Christmas Tree Dublin
Usually Irish people spend Christmas Day with their close family. Then December 26th which is St Stephen’s Day they meet their friends. It’s also known as Wren Day. People dress up in crazy clothes to chase a wren (a tiny brown bird) while singing songs. Historians say that the wren used to be a sacred bird for the Celtic Druids. Druids were priests in Celtic times. The Irish word for wren is ‘drai ean’ which means the Druid’s bird. So this tradition could come from when Christians chased the Druids out of Ireland. The Boys sing this song and collect money for charity. And they don’t chase a real bird anymore! This is their song:
The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
On St. Stephen’s Day was caught in the furze,
Although he is little, his family is great,
I pray you, good landlady, give us a treat.
My box would speak, if it had but a tongue,
And two or three shillings, would do it not wrong,
Sing holly, sing ivy–sing ivy, sing holly,
A drop just to drink, it would drown melancholy.
And if you draw it of the best,
I hope in heaven your soul will rest;
But if you draw it of the small,
It won’t agree with these wren boys at all.
- A shilling was the old money in Ireland.
You can still see Wren Boys singing and dancing in:
· Sandymount, Dublin 4
· Dingle, Co. Kerry
· Carrigaline, Co. Cork
WEEKEND TIP
Get down to George’s Dock, IFSC for the 12 Days of Christmas Market. Everything you need to celebrate!
Christmas Tree photo from Flickr
