St Piran’s Day is being celebrated across Cornwall today, not least in the Helston and Lizard area.
In Porthleven this morning more than a dozen people gathered at the home of Andrew Bell for the traditional raising of the black and white flag of St Piran, the patron saint of Cornwall.
The 5th century Cornish abbot and saint is also the patron saint of tin miners and the colours of his flag are often said to represent the white of the tin flowing from the black of the underground rock.
One of the oldest depictions of the flag can be seen in a stained glass window at Westminster Abbey, which was unveiled in 1888 in memory of the famous Cornish inventor and engineer Richard Trevithick.
Meanwhile at the Marconi Centre, Poldhu, amateur radio enthusiasts have been taking to the airwaves to issue Cornish greetings around the world.
Poldhu Amateur Radio Club is using a special call sign, GK3MPD, to contact fellow enthusiasts, especially those with Cornish heritage.
As a result of Cornwall being awarded National Minority Status, the group has been granted the right, for this year only, to add the letter ‘K’ to its call signs. This represents ‘Kernow’, in the same way that GW is the ‘regional secondary identifier’ for Wales, GI for Northern Ireland and GU for Guernsey.
See how you can celebrate St Piran’s Day with a FREE pasty courtesy of the Packet here.
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