Picrous Night is associated with a story known as ‘Piskies in the Cellar’. This is an amusing tale of a man transported by piskies (the Cornish version of pixies) into a local wine cellar. The tale is part of a tradition in Cornish storytelling of piskies confusing and deceiving people, especially if they are travelling down lanes or across moorland. This is known as being “piskie led”.
When?
December
Picrous Day or Picrous Night is a celebration held in some parts of east Cornwall. Traditionally, it marks the discovery of tin by a Cornish saint called St Picrous. In west Cornwall the discoverer of tin was actually considered to be St Piran, one of the three patron saints of Cornwall.
