St Blazey St Blaise’s Feast Day

Where: St Blazey, Cornwall starting at Landreath Place, moving to King Edwards Gardens, St Blaise's Church on Church Street and the Football Club on Station Road
When: February 3rd
Time: 5.30 music, 6 pm Lantern parade, 6.30 pm Church Service

 

An illuminated ram is the centrepiece in a lantern parade marking the feast of St Blaise, patron saint of both the woollen industry and sore throats, on February 3rd . The event was revived in the early twenty-first century and is going from strength to strength, organised by the St Blazey Reclaimed and a host of other local groups including the schools, church and Town Council. The Feast Day of St Blaise, patron Saint of wool combers,  coincides with the Celtic  feast of Imbolc which marks the earliest  stirrings  of spring-which is good reason to celebrate  at this time of year. The lanterns illuminate the dark lanes of the town accompanied by traditional Cornish music and led by the Bishop of Truro together with a local Boy Bishop, before a special Blessing of the Throats service at St Blaise church which involves the Bishop and Vicar, ably assisted by the Boy Bishop, holding crossed candles up to the throat of each person being blessed and repeating a special prayer. When we went, halfway through the parade there was a stop at King Edwards Gardens for hot apple juice and some very tuneful Cornish wassailing songs around a tree in the park; after the service, refreshments follow, usually at the Football Club, which, whenever  possible,  includes regional speciality saffron buns.

Helpful Hints

Check the Facebook page below for updates and to confirm timings etc. The Feast is always held on 3rd even when it falls on a Sunday. It goes ahead whatever the weather so be prepared to wrap up well and if you haven’t a lantern, a torch could be useful.

Click here for the Town Council website: http://www.stblaisetowncouncil.co.uk

here for the village Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/413691915475978/photos/ 

and here for Church contacts: http://www.achurchnearyou.com/st-blaise/

Thanks to Ross Parish for drawing this event to my attention!

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