled a much repeated verse from my childhood:
Now the day is over
Night is drawing nigh
Shadows of the evening
Steal across the sky
These musings were abruptly called to a halt though, by the unmistakable sound of the Welsh, Cwmni Gwerin Pontypwl arriving at the Dark Gathering!
This always an interesting moment in the proceedings. It’s where the Welsh confront the Cornish in the old folk tradition of the pwnco. It’s an exchange of sung insults – in colloquial terms, a kind of ‘rap battle’ in order for the Mari Lwyds to gain entry into anywhere. Cwmni Gwerin were in good voice, and on our side we had Cornish bard, Ken George plus friend who responded with great gusto in fluent Cornish.
It was very powerful and made my hair stand on end to hear these ancient Celtic languages alive and well in the 21st Century.
Inevitably the Welsh won us over and the Mari Lwyds were welcomed into the event, and they lost no time in engaging with the audience.
Meanwhile there was a demonstration of alternating Welsh and Cornish dancing accompanied by the Raffidy Dumitz Band.
This was brought to a conclusion with the Welsh singing their Farewell Song.
It was time for our traditional Traveller’s Prayer, and this year it was sung by Annie Rivers-Heinl.
This heralded the entrance of our very special international guests, Takam. They came all the way from Mexico to share their Dia de los Muertos traditions with us. Their ofrendas were a sight to behold with everyone’s ancestral offerings lovingly arranged with the loved ones’ photos.
The performance began with a purification using copal incense of the whole area.
Then two of the Mexican men called to the different directions in turn.
Their costumes were fabulous. All during this performance, the narration continued explaining all the processes.
“The Catrin and Catrina, meaning elegant and well dressed man and woman, are more than an icon, they are a reminder of our mortality and an invitation to embrace life.”
“The elegance and humour of these figures continue to remind us that we all share a common destiny, and that while we are here we should live with grace, equality and joy.”
One of the most emblematic songs of the tradition, La Llorona (the Weeping Woman) a universal Mexican lament representing love, loss and suffering was sung.
One of our most loyal supporters, Sassie Bond, said: “All the silver decoration on the young lady’s suit has been passed down from her Father. They are exquisite horse shoes with horse heads. They are so beautiful up close.”
Whilst this haunting song was being sung the rest of the women danced in beautiful full frocked dresses that were illuminated with fairy lights. Add to that potent mix, stunning Day of the Dead masks and you have pure magic.
What followed this was a traditional Mexican Mariachi dance. Traditional Mexican costumes are a vibrant expression of the country’s cultural heritage. Different styles represent different regions, but they all share the same type of symbolism and deep tradition. They not only show the ranching culture but also the pride and beauty of the Mexican people.
Next was highlighted the figure of the Charro. The Charro represents the pride, skill and elegance of the Mexican countryside. They can be male or female and this night we were treated a demonstration of Floreo de Reata or Rope Tricking. This is obviously an acquired skill which would take years to master.
Takam concluded their performance with exuberant dancing to some more Mariachi music whilst others in the team worked their way around the audience dispensing Mezcal in quaint miniature clay pots.
Here’s an example of one of these mezcal pots in a friend’s mementos of the event. Most folk wore these pots around their necks once they had tasted this potent brew – just in case there was any more in the offering!
The finale to Takam’s performance was a line up and an unfurling of their Mexican flag.
The applause that went up at the end of their performance was one of the loudest and most prolonged I have ever heard in the last decade of Dark Gatherings. The audience loved Takam and took them to their hearts. The experience was very emotional, and judging by the audience’s reaction, I wasn’t the only one to feel like that. To quote one person – ‘the Mexican Day of the Dead performance took things to another dimension.’ Sometimes in Britain we can be very buttoned up regarding death. Not so in the Mexican culture where the respect they show their ancestors is joyous, celebrating their lives in very positive ways. Takam are beautiful and delightful people and we hope fervently that they will return again in the future to the Dark Gathering.
Swiftly following on from this stunning performance we all lifted our voices and souls in song with our now traditional Ancestor Chant, this time led by Annie Waters-Heinl.
At the Dark Gathering there is always fire. Not only from the flaming torches that were hand crafted by John Isaac and kept well fed by our fire marshal. This year we had Black Powder Morris to provide two torch dances. It is always a sight to behold to see flaming torches in performance on or near to Halloween when the veil thins even more than usual and the ancestors draw near, and this was no exception. It was excellent and atmospheric.
It was nearly time for the last dance, but before that I went through my great long list of thanks to all the fabulous people who helped make this special 10th Anniversary Dark Gathering unforgettable. Plus it was time to announce next year’s Guest Side which was the return of the inimitable Mr Fox!
We like to end our event in a dance that all performers can join in, so this year we had a go at Newlyn Reel. It’s great fun and usually ends in hilarious chaos – attempting to organise performers in one dance is akin to the proverbial, trying to herd cats.
That was it. It was all over for another year. I’ll leave you with a few random images from the day, ending with some drone footage of highlights of the day. Footage credit: Matthew Everett
Remember that next year’s Dark Gathering will be on Saturday 25th October 2025. See you all then, gods willing.
