Allantide

Allantide (Cornish Calan Gwaf) is a Cornish festival that was traditionally celebrated on the 31st October elsewhere known as Hallowe'en. The festival itself seems to have pre-christian origins similar to most celebrations on this date, however in Cornwall it was popularly linked to St Allen or Allan a little known Cornish Saint. Because of the this Allantide is also known as Allan day. The origins of the name Allantide are actually likely to stem from the same old English sources as Hollantide (Wales and the Isle of Man) and Hallowe'en itself.

The following is a description of the festival as it was celebrated in Penzance at the turn of the 19th century:

"The shops in Penzance would display Allan apples, which were highly polished large apples. On the day itself, these apples were given as gifts to each member of the family as a token of good luck. Older girls would place these apples under their pillows and hope to dream of the person whom they would one day marry. A local game is also recorded where two pieces of wood were nailed together in the shape of a cross. It was then suspended with 4 candles on each outcrop of the cross shape. Allan apples would then be suspended under the cross. The goal of the game was to catch the apples in your mouth, with hot wax being the penalty for slowness or inaccuracy."

See also

• Hop-tu-Naa - Isle of Man
• Calan Gaeaf - Wales
• Samhain
• Halloween

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