At the last Gathering I promised that I would guarantee that there would be a Dark Gathering in 2023. Well, to be honest, there were times in the last couple of months when that seemed less and less likely. We as a team did our utmost to organise the event using the only feasible site left to us in Boscastle, which was the part of the car park opposite the Cobweb Inn. However hard we tried it just wasn’t happening as we met obstructions and delays to the extent that we had to sit down and consider a Plan B. We had to face the hard reality that the Dark Gathering had outgrown the infrastructure of Boscastle and that it was time to move on.
So I’m here to announce that the Dark Gathering 2023 will be held in Tintagel. It will remain a ticketed event for now as this is the only sure fire method of raising sufficient funds to stage the Gathering, as well as the fact that we can control numbers. Our present licence only allows us up to 500 attendees which includes all performers and marshals. We will make sure that tickets will be available well in advance, and will issue adequate warning of their imminent release – so please be patient and do not ask us in the meantime, as taking time to answer these type of queries only distracts us from organising the event.
We will update you with further details about the venue as soon as they are confirmed. I appreciate that maybe not everyone will be happy about this decision to change locations, but we had no other viable options available to us. I agree with many that it’s not the same since we left the venue outside the Museum in Boscastle – but there’s nothing we could have done about that – it was a irreversible decision taken by others which we had no say over.
Tintagel has it’s own magic and is steeped in ancient history, it is only 4 miles away from Boscastle and I urge all of you who attend the Dark Gathering to continue to visit Boscastle during your stay in October. You will find that because Tintagel is a town rather than a village, it has more space and facilities which is good news. All the people I have spoken with thus far in my enquiries into Gathering possibilities are very welcoming and supportive of the event arriving in Tintagel.
I am sure I am not alone in thanking the local inhabitants and businesses of Boscastle for their unstinting support for the Dark Gathering over the years, with a special mention for all their invaluable input is, of course, the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic.
That’s all for now and keep watching for further updates via this website or our Facebook page: Dark Gathering FB Page
If there’s one thing in life that can be guaranteed, it is ‘that all things will change’. Even before the pandemic hit our shores in 2020 there was change in the air for the Dark Gathering. I had been informed that the National Trust no longer granted permission for fire to be used outside the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic and that there was to be a change of use to that area, meaning I had to find another venue for the future. The upper car park in Boscastle was mooted as a possibility and I started to explore this as a potential venue.
Then the pandemic hit, and the world fell into chaos. Businesses suffered and we effectively lost all of our funding. The Dark Gathering, along with countless other festivals and events, was put on hold for two years. Round about the same time the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic explained that they would be unable to help us produce the Gathering in the future, and that we would have to take on full administrative responsibility for it all from there on. We had to look long and hard at whether we continued with the Dark Gathering or not.
In March 2022 on St Piran’s Day, the members of our side, Boekka decided that we would pool our skills and attempt to keep the Dark Gathering alive.
Just in case you haven’t heard of Boekka, it’s our Oss and Teazer Team. Boekka means ‘scarecrow’ in Cornish, and we have been going to various events and festivals for the last 12 years.
Anyway, from that point we were on, not so much of a learning curve, more a learning leap! There was so much we had to establish from scratch, exploring possibilities as we went. The Dark Gathering gained an Administrator, Sally Ward who was an absolute star in finding her way through months of torturous red tape and bureaucracy. My role was more diplomatic, attempting to persuade authorities to grant various permissions; until we couldn’t go any further without the most important permission of all which had to be granted by Cornwall Council for the event to go ahead. We waited, and waited, whilst weeks, then months went by – until there was only 7 weeks to go when we finally got the go ahead. Then it was full tilt to try and organise tickets to replace our lost funding and to cover our costs. I want to stress here that I do not blame Cornwall Council for this delay. This is down to government cuts which left just one single person to run all of the seasonal events in Cornwall. I have received full support and co-operation from the Event Planning Department in Truro within their means.
Sadly, as we had to wait until September, we had to pare down our usual offerings that are part of the Dark Gathering. Thus, we were unable to have a parade this time as that too would have required yet another Event Licence with probably more waiting. Moreover, during this time the Wellington Hotel was sold to St Austell Brewery necessitating negotiations with the change of management regarding all the eccentricities of the Mari Lwyds and the Dark Gathering celebrations. We definitely had our work cut out!
What I have mentioned so far is in a way just the tip of the iceberg, as we then had to field all sorts of resistance to the change of venue, and the introduction of the concept of tickets jarred with some folk. Thankfully however, many backed us up in our efforts to rescue the Dark Gathering and we all so appreciated that support.
So eventually the day of the Dark Gathering finally arrived.
I recall standing in the middle of the upper car park with the other attendees at a site meeting of representatives for performers and marshals. We hadn’t realised how massive the site is once all the cars have been removed. Then we had issues with the surface, which was very slippery, but this was resolved when we found that the far end of the car park was more stable underfoot as it was less used. This was the main reason why the audience area was changed at the last minute. We will be addressing how the audience is placed for future Gatherings so that everyone has a reasonable view of the proceedings.
In the past all Dark Gatherings have started at 3 pm but following requests we decided on an earlier start time of 2 pm. This year we had a stellar line-up of performers, incidentally who had all been waiting for the last 2 years to entertain us. We kicked off with Mythago. For those not in the know, this is a masked side who tell stories and recount myths and legends through dance and music. They come from West Sussex and there is a definite ‘old magic’ ethos to them. I found them very evocative and loved their theatrical enactments.
Then it was the turn of Beltane Border Morris. This is the much imitated but never surpassed, Border Morris side that brings the wildness of Dartmoor to the Dark Gathering each year. Despite a heavy shower of rain during their first dances, they never faltered in their high-quality dancing and the Band played on regardless of the elements buffeting them. There was a high turnout this year, so we were treated to many dances with two sets of performers – a sight to behold for sure!
Then we were treated to the unique performances of Boggart’s Breakfast who were absolutely mesmerising. They came all the way from Sheffield to entertain us and it was well worth the 2 years wait to see them perform. Boggart’s ethos centres around the shape-shifting world of the mischievously wicked Boggart. I loved the eldritch quality of their music which was the perfect setting for their amazingly clever and skilful dances. Their appositely named ‘Impossible Dance’ defied belief as we watched it unfold. We were so caught up in its intricacy that no-one managed to capture it on video that day! So, here’s some footage from Chippenham Folk Festival 2011.
I seldom mention a side’s face paint, but there are always exceptions to the rule and Boggart’s Breakfast are truly… well, exceptional.
As the sun sank lower in the skies, there was a flurry of interest as Penkevyll the Land’s End Oss appeared from behind the audience, which set off the tribal drumming which was to summon the Mari Lwyds to the Dark Gathering.
Sure enough the Welsh contingent made their riotous way through the crowd to greet their Cornish cousins. The traditional Pwnco was sung in Welsh and Cornish and the Mari Lwyds gained access once more in a joyous reunion not having seen each other for over two years.
We knew that Boggart’s Breakfast had brought along their Giant Boggart, so we invited it to come out when the Mari Lwyds arrived. It was a little unsure at first, and then Penkevyll didn’t help when she got a little over enthusiastic and chased poor Boggart away. It did emerge again later though to join in one of the dances, so order was restored.
It was half an hour until sunset and time for a bit of theatre. This was the time for Mythago to weave their magic as they narrated the tale and acted out through theatre and dance, the Legend of Herne the Hunter. The backdrop of the trees of Minster Wood added poignancy to the story, especially when the ghostly White Hart appeared.
The afternoon’s entertainment was finished off with more dancing from Boggarts Breakfast including performing their version of the Stick and Bucket dance of Terry Pratchett fame.
Thus, we entered into the time in the Dark Gathering where we honour the Ancestors.
The Traveller’s Prayer was sung this year by three singers from Beltane Border Morris. It was very moving to hear the harmonies of this haunting song echoing around the woods surrounding us.
The genius loci or spirits of place were enticed by the use of bullroarers.
This preceded Wyrd is Woman, a song written and sung by Laura Marshall of Beltane Border Morris.
Someone described this song as ‘soul stirring’, and I’d agree.
Sadly, shortly before the Gathering this year, we heard that Will Fox had stepped down from being a member of Beltane Border Morris. This means we had to find someone else to replace him performing the Ancestor Blessing. This year we had Ben Giddey who filled the gap. He reminded us of what a vast amount of folk belonged to our own individual ancestries and requested that the more evolved of those to step forward in our rites, and those that still had issues to deal with to step back. This was followed by our now traditional Ancestor Chant which everyone joined in, in chorus.
This year’s performance of the famous Beltane Fire Dance had four different characters in the middle. A Mari Lwyd (Fflosi from Cwmni Gwerin Pontypwl), Herne the Hunter (from Mythago), a Boggart (from Boggart’s Breakfast) and a random Film Director (from German TV crew).
I didn’t realise until I had watched this footage all the way through that all of the Beltane dancers joined in with the Fire Dance towards the end – a sight to behold indeed! 😀
Then it was just a case of thanks to all of our supporters and volunteers.
Our worth-their-weight-in-gold Marshals! Here’s one of them, David – there were nine in all led by the worthy Team Leader, Martin Davis.
The invaluable and ever patient Administrator who dealt with countless queries about tickets: Sally Ward!
Our long-suffering MC, Steve Podger!
Most of all our thanks to all of you who bought tickets because without your support we could not have put on the Dark Gathering this year.
It had reached that time of night when I get to announce the next year’s Guest Sides which are:
Ragged Oak and Bakanalia.
Ragged Oak hail from the West Midlands and are a very lively Border Morris side.
Here’s an introduction from their FB page:
We are a small group of like-minded friends who have danced, played and sung together over many years in various different Morris sides including Cotswold, North-West and Border traditions.
We all have a deep love of the natural world doing our own thing in our own way – not trying to be anything to anyone – except to ourselves. We only have infrequent practices as most of us are committed to other sides and other lives. Our dances may be a little ragged, but our joy is infectious!
We’re coming out of the concrete towns and going back into the wild. Back to the places in the landscape of power and rugged beauty. To seek out others who wish to feel the wind in their tatters and the grass beneath their boots.
We mark and celebrate the turning of the seasonal year, it’s rites and rituals and seek out the curious and eccentric folk of these Isles. To be merry, to play music, to sing songs…… eat good food, drink fine Ale and enjoy good company.
The final dance was as always left to our Host Side, Beltane Border Morris – Haccombe to Death! 😀
Finally, it was all over after what seemed like endless work and persistence. The Dark Gathering had been superb and a triumph!
However, I am not totally oblivious to the attending logistical problems that arose for all of us, locals included. I believe that given goodwill, co-operation and patience, we will overcome some of the issues that arose through the use of the upper car park. We have already set in place future discussions and possible plans to alleviate the situation and hopefully secure the Dark Gathering for the future in Boscastle.
Whatever happens, there is one thing I can guarantee, that the Dark Gathering will continue even if the venue has to change again.
So here we are at Samhain and our thoughts gravitate towards the turning of the year – from Summer’s End and into the Dark of the Year. We look inward, we honour our ancestors, and traditionally we would attend the Dark Gathering in some shape or form. This year most of us can only gather together in spirit and not in person due to the pandemic that persists in our lands.
It’s been quite moving reading so many folks’ comments of the impact the Gathering has upon so many. It’s grown from just a few dozen like-minded friends gathering together, to a full scale celebration of Hallowtide with all the associated pageantry that accompanies it nowadays. I feel that the Gathering has captured the imagination and powerfully stirs an ancient race memory, especially as night falls. To experience the sound of hundreds of people joining in the Ancestor Chant to the rhythm of the drums by the light of flaming torches, is to be transported back in time to the Elder Ways. It’s very cathartic and deeply healing.
As the Dark Gathering is primarily cross cultural between Wales and Cornwall involving the meeting of the Mari Lwyds with the Cornish Osses, some of them wanted to send a message to each other. Here is a bizarre, but quite charming, virtual meet up of them. Many thanks to Eleanor Greenwood who edited this short video.
We hope that you enjoyed that brief interchange with our equine Celtic cousins! Moving on….
As we can no longer gather together physically this year, we thought we would compile a special video for you all dedicated to the spirit of Samhain and the Dark Gathering. It has taken many months to create and I have been like demented sheepdog endeavouring to round up all the submissions in time. Rather predictably, a lot of them only arrived at the very last minute, and as a consequence stress levels have been fluctuating wildly…!
I am indebted to the hard work and sheer determination of our editor and compiler – Hedj Dollman. Not only has he spent countless hours of his precious spare time on this video, but he has willing done this whilst also working full time as a key worker. Having seen the finished product I can assure you that Hedj has put his heart and soul into this project. A standing ovation for this young man if you please!
So what can you expect from this 90 mins of dark entertainment? Basically, expect the unexpected! It has song, past film footage (some of which hasn’t seen the light of day before), new material, storytelling and messages from our performers – all of which showcases brilliantly how multi-skilled and talented our Dark Gathering Team is. All of this wondrously woven together by Hedj.
So, get yourselves settled in and comfy, preferably with your favourite tipple and enjoy our version of the Dark Gathering 2020. Enjoy!
We wish everyone a wildly magical Hallowtide wherever you may be. Here’s to the Old Ones and the Ancestors!
So to the second half of the Dark Gathering – the arrival of the Mari Lwyds and the Honouring of the Ancestors. Following a quick and much needed mulled cider it was time to line-up the drummers ready to send the signal to the Procession to commence. This is a part of the proceedings where the general public, if they have the ability, can join in with the tribal drumming.
Also this was the time for Penkevyll to emerge from her stable with her Teazers to call the Mari Lwyds to the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic. As anticipated the Teazers led by Laetitia Latham-Jones danced and wove their magic upon the crowd and Penkevyll to the sound of trance-like tribal drumming.
Shortly after 6 pm the Lantern Procession headed off for the Museum led ably by Laura Marshall from Beltane accompanied by many differing characters including the famous Mari Lwyds.
Another new Mari was spotted this year, Mari Diemnt Du. Apparently this Mari has been specially created to appear at the Dark Gathering only. What an honour!
Penkevyll was delighted to greet her bone sisters again who she hadn’t seen for 10 months since her last visit to Wales in January.
She got very excited, bless her! 🙂
After meeting and greeting, Penkevyll with her Teazers disappeared inside the Museum and gradually the Mari Lwyds made their way to the door where they beseeched entry. Thus the Pwnco Ceremony began:
The Welsh verses are responded to in Cornish.
Once successful in their endeavours the Mari Lwyd party entered the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic and began to the bless the premises for another year. They were rewarded with the traditional libations of cake and ale.
Meanwhile outside in the dimpsey (West Country term for twilight) we were treated to a entrancing and salutary tale by two storytellers known as Stone Soup. It was hugely entertaining and required audience participation which it received with gusto.
As the final chants of “Chop, chop, chop! Feed, feed, feed! Bubble, bubble, bubble! Sweep, sweep, sweep!” died away, the night was shattered by three sinister drum beats. Our MC Steve started to explain about a ghostly apparition that could appear in deepest, darkest Dorset when an eerie, unholy rhythm involving drums, fiddle and voice commenced – what on earth was happening…?
High above the performance space red smoke appeared and from within this a vast horned head appeared – the otherworldly denizen had arrived!
Down the slope led incrementally by a gloriously creepy attendant was the Darkest Ooser!
Once the Ooser had toured the edges of the audience, delightfully scaring a few children in the process, it finally came to rest to watch the rest of the evening’s proceedings.
Sadly our usual singer at this point, Sarah Emery was unable to attend this year. However, her place was taken by Annie Douglas from Beltane Border Morris who sang the Traveller’s Prayer. Annie deserves particular praise as not only did she sing well but she did so in spite of an heavy cold and sore throat. What a trouper! Unfortunately I had not been able to obtain either a photo or footage of this until quite recently. Annie can now be heard on the final video of edited highlights at the end of this blog. 🙂
Now the scene had been set, Will Fox stepped forward and called up the spirits by the often not recognised or forgotten method of whistling.
Will offered his invitation to all present to acknowledge and honour the Ancestors, the most emotional and moving part of the event. Then it was straight into the singing of the Ancestor Chant in which most of the drummers took the beat and the words to the audience. Once started it is very difficult to bring things to a halt as you feel you could carry on for hours with that pulsating and compelling chant.
As expected we moved on to the famous Beltane Fire Dance. Each year we chose someone special to get to stand in the middle of this dance and this year the choice fell upon two young men who run an occult shop in New Orleans and travelled all that way just to attend the Dark Gathering. Their names were Jason Fawaz and Arkie Ring and I think it’s safe to say that they were ‘over the moon’ to be picked for this! Judge for yourselves in this photo. 🙂
Now it was time for the all important thanks and the announcement of the Guest Side for next year.
On the night and now as I write this blog I have reason to especially thank some amazing folk who have helped me immeasurably over the year and on the day of the Dark Gathering in particular. Let’s start with the businesses who generously gave us donations:
Kind permission for performing on their land from National Trust
I especially wish to personally thank Simon Costin and the Museum’s Events Manager (who wishes to remain nameless) for their invaluable help, guidance and assistance through what has been a very fraught year’s planning.
Grateful thanks also to the Performers, in no particular order:
To all performers – you were fabulous and gave memorable performances – thank you!
Warm thanks to all our volunteers who were worth their weight in gold. 🙂
A special mention to our Pedlar, Michelle Elliot who sold many badges and worked tirelessly in cold and draughty weather. 🙂
Kim Shadowland who performed the vital function of filming live for all those who couldn’t attend for whatever reason. It was invaluable to all those folk up and down the country and around the world who love to watch the Dark Gathering as it happens – it also makes for great archive footage. 🙂
Thanks to Steve Podger who gave his very best despite difficult personal circumstances.
Finally the one person who has witnessed the whole, frustrating at times, process and given solid support and much needed assistance – Laetitia Latham-Jones. Bless you m’dear! 🙂
People thank me for my input but my reward is seeing so many people benefiting and enjoying what has turned out to be a wonderful community event. It’s a real team effort and it’s so uplifting to see people-power and goodwill in action at each Dark Gathering. Long may it continue!
Here’s a few random snapshots of this year’s Gathering:
It was time for the last dance – Haccombe to Death by Beltane Border Morris.
Amidst wild applause Beltane then lined up for a farewell song of Leave her Johnny.
So that was it. We’d made it despite setbacks and wild weather – the old gods were honoured and the Dark Gathering was over for another year.
Next year is going to be very special for a variety of reasons. Firstly the Dark Gathering will fall on Samhain. Secondly it will also be a Full Moon. Thirdly it will be a Blue Moon. Importantly it will be the seventh Dark Gathering which will mean, according to the folk world, it will be officially a Tradition! Yay! 😀
Incidentally it will also be the 60th Anniversary of the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle.
In order to celebrate all this we have decided to have two Guest Sides next year. They will be:
There is an ancient Chinese curse which goes: “May you live in interesting times.” There have been times this past year when I have wondered whether I had unknowingly offended someone of oriental persuasion when it came to the Dark Gathering! There has also been the odd occasion when I wondered whether it was actually going to happen or not, especially when it came to wrangling with the dead hand of bureaucracy. Indeed as the date of this year’s Dark Gathering approached there was a last minute flurry of obstacles, cancellations and complications – not to mention wet weather that seemed to take on biblical proportions!
Undaunted we soldiered on…
On the day, we had to put out a disclaimer on the website and social media that there was a police warning of a yellow flood alert on some of the roads approaching Boscastle and for folks to be aware of this.
Despite the heavy rain there was full attendance to both storytelling sessions run by Lisa Schneidau. By all accounts everyone loved the experience – well done Lisa! I wished I could have been there. 🙂
Then 40 minutes before we were due to start the afternoon’s proceedings, the torrential rain stopped – for the next 36 hours! 😀
Now, I could fall back on the cliched ‘As if by magic’ but that’s a bit hackneyed now – this was bordering on the miraculous. Well Done to all those witches who were spinning their weather magic for the Dark Gathering! Given the sheer amount of rainfall over the last 6 weeks, I still can’t quite believe we got away with yet another dry Gathering.
So the sixth Dark Gathering began with gusto with Steve Podger, our enduring MC, introducing the wonderful Beltane Border Morris, who have over the years become the backbone to the Dark Gathering.
Next were the fun-loving and ever ebullient Wreckers Morris from North Cornwall.
What came next was a bit of a gamble as far as I was concerned. Earlier in the summer I learnt that regrettably Wild Hunt Bedlam Morris were unable to attend after all, and I was left to search for a replacement. Quite by chance I happened upon Huginn & Muninn. They were certainly different, which was what I was after as I do like to inject a little of the unknown and edgy into the proceedings. So it came to pass that the wild and wacky Huginn & Muninn made their eccentric debut at the Dark Gathering.
Here is a prime example of how bizarre Huginn & Muninn can be:
Whilst all this frivolity was happening down at the harbour, way, way up the hill at the Napoleon Inn an ancient custom was being enacted by Cwmni Gwerin Pontypwl and Bagas Werin Mari Lwyd. A Welsh/English pwnco was performed plus a dance performance with songs for the delight of the onlookers.
Following this in response to a special request, Mari Afon Lwyd (or Fflosi as she is affectionately known) bestowed blessings upon the household of Ivy Cottage. In return the Mari Lwyd party received thanks and copious libations. 🙂
Then it was off down the hill to the wondrously warm welcome from the Wellington Hotel who laid on lavish libations for our merry band of revellers. Cwmni Gwerin had to perform outside the Museum at 4 pm, so as they left Bagas Werin were joined by a new Mari Lwyd called Mari Sol.
Everyone continued to entertain wherever they visited including the Cobweb Inn. Meanwhile Cwmni Gwerin Pontypwl were bringing Welsh dancing to the audience at the harbour.
Following their break, all the Morris sides completed their afternoon’s entertainment with pizazz and vigour – in fact, it was quite difficult to persuade them to stop!
However, the light was fading fast and it was time to prepare for the Lantern Procession – and for whatever the evening had in store for us all…
Besides which Penkevyll was getting very restless in her stable and was eager to met her bone sisters, the Mari Lwyds!
This year saw a brief, unexpected and not-to-be-repeated Boscastle Derby which involved the Mari Lwyds in a race down to the harbour!
Even the most well ordered event can suffer from blips, miscommunication and things getting lost in translation. Our Lantern Procession this year managed to include all of these! Fortunately, we were well able to absorb all this and managed to carry on, according to most onlookers, seamlessly(!) – the worst that happened was that timings got mangled.
The Dark Gathering, which has been recently described as Cornwall’s Annual Halloween event, has almost outgrown itself in popularity. Sometimes I think that folk forget that Boscastle is a small fishing village and treat it like a town in some ways. The locals do their level best to accommodate most people’s requirements and I feel that this needs to be remembered when visiting, whether as a performer or an audience member. In a town which holds Morris events for instance, the teams are able to spread out more and there is a relaxed atmosphere regarding timings. At the Dark Gathering however we have to stick to timings as we don’t have the necessary permissions to block the highway for too long. The marshals are local volunteers and are trying their level best to help everyone safely across the road when it comes to the Procession. There are literally hundreds of people who follow the Mari Lwyds down to the Museum each year and it takes some management.
Normally what happens is that there is a small group of performers leading the way with flaming torches. This makes sure that the Procession moves at a, well… processional pace, suitable for everyone to appreciate the Mari Lwyds and the music. These torches also are a visual aide to us folk waiting at the Museum to start the tribal drumming. Due to a miscommunication/misunderstanding this year, the torch bearers were absent at the crucial time and the Procession left without them.
At the head was the redoubtable Cwmni Gwerin Pontypwl sweeping and practically galloping down to the harbour with everyone valiantly trying to keep up!
So the final result of the impromptu Boscastle Derby was:
Mari Pontypwl won by 10 lengths,
Mari Celeste a brave second,
followed by Mari Trecopr
and bringing up the rear, Mari Arianrhod.
If I’d had been forewarned I could have got Steve Podger our MC to do an animated commentary to accompany them.
In fact, we could have taken bets… No! It’s not going to happen again because we have had our heads together in the Stewards Enquiry and come up with a Cunning Plan!
Watch this space!
Prior to this Penkevyll the Land’s End Oss had heard the mesmerising and irresistible tribal drums which heralded her appearance – but this year she sent out her apprentice Teazers first to surprise the onlookers – I don’t think anyone was expecting that!
Penkevyll had no sooner emerged when we were startled to see the Mari Lwyds had already arrived on the bridge.
Thanks to our trusty Gatekeepers who kept them at bay, Penkevyll was able to claim the performance space and danced and frolicked with her Teazers for a while.
Then it was time to greet her guests who had travelled all the way from Wales to see her.
Then it was time for the Pwnco ceremony.
Now the torchbearers arrive!
The Pwnco is sung.
The Welsh contingent were in good voice for the Pwnco, and Laetitia responded wonderfully in West Cornwall dialect until eventually the Mari Lwyds gained entry to the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic to give their annual blessing.
Looks like they’re having fun! 🙂
Meanwhile outside a dramatic visitation was occurring. Suddenly the sound of war drums was heard in the still night air and, surrounded by flaming torches Tre War Venydh marched down the hill in style!
The local warband were led by the redoubtable Chieftain Sigewulf. Well, I wouldn’t want to fall foul of her – would you?
She went on to introduce her warband by name and character with an edgy humour.
The crowd were then encouraged to support their favourite warrior as they were pitted together in mortal combat. This was rather alarming at times because these were real swords and axes – not a rubber or resin sword in sight!
The fights were very exciting and there was a lot of cheering as each blow thudded on the combatants’ shields. Finally one of them was vanquished by the other warrior and fell to the ground. The wisewoman and magical healer performed remarkable feats by restoring the warriors to health following their demise. The re-enactment ended with a demonstration of a shield wall in action.
During all the excitement, the Osses and Mari Lwyds had re-emerged into the night. This included the young Oss, Morvargh, who was up way past her bedtime!
It was at this time that the atmosphere of the Dark Gathering shifted.
We sensed the Ancestors were drawing near… the dark. quickening time approached.
At this point Sarah Emery appeared to sing the now traditional lament at Summer’s End. This year she sang the haunting Traveller’s Prayer.
The Traveller’s Prayer
Praise to the moon, bright queen of the skies, Jewel of the black night, the light of our eyes, Brighter than starlight, whiter than snow, Look down on us in the darkness below.
If well you should find us then well let us stay, Be it seven times better when you make your way, Be it seven times better when we greet the dawn, So light up our way and keep us from all harm.
Give strength to the weary, give alms to the poor, To the tainted and needy five senses restore, Give song to our voices, give sight to our eyes, To see the sun bow as the new moon shall rise.
Cast your eyes downwards to our dwelling place, Three times for favour and three times for grace, Over the dark clouds your face for to see, To banish misfortune and keep Trinity.
In the name of the waters that spring from the earth, In the name of the rivers to whom they give birth, In the name of the oceans, the seven deep seas, All praise to the moon, for eternity.
I then stepped into the space to give the Ancestor Blessing. This was a role that Will Fox usually performs but sadly he was unable to be with us this Gathering and so it fell to me to fill the gap. I was wise enough to not even attempt to emulate Will’s unique style but simply went with the energy of that night and talked about the ancestors and what we can learn from them. I don’t have much recollection of what I said, but apparently I did alright judging by the feedback later.
I ended with calling Sarah back to lead the singing of an Ancestor Chant, accompanied by Chris Neno on the drum.
What followed was an utterly amazing experience that folks talked about for weeks afterwards. Here are some excerpts so that you can get a feel for the power of this chant that resonated around the valley on that Dark Gathering night.
It was thrilling to hear so many people singing and harmonising together with swaying and stamping their feet to the rhythm. So powerful. So evocative.
Laetitia found the Ancestor chant online for me as I was searching for something that everyone could join in with that was universal and of no particular persuasion. She certainly fulfilled the remit when she found this.
Ancestor Chant
In my blood In my bones I hear your voice I hear your call Ancestors dance with me Ancestors chant with me I hear your voice I hear your call
By popular demand, this is something that we will repeat each year from now on. 😀
There was only one thing that could possibly follow an experience like this – and that was the Beltane Fire Dance! This year there was a birthday amongst the performers so Mary Harber of Cwmni Gwerin Pontypwl was chosen to be the central torch bearer – she loved it! 🙂
It was time to give thanks to:
Museum of Witchcraft and Magic
Boscastle Chamber of Commerce
National Trust
Beltane Border Morris
Domesday Border Morris
Wolf’s Head and Vixen Morris
All Osses and Mari Lwyds
Cwmni Gwerin Pontypwl
Tre War Venydh
Sarah Emery and Paul Sumner
Steve Podger
All musicians, marshals and volunteers
The community of Boscastle
It was time to announce next year’s Guest Side which is to be…. <drum roll>
There was only one thing left to do on this 5th Dark Gathering and that was to
‘Haccombe to Death!’
That was it. All over for another year. The performers trailed off to get some food, ale and have a knees-up and I would imagine the audience made a bee-line for somewhere warm and sustenance also.
The next All Hallows Dark Gathering will be held on Saturday 26th October 2019. We’ll see you all there!
Over the years the Dark Gathering has gathered momentum and has been supported in its endeavours by generous donations from both the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic and Boscastle Chamber of Commerce. We feel it is time for us to start finding our own ways of funding the event through other means as well so we have begun to look at selling merchandise. This year we set that particular ball rolling by selling badges, and being rather theatrical types, we wanted to produce a specific character to sell them. Enter the Pedlar!
I chose one of our friends who had offered help, Michelle Elliot aka Selkie Shell to be the Pedlar and she was brilliant! She created a wonderful character who I believe met quite a few people over the afternoon as she had sold out in a couple of hours! However, if you wanted to buy some badges as mementos and were unable to, I have ordered a few more. Just contact me via the website: Dark Gathering Badges. There will be changes to some badges for next year so get this year’s designs while you can!
Now where were we… oh yes – the rain came down! Cwmni Gwerin Pontypwl had come all the way from Wales to perform and it appeared that they brought their own weather with them! Regardless of the foul weather they continued to perform for the more stoic members of the audience who remained. What troopers they were! However, even they had to abandon their demonstration of Welsh Dancing when it started to hail or risk concussion! Sadly I have no photos to show you of their brave performance but I do have some footage taken by our tenacious volunteer who was filming live. It also contains some charming dialogue between Gem who was filming and young Olivia who took pity on her and came over and sheltered Gem with her umbrella. Many thanks also to Simon Costin who did a similar thing for the Welsh musicians to keep them and their instruments dry. 🙂
Then 30 mins later when the Morris action was due to start again, the rain stopped. Obviously I’m glad it stopped, but I did feel a bit sorry for Cwmni Gwerin Pontypwl but when I voiced this to them they just laughed and said they were used to it as it happened all the time in Wales! In fact they enjoyed themselves so much they’re coming back next year! 🙂
I unexpectedly got to achieve an ambition of mine this Dark Gathering. Since I started to learn to play drum I’ve watched other good drummers avidly and learned from them. Chris Neno from Beltane has always been a drummer I have admired and I tentatively asked his Mum whether it was OK to join the drummers in the Beltane Fire Dance. She said that was fine and mentioned this to Chris who came over and said I could play with Beltane for the day anyway. I was thrilled and drummed with them from that point. It was awesome – like riding the crest of a wave – especially when it came to the Fire Dance!
The afternoon continued with superb performances from all the Morris sides.
Whilst I was drumming with Beltane I looked up into the sky to savour the moment, and I spotted a large ‘murder’ of crows circling and swooping overhead. It looked like they were showing great interest in Beltane’s dancing just below – and who can blame them? Magic! 🙂
Then the squire of Vixen came over and invited Laetitia to dance a Gemini reprise following their last dance. This is a great dance that involves precision and timing and it was nearly 20 years since Laetitia had last performed it. Sadly to date I have not found any footage of this performance (if anyone did film any part of this please let me know) – however, here is the dance Gemini prior to Laetitia’s input.
At least I got one photo of her in her moment of glory at the end of her performance. Well done Laetitia – proud of you! 😀
If you want to hear Laetitia’s thoughts on this go to this link:
What a brilliant way to end the afternoon session! So then it was time to take a break so we could prepare for the evening’s events which brought quite a few surprises to us all.
I had a strong feeling that the Dark Gathering 2018 would be an emotional experience, and I wasn’t wrong! There were all sorts of things going on behind the scenes that I won’t bore you with but take my word for it, everyone involved did the very best they could under trying circumstances and limited resources. As a consequence there were a few logistical hiccoughs but nothing that completely ruined the day for others, even though it gave the organisers a few stressful moments.
Just before we were about to set off to Boscastle the day before the Dark Gathering we received the following poignant message:
For the last few years my amazing husband Matt Geoffrey and I have attended the gathering in Boscastle. We were all booked for this year it’s always the highlight of our year. Sadly on Monday Matt lost his battle with cancer, he fought like a warrior to stay with us but took his last breath at 9:30pm on 22nd Oct with his mum, myself and our children around him at home where he wanted to be. I would be grateful if you would all remember him this weekend and say a blessing for his passing. The children and I cannot be there but it would be lovely to think he was being remembered.
I wrote to Matt’s wife Sarah to ask permission to publish her message and she wrote back:
I am more than happy for you to mention Matt I did manage to see some of the footage thank you so much. Matt would have been so touched that he was remembered The gathering was always a highlight of the year for our family x Matt was cremated this Monday I conducted the service myself as I wanted it to be a service fitting for such a wonderful man x I love the fact that your dedication came just before the Raven dance very fitting and danced by Matts favourite Morris side (Beltane Border Morris)x
Our little one who turned 4 the day before wanted to walk respect for daddy .
I include all this as it is a very good example of how the Dark Gathering has become more than just a folkloric get together, more than a Morris knees-up, more even than a community event. It has become something unique which was in our minds from the very start. I well remember having an important conversation with Angie Latham and Laetitia Latham-Jones on that wild, stormy night back in 2014. We were discussing the fact that although there are quite a few dark Morris sides who were also of Pagan persuasion, there were no events to honour this. That, and the fact of the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic was the ideal setting at the most powerful time of year for the spirits of the ancestors – it seemed the logical next move to have a magical folklore happening coupled with the meeting of the Osses and Mari Lwyds. The rest, as they say, is history. Recently Laetitia mentioned to me that there was something about the Dark Gathering that reminded her of the movie Field of Dreams.
Replace the ghostly images of the baseball players with Mari Lwyds and Dark Morris and there you have it! 🙂
Chris White summed it up well when he wrote recently about the Dark Gathering:
How the time’s flown! The event has grown so fast it’s as if it’s been eagerly waiting to happen! In addition to all the hard work and organization that goes into it, it seems to have an organic energy of its own, as if it has a personality of sorts the way a rare few do. You’ve made something wonderful and I feel privileged just to have seen its beginnings and even more so to be involved. Thank you so much. Lots of love. Xxxxx
So on to the day itself. We knew from the weather forecast that this was likely to be a cold and changeable weekend, so most folk were dressed accordingly. The first performances started at 2 pm right up the top of the village at the Napoleon Inn. The Mari Lwyds and Cwmni Gwerin Pontypwl gave lively performances for which they were duly paid with the traditional libations of cake and ale. Then they slowly descended the Old Hill calling at various households on the way supported by their trusty musicians who travelled up from Penzance to play for the Mari Lwyds – thanks guys and gals! In fact so impressed have we been by the volunteer musicians that we thought it was about time they had a band name, so… hereafter to be known as Bagas an Werin Mari Lwyd – (translation from Cornish: Mari Lwyd Folk Band) Their final destination at the end of the afternoon was the Cobweb Inn where they performed for the customers and a good time was had by all!
Meanwhile back at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic something was stirring…! 😉
Our planned warm-up act was to be the Salt Sisters but sadly they had to withdraw at the last minute due to the illness of one of the duo. Domesday Morris asked whether they could use this opportunity to perform and as I couldn’t see any reason not to, I agreed. The crowd gathered swiftly as usual and once Beltane and Wolfshead & Vixen had set up their band equipment, we officially started the 5th All Hallows Gathering. Once Steve Podger our trusty MC had opened proceedings with his usual flair, I stepped in and dedicated the Dark Gathering 2018 to the memory of Matt Geoffrey. Beltane then led the afternoon’s entertainment starting with a new dance called Three Ravens. They were, as ever thrilling and dynamic to watch.
Beltane Border Morris dance Tregeseal
Next to perform was the mesmerising Wolfs Head and Vixen Morris. You get two for the price of one here with the brooding intensity of the Wolfs Head men, and the slick precision of the whirling Vixen women. This is not to mention the trance-like rhythms of the side’s Band. WH&V who hail from Rochester in Kent, are a well renowned side whose claim to fame is of being the very first gothic Morris team. They have built an enviable reputation over the last 23 years and we were delighted to have them as our Guest Side this year.
One of the dances that Wolf’s Head perform is called the Four Seasons and is considered to be a form of fertility dance. Usually a female is chosen to stand in the centre and Laetitia Latham-Jones was chosen this time. This might have had something to do with the fact that Laetitia was a member of Wolf’s Head and Vixen back in the Nineties so this was a nice gesture from them.
Much to our surprise the Daily Mail decided to send a photographer this year who took the following image and tried to stir up the blacking issue again (yawn) and, amongst a lot of other ludicrous statements, described Laetitia as “wearing ghoulish looking horns and black eye make-up”! Terrifying isn’t she? 😉
Then came Domesday Morris. What a entertaining and fun loving side they were! Full of energy, they injected a vitality into the proceedings which made a suitable contrast to the dark mystery of the other two sides. Their band was led by Lisa Jarvest, a very talented melodeon player, and they played lively tunes that had all our feet tapping. Listening to their music and watching Domesday dance, you couldn’t help but smile. 🙂
The dancers were led by the irrepressible Bruce Jarvest.
I also have to mention the children at this point. Who couldn’t fail to smile at these winsome kids in their tatters and blacking?
These kids went around the crowd asking for donations for the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic. They raised the princely sum of £60! Impressive!
We were going to use this maid’s image on our poster but sadly when it came to it, it didn’t work artistically speaking. However, we were determined to have it on the website because the pure exuberance expressed here said so much about Domesday Morris and the energy of the Dark Gathering that day. 🙂
Then suddenly at 4 pm when there was a scheduled break in the Morris dancing, the heavens opened up and the rain hammered down!
The Dark Gathering 