I received this information from my dear friends in Ireland, Maureen and Orla.
On other occasions I had talked about St. Stephen's Day which is Dec. 26th. It is a day of fun and merriment in Ireland.
We don't celebrate that day here but
thought some of you might find it interesting.
Here it goes ( directly from the Maureen and Orla) as I asked them to
explain it to me: The "Wren" boys go from house to house playing music
and singing. In some parts of Ireland they are called Mummers.
It is mostly children who go from house to house. If they don't sing, then
they will say a little rhyme that goes..."The Wren, The Wren, the King of
all birds...St. Stephen's Day was caught in the furze, Up with the kettle and
down with the pan, give us a penny to bury the wren. The homes they visit
give them some money. The adults often go around to the pubs at
night and use the money they collect for charity. They dress in old clothes
and masks so no one knows their identity. More on this in my next blog.
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