St Ives - St Ives Feast

The St Ives Feast is a celebration of the founding of the town which takes place on the Sunday and Monday closest to the 3rd Febuary every year.

St Eia was a women existing in the 5th century AD although records cannot agree on the root of her name - the gaelic Ia and Eia or the anglicisied Ives. St Eia was intending to travel to Britian to spread Christianity, but she missed her boat! However she was not deterred and she set about traveling in a coracle. Amazing she survived although did not reach the destination she had indended. The Atlantic had blown her over in the direction of Cornwall. The St Ives Lifeboat saw the coracle in difficulty off the shore and saftly brought St Eia to land. The locals amazed with her story and survival promptly named the town after her.

The festival inculdes a procession to the well of St Eia (also known as St La) then other activities - It is one of only two examples of Cornish Hurling left.

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