Saint Piran’s Day
Saint Piran’s Day is the National day of Cornwall. It is celebrated on March 5th and marks Saint Piran’s feast day. It is celebrated with parades, music and traditional Cornish food.
The History of Saint Piran’s Day
It is named after Saint Piran, the patron saint of tin miners and one of the patron saints of Cornwall. Legend has it that Piran was an Irish missionary who was thrown into the sea with a millstone around his neck, but miraculously survived and washed up on the shores of Cornwall. He then became a hermit and discovered tin which contributed significantly to the Cornish economy.
How to Celebrate Saint Piran’s Day
A perfect idea for celebrating Saint Piran’s Day is to make Pasties! Pasties became traditional in Cornwall as they were eaten by Cornish tin miners. They originally consisted of meat in one side and jam in the other to serve as lunch and pudding in one easily transportable and eatable package. Now, of course, the pudding half of pasties tends to be left out, however, they are still beloved all over the UK, particularly here in Cornwall. This Saint Piran’s Day, try making your own Pasties. These could be traditional steak pasties or vegetarian or vegan substitutes. You could even make sweet pasties, for example, a pumpkin filling which creates the perfect mix of a pumpkin pie and a pasty.
Celebrations In Cornwall
If you happen to be staying with us during Saint Piran’s Day, there are some great celebration options. You could head down to Truro for 1pm to see the parade, starting at Waterfall Gardens and ending later at High Cross. On top of this, The Oggymen perform a ‘A Cornish Celebration’ at the Hall for Cornwall from 7.30pm on the 5th for St Piran’s Day.
Another option would be celebrating in Bude! The parade sets of from Bude Surf Life Saving Club in Crooklets Road and travels to Summerleaze Beach and back. It begins at 5pm on Tuesday 25 March 2024 with a piper leading the procession. The Bude Barrell Morris Dancers will be waiting to entertain you at the club. Finally, the ‘Trelawny Shout’ will take place at the club at 9pm with beers, pasties as well as Cornish songs.
Tag us in your Saint Piran’s Day celebrations on Instagram @helsburypark.