Cornish celebration

St Piran’s Day, or Gool Peran in Cornish, is the national day of Cornwall, celebrated on 5 March every year. The day is named after, and celebrates, St Piran, the patron saint of tin miners who is sometimes credited with discovering the metal. The Cornish flag, with its white cross on a black background, is said to represent the granite that rolled from his fire one night, oozing white tin. Though a definitive history is uncertain, it is believed that St Piran was born in Ireland in the 6th century. He was renowned for his miraculous deeds and legend tells that a group of jealous kings put a millstone around his neck and threw him into the sea. Instead of drowning, St Piran floated to shore at Perranporth, which still bears his name. There, he built an oratory to spread Christianity, his first disciples being a fox, a bear and a badger. Today, hundreds of people make a pilgrimage to Perranporth and the site of St Piran’s Oratory. Every year, the St Piran Play is held at Perran Sands, usually on the nearest Sunday to 5 March.