Wren Day
This was paraded around the neighbourhood by a group of 'Wrenboys'—typically dressed in straw masks, greenery and colourful motley clothing—who sang songs and played music in exchange for donations.
In most places, Wren Day gradually died out following industrialisation, but it has been undergoing a revival since the late 20th century.
Historically, and up until the mid-20th century in many parts of rural Ireland, groups of men and boys hunted a wren (also pronounced wran)[1] on St. Stephen's Day.
[2] The dead wren was usually placed inside a 'wren bush', which was usually a ball of holly, ivy and colourful ribbons fastened to the top of a long staff.
[4] At the end of the day, the wren was buried, and sometimes given human burial rites by being placed in a tiny coffin and keened.
One variation sung in Edmondstown, County Dublin, ran as such (the last two lines of which are used in several festive British begging songs and rhymes including "Christmas is Coming"): The wren the wren the king of all birds St Stephen's Day was caught in the furze Her clothes were all torn- her shoes were all worn Up with the kettle and down with the pan Give us a penny to bury the "wran" If you haven't a penny, a halfpenny will do If you haven't a halfpenny, God bless you!
[7] In a 1978 recording, the sean-nós singer Seosamh Ó hÉanaí discusses Wren Day activities and the lore behind the tradition.
[9] Usually, the wren's body would be hung inside the 'wren bush' – a ball-shaped frame made from two crossed wreaths of holly or ivy, decorated with ribbons.
[9] In some villages, the wren's body was displayed in a 'wren house' – a small wooden box with windows, decorated with greenery and ribbons.
[9] George Waldron recorded in 1731 that they buried the wren "with a whimsical kind of solemnity, singing dirges over her in the Manx language".
Another early Irish text, the Life of Saint Moling, calls the wren "the magus bird, because some take auguries from it".
[14] Many scholars believe that the wren hunt has ancient pagan origins and is related to animal sacrifice and the winter solstice.
According to Lawrence, the belief may have been that at midwinter, "the faltering forces of nature" had to be renewed, by ritually killing the wren who represented the old king and the old year.
Armstrong wrote that the "multiplicity and inconsistency" of the stories "show that we are dealing with a very ancient ceremonial, the origin of which has been forgotten".
In some Irish versions, the wren must pay for having gained this royal title, or is put under a geis (a mystical taboo) that it must not fly higher than the top of a bush.
[27] Possibly the earliest written reference to a wren hunt is a medieval Irish legend about Saint Moling.
The story goes that the woman enchanted all the men of the island to follow her in hope of marrying her, and they neglected their homes and fields.
[30] The typical wren hunt occurred in Ireland, the Isle of Man, Wales, England and France, "areas where Celtic tradition was firmly entrenched".
[34] In Wales, the tradition of 'hunting the wren' (Welsh: Hela'r Dryw) took place every Twelfth Day, and the practice continued in Pembrokeshire until the beginning of the twentieth century.
[35] In the late 20th century, Pete Jennings and the Old Glory Molly Dancers revived the wren hunt in Suffolk, and it has been performed in Middleton on the evening of every Boxing Day since 1994.
James George Frazer describes in The Golden Bough a wren-hunting ritual in Carcassonne, held in early December.
[39] The Fête du Roi de l'Oiseau (festival of the king of birds) was first recorded in 1524 at Puy-en-Velay, and is still celebrated.
In the song "The Boys of Barr na Sráide", which is based on a poem by Sigerson Clifford, the wren hunt is also a prominent theme.
