Wren Boys are back in town and in flying form for #StStephensDay celebrations.

Dublin and Dingle mentioned in this, but many more around the country.

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/wren-boys-back-in-town-and-in-flying-form-for-st-stephens-day-celebrations-42245483.html

#WrenDay #mastodaoine #WrenBoys

For the day that is in it, The Bodhrán Makers is the best Irish book about Lá An Dreoilín from the legend himself John B. Keane.

#LáAnDreoilín #WrenDay #StStephensDay #Listowel #Mastodaoine

# # #WrenDay # Lá an dreoilín. # #
A history in quotes.

(1) The first mention of hunting the wren i can find is in "Miscellanies Upon Various Subjects" by John Aubrey, published first in 1696, reprinted with additions in 1721.

I'd suspect this is a retcon, creating an explanation for an existing feature os Irish life. It's set around the time if a battle fought 21st June 1650 between Sir Charles Coote and Bishop Heber MacMahon near Letterkenny
https://www.letterkennyhistory.com/the-sword-of-scarrifhollis/

Quote in next tweet...

In the category of "learn something new everyday" I give you Lá an Dreoilín, St Stephen's Day
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wren_Day

#StStephensDay #2ndDayOfChristmas #Ireland #WrenDay

A little #bird told me today is #WrenDay. Unfortunately we don't have wrens this time of year in S #Wisconsin. #Winter does, however, bring us the gifts of northern #birds like American Tree Sparrows, Red Fox Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos to take the sting off this cold season. I have some images but they are frankly too sucky to share. 😅

A little #bird told me today is #WrenDay. Unfortunately we don't have wrens this time of year in S #Wisconsin. #Winter does, however, bring us the gifts of northern #birds like American Tree Sparrows, Red Fox Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos to take the sting off this cold season.

Happy #WrenDay one and all. https://youtu.be/iqgYbPlZNsM

To others, the feast of St Stephen, protomartyr, and the day Good King Wenceslas looked out on snow deep and crisp and even.

To #mastodaoine, St Stephenseses Day. Lá an dreoilín.

#WrenDay #StStephensDay #BoxingDay

I'e come across stories that a twittering #wren alerted #Roman soldiers to where #SaintStephen was hiding, but those strike me as a post hoc attempt to explain why #WrenDay and #StStephensDay are on the same day.

You rarely see #WrenBoys nowadays. That's a real shame, it was a really fun tradition. Also #charity. Charity is good.

I've come across stories that a twittering #wren alerted #Roman soldiers to where #SaintStephen was hiding, but those strike me as a post hoc attempt to explain why #WrenDay and #StStephensDay are on the same day.

You rarely see #WrenBoys nowadays. That's a real shame, it was a really fun tradition. Also #charity. Charity is good.

I've come across stories that a twittering #wren alerted #Roman soldiers to where #SaintStephen was hiding, but those strike me as an attempt to explain why #WrenDay and #StStephensDay are on the same day.

You rarely see #WrenBoys nowadays. That's a real shame, it was a really fun tradition. Also #charity. Charity is good.

For the day that's in it.
Liam Clancy - The Wren Song
https://youtu.be/7ExaWsbuM34
#WrenDay #LáAnDreoilín

The story my mum told me is that God told the #birds to choose a king for themselves. The birds figured that since flying is their whole thing, their king should be whoever could fly the highest (so screw #ostriches I guess).

The #wren hung on to the #eagle, who flew higher than any other #bird... but then the wren nipped out and flew just that bit higher than the eagle. Since the wren technically flew the highest, he has been king of the birds ever since.

#StStephensDay #WrenDay

Up with the kettle
Down with the pan
Give us a penny
To bury the wren

https://www.ciaraioch.com/artprints/p/l-an-dreoiln-a5-linocut-print-limited-stock

#IrishTraditions #HuntingTheWren #WrenDay #LáAnDreoilín

Bought Irish art this year as gifts. Various family and friends got @Ciaraioch prints. A range of ages and interests to satisfy, and all were delighted. In particular brother’s new partner enamoured of her #Selkies, and my uncle with the #LáAnDreoilín (#WrenDay). The one awkward aunt who I couldn’t match a Ciaraoich print to was sorted by me stumbling upon a print of her favourite beach by @eolai
And couldn’t resist getting something myself, so new house will have a triptych of Irish animals 💚

Today’s my favourite day in the #ChristmasTide — the feast of Stephen (#BoxingDay or #WrenDay as it commonly known).
But why do I like the #FeastOfStephen so much? Two reasons and it’s not really about the Saint or the day:
1. My favourite #Christmas song is #GoodKingWenceslas — it is a beautiful song, with an iconic melody; the song is set on this day “Good King #Wenceslas looked out, On the Feast of Stephen” In fact I like St Wenceslas far more than St Stephen, but that’s another story.
2. This reason is the one I like the most. There is an odd tradition in #England to give unnamed parliamentary buildings the name of “St Stephen’s (insert building here)” — why? Well let’s look at who St Stephen was (in brief).
He is considered the first #Christian #Martyr or known as “Protomartyr”. He he was a deacon in the early #Church at Jerusalem who angered members of various synagogues by his teachings. Accused of blasphemy at his trial, he made a speech denouncing the authorities and was stoned to death in 36 AD.
I was told by an officer of the Houses of Parliament the #myth is that his name is used because he stood for justice and truth, as the Mother Parliament should. An irony — even from its inception and especially today.

And there we go; happy Boxing Day / Feast of Stephen.

#Histodon #histodons #folklore #MythologyMonday @folklore @histodons @mythologymonday @mythologybot