DAY 2:
IRELAND
A popular custom in Ireland is to celebrate St. Stephen's Day- which is on December 26th- by practicing the Wren Boys Procession
IRELAND
A popular custom in Ireland is to celebrate St. Stephen's Day- which is on December 26th- by practicing the Wren Boys Procession
Families dress up and go from house to house carrying a pole with a holly bush on top asking for money for the starving bird. In the past an actual wren was hunted and placed on top of this pole. Today fake ones are used and the wren boys use the opportunity to raise money for charity.
Legend says that there was a plot in a village against local soldiers. Villagers had surrounded them and were about to ambush when a group of wrens began to peck on their drums and woke the soldiers and caused the plot to fail.
The wren, too, is blamed for betraying St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr.
Today we made our own miniature versions. We made clay "wrens- which turned out very colorfully. Placed them on top of a skewer and cardboard and surrounded them by holly leaves.
The boys then proceed to ask for money- and we raided the change jar.
They make a pretty centerpiece too.
Your advent activities for different places if very neat what are you using as a reference or did you look these up for yourself and put together your "activity" ornament to go with it?
ReplyDeleteNicely done.
Sheila
I'm really looking forward to following these days of Christmas...you've done a ton of research! I love the ideas and the information and the projects :)
ReplyDelete