The Federation of Old Cornwall Societies (FOCS) was formed in 1924, on the initiative of

Robert Morton Nance Robert Morton Nance (1873–1959) was a British writer and leading authority on the Cornish language, a nautical archaeologist, and joint founder of the Old Cornwall Society. Nance wrote many books and pamphlets on the Cornish language, inclu ...

, with the objective of collecting and maintaining "all those ancient things that make the spirit of

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

— its traditions, its old words and ways, and what remains to it of its Celtic language and nationality". The motto of the federation—as written on their web site—is "", which translated into English is "Gather ye the fragments that are left, that nothing be lost". The motto in the OCS logo is the Cornish phrase '' King Arthur is not dead''. The first Old Cornwall Society was established by Robert Morton Nance in St Ives in 1920.

Summer events

The OCS celebrate the old Cornish tradition of

midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe. The undivided Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr ...

bonfires, normally held on 23 June each year. The hilltop bonfires that form a chain are currently held at

Kit Hill Kit Hill ( kw, Bre Skowl), at 334 metres high, dominates the area between Callington and the River Tamar in southeast Cornwall, England, UK. The word 'Kit' comes from Old English for kite, a reference to birds of prey (and not specifically the ...

St Breock St Breock ( kw, Nanssans) is a village and a civil parish in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The spelling St Breoke was also formerly in use. Geography St Breock village is 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Wadebridge immediately to the sou ...

Beacon, Castle An Dinas, and Redruth. In the autumn the

harvest festival A harvest festival is an annual celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different places. ...

known as

Crying The Neck Crying is the dropping of tears (or welling of tears in the eyes) in response to an emotional state, or pain. Emotions that can lead to crying include sadness, anger, and even happiness. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secreto ...

is also celebrated by the OCS.

Periodical

''Old Cornwall'', the journal of the Federation, began publication in 1925 and is published twice yearly. The first editor was

References

External links

Main site of FOCS

South Australia's Kernewek Lowender (Cornish Festival)

Cornish Association of Victoria, Australia

Cornish Association of Bendigo, Victoria, Australia

London Cornish Association

The New Zealand Cornish Association

Strange days: Fired by ancient zeal in Cornwall
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' article on Midsummer bonfires {{DEFAULTSORT:Federation Of Old Cornwall Societies 1924 establishments in England Arts in Cornwall Charities based in Cornwall Clubs and societies in Cornwall Cornish culture Cornish nationalism Heritage organisations in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1924

Summer events

Periodical

See also

References

External links