¡¡¡¡Nothing whatsoever to do with fur, the name of the Furry Dance as practiced every May in Helston1, Cornwall2 ª²ª² is likely derived from the old Cornish3 word ¡°fer,¡± meaning ¡°rejoicing.¡±

¡¡¡¡To do ¡°the Furry,¡± hundreds of local couples line up on the sidewalk, one behind the other in orderly fashion. As the town band plays a traditional tune, the dancers form a graceful human stream that winds up and down the streets and flows around corners ª²ª² even through the front doors of shops and out the back; the dancers¡¯ footsteps are said to bring good luck. This spectacle transpires4 four times during the day, with well over a thousand Helstonians participating and several thousand outª²ofª²towners gathered in the gaily5 decorated streets to watch. The first dance, beginning at 7 a.m., is for young couples only. The midmorning dance is for schoolchildren. The formal noon processional is the main event, with the men in top hats and frock coats6, the women in gowns7. Outª²ofª²towners can at last join in the final dance just before dusk.

¡¡¡¡In 1790 Gentleman¡¯s Magazine reported on the rite8: ¡°They assemble and dance hand in hand round the streets... and thus continue... In the afternoon, the local gentry9 go to some farm house and have tea, sillabub10 and other refreshments and then return in a... dance to the town and dance throughout the streets till dark. ¡±