If odd traditions, unusual or entertaining customs are your thing, the annual Hurling of the Silver Ball held each year in St Ives, Cornwall could be just what you’re looking for.  

Hurling the Silver Ball forms an essential part of St Ives Feast, which takes place on Monday 06 February and celebrates the anniversary of the consecration of the parish church of St Eia, in 1434.

Each year processions of musicians, townsfolk and schoolchildren make their way through the town's narrow, cobbled alleyways wearing pieces of ivy in remembrance of St Eia, the patron saint of St Ives, who is believed to have made her way across the sea from Ireland on a boat made of ivy.

At precisely half past ten on 6th February the mayor makes their way to the steps of the church and throws the silver ball, which has been blessed in the holy well of St Eia, into the thronging crowd below.  Chaos ensues as the silver ball, made from apple wood and encased in sterling silver, is passed and wrestled from one person to another over the beaches and through the streets of the town.

At noon, the person in possession of the ball receives a traditional reward of a silver coin from the Mayor at the Guildhall.   Thereafter pennies are proffered from the balcony by town councillors to the waiting children below.

Originally, the aim of the game was to force the ball to the goal at either St. Ives or Lelant Parish Churches, however this changed when the population of St Ives began to vastly outnumber that of Lelant, making it a non-contest.  Today this event has become quite a spectacle, watched by crowds looking on.

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