It is said, that on this Eve, at midnight, all the bullocks of seven years old or more fall on their knees and utter a sort of groan, and, that at the same time, the myrrh plant bursts into flower and so continues for one hour, when it disappears again. My informant is positive that he saw this latter phenomenon last Christmas Eve (1890).
To the superstitious Manx, one pleasant feature of this sacred season generally, and of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in particular, was that they were able to pass any haunted glen or road in perfect safety, as, owing to the beneficent influence of Christ, no Phynnodderee, Buggane, Witch, or evil creature of any kind could harm them.
Christmas Day, called Laa Nollick or Laa Nullick, in Manx, where Nollick is probably a corruption of the latin Natalicium “birthday”, is observed in the Isle of Man in much the same way as in England, Scotland, and Ireland.
It is interesting to note that the church festival of Christmas was placed at the same time as the Pagan feast of the winter solstice, which was called the Saturnalia by the Romans, and Yule by the Scandinavian nations, with whom the Isle of Man was closely connected. The meaning of the word Yule has given rise to considerable controversy, the most probable interpretation being that of Ficke;[96] who explains it to mean “noise”, or “cry”, especially the loud noise of revelry and rejoicing. The heathen Yule was certainly a great time of merrymaking, and lasted for thirteen days, inclusive of the 6th of January. This merrymaking was to express their joy at the days having reached their shortest limit on the 21st of December, when the sun recommenced his upward course. The Church attempted to change the heathen ceremonies into the solemnities of the Christian festivals, of which it put as many as possible at this season. The result was, the strange medley of Christian and Pagan rites, especially with regard to the mistletoe and the Yule log, which contribute to the festivities of the modern Christmas.
“As soon as the prayers at the Oiel Verrey are over”, says Waldron, “Christmas begins, and there is not a barn unoccupied for the whole twelve days—every parish hiring fiddlers at the public charge; and all the youths, nay, sometimes people in years, make no scruple to be among these nocturnal dancers.”
Every family that could afford it, had a special brewing called Jough-y-Nollick, “drink of Christmas;” and as one brewing kettle generally served a whole neighbourhood, it was in great request at this time, hence the Manx proverb, “To go about like a brewing pan.” The weather saying for this season is: Ollick fluigh, Rhullick vea, “Wet Christmas, rich Churchyard”, i.e., wet weather at this time is considered unhealthy.
December 26.—Laa’l Steaoin, ‘Stephen’s Feast day.’ On this day the cruel but curious custom of Hunting the Wren is kept up. The unfortunate bird was stoned to death; and there is, therefore, an appropriateness in the Church festival commemorating the stoning of St. Stephen being on the same day. This stoning of the wren, however, if Waldron is to be believed, seems to have taken place on Christmas morning 160 years ago, as he says, “on the 24th of December, towards evening, all the servants in general have a holiday; they go not to bed all night, but ramble about till the bells ring in all the Churches, which is at twelve o’clock; prayer being over, they go to hunt the wren, and after having found one of these poor birds, they kill her, and lay her on a bier with the utmost solemnity, bringing her to the parish church, and burying her with a whimsical kind of solemnity, singing dirges over her in the Manx language, which they call her knell, after which Christmas begins.” A writer of the early part of the present century gives the following account of the origin of the hunting of the wren:—
“It has been a pastime in the Isle of Man from time immemorial to hunt the wren. It is founded on a tradition that in former times a fairy of uncommon beauty exerted such undue influence over the male population, that she at various times seduced numbers to follow her footsteps, till, by degrees, she led them into the sea, where they perished. This barbarous exercise of power had continued for a great length of time, till it was apprehended the Island would be exhausted of its defenders, when a knight errant sprung up, who discovered some means of countervailing the charms used by this syren, and even laid a plot for her destruction, which she only escaped at the moment of extreme hazard, by taking the form of a wren. But though she evaded instant annihilation, a spell was cast upon her, by which she was condemned on every succeeding New Year’s Day, to reanimate the same form, with the definitive sentence, that she must ultimately perish by a human hand. In consequence of this well authenticated legend, on the specified anniversary, every man and boy in the Island (except those who have thrown off the trammels of superstition), devote the hours between sunrise and sunset, to the hope of extirpating the Fairy, and woe be to the individual birds of this species, who show themselves on this fatal day to the active enemies of the race; they are pursued, pelted, fired at, and destroyed, without mercy, and their feathers preserved with religious care; it being an article of belief that every one of the relics gathered in this laudable pursuit is an effectual preservation from shipwreck for one year; and that fishermen would be considered as extremely foolhardy who would enter upon his occupation without such a safeguard.”—(Bullock, History of the Isle of Man, 1816.)
Kelly’s description of this custom at about the same period is as follows:—“It is the custom of the inhabitants of the several parishes to catch a wren, on this day, and parade with flags flying and music, with the wren fixen upon the point of a long pole; and they oblige every person they meet to purchase a feather,[97] and to wear it in their hats for the day; in the evening they inter the naked body, with great solemnity; and conclude the evening with wrestling and all manner of sports. This is supposed to be in memory of the first martyr.”
The manner of celebrating this custom 50 years ago was described by William Harrison as follows:—“This custom is still kept upon St. Stephen’s Day, chiefly by boys, who at early dawn sally out armed with long sticks, beating the bushes until they find one of these birds, when they commence the chase with great shoutings following it from bush to bush, and when killed it is suspended in a garland of ribbons, flowers, and evergreens. The procession then commences, carrying that ‘King of birds,’ as the Druids called it, from house to house, soliciting contributions, and giving a feather for luck; these are considered an effectual preservative from shipwreck, and some fishermen will not yet venture out to sea without having first provided themselves with a few of these feathers to insure their safe return. The ‘dreain,’ or wren’s feathers, are considered an effectual preservative against witchcraft. It was formerly the custom in the evening to inter the naked body with great solemnity in a secluded corner of the Churchyard, and conclude the evening with wrestling and all manner of sports.”[98]
Barrow gave the music of the song which follows in his Mona Melodies, published in 1820, and the words were taken down by William Harrison from a company of “Wren boys”, in 1843:—
The Hunting of the Wren.
And so on, always chorusing with affected labour and exertion, “Hoist! Hoist!”
Colonel Vallancy, in his Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis, says, “The Druids represented this as the king of all birds. The superstitious respect shown to this little bird gave offence to our first Christian missionaries, and by their commands he is still hunted and killed by the peasant on Christmas Day, and on the following (St. Stephen’s Day) he is carried about hung by the leg in the centre of two hoops, crossing each other at right angles, and a procession made in every village of men, women, and children, singing an Irish catch, importing him to be the king of all birds. In several European languages his name imports the same—as, Latin, Regulus; French, Reytelet; Welsh, Bren, king; Teutonic, Konig-Vogel, king-bird; Dutch, Konije, little king.”[99]
This kingly dignity is accounted for in the following curious traditional tale, which is current in the West Highlands and in Skye, and is also related in Grimm’s story of “King Wren”:—“In a grand assembly of all the birds of the air, it was determined that the sovereignty of the feathered tribe should be conferred upon the one who would fly highest. The favourite was, of course, the eagle, who at once, and in full confidence of victory, commenced his flight towards the sun; when he had vastly distanced all competitors, he proclaimed with a mighty voice his monarchy over all things that had wings. Suddenly, however, the wren, who had secreted himself under the feathers of the eagle’s crest, popped from his hiding-place, flew a few inches upwards, and chirped out as loudly as he could, ‘Birds, look up and behold your king;’ and was elected accordingly.” The meaning of the Manx, Dreain, is uncertain, though Kelly[100] boldly derives it from druai-eean. “the druid’s bird.”
Aubray relates in his Miscellanies that, after a battle in the north of Ireland, “a party of the Protestants had been surprised sleeping by the Popish Irish were it not for several wrens that had just wakened them by dancing and pecking on the drums as the enemy were approaching. For this reason the wild Irish mortally hate these birds to this day, calling them the devil’s servants, and killing them wherever they can catch them: they teach their children to thrust them full of thorns; you’ll see sometimes on holidays a whole parish running like madmen from hedge to hedge a wren-hunting.” This is not the case in England, where a kind of reverence is paid to these birds, for it is considered unlucky to kill them or to destroy their nests, and it is supposed that anyone doing so would infallibly, within the course of the year, meet with some dreadful misfortune. This feeling is expressed by the distich:—
and an old poet says:—
W. Harrison, who gives the above quotations, adds:—“In the version as printed of this song, it is given as recited at the time, but evidently there are several expressions not in unison with the Manx idiom, which only shows the difficulty of preserving in their original purity these orally delivered songs, for each batch of minstrels are constantly introducing something of their own. Thus, ‘Robin to Bobbin,’ and ‘Jack of the Land,’ should certainly be ‘Robin the Bobbin,’ and ‘Jackey the Land,’ being the particular designation by which they were known, similar to what may be met with in many instances at the present day, as ‘Billey the Bo,’ ‘Jackey the Cook,’ ‘Tom the Rock,’ etc. Other minor expressions might be noticed as ‘he is’ for ‘he’s,’ but the last verse is evidently belonging to an Irish version. The Manx song terminates generally after ‘The bones for the dogs’ with—
I have never met with a copy of dirges in the Manx language, said to have been sung over the body at the interment, as is recorded in Waldron’s History.”[101]
In Essex, the wren was killed and carried about in furze bushes, the boys asking a present in these words:—
The following wren song is also met with at Waterford:—
This custom is also found in Pembrokeshire, where it is practised on 12th day, and at several places in the south of France on the first Sunday in December. It is very remarkable that though in many counties it was reckoned unlucky to kill the wren, yet it was killed ceremonially once a year. This, taken into connection with the value set upon the possession of a feather from the slain bird, points to a sacrificial custom.[102]
In Man at the present day the bush decorated with ribbons and flowers still survives, and the wren is occasionally found ensconced within it, but the song has dwindled to a mere fragment.
December 27th, Laa’l Eoin Nollick, “John’s Christmas Feast day”, and December 28th, Laa’l ny Macain, “Feast day of the Children (or Innocents)”, are Church Festivals.
December 31st.—On the Eve of New Year’s Day it was a custom to fill a thimble with salt and upset it on a plate, one thimble for every one in the house. The plate was then carefully put by and examined next morning; if any of the little heaps of salt had fallen or looked untidy, then the person whom it represented would die during the year.
“In many of the upland cottages”, writes Train, “it is yet customary for the housewife, after raking the fire for the night, and just before stepping into bed, to spread the ashes smooth over the floor with the tongs, in the hope of finding in it, next morning, the track of a foot; should the toes of this ominous print turn towards the door, then, it is believed, a member of the family will die in the course of that year; but, should the heel of the fairy foot point in that direction, then, it is firmly believed, that the family will be augmented within the same period.” Another means of prying into futurity made use of on this evening was to put the leaves of hibbin or ivy in water. Each of these leaves were marked by a member of the family, and, if any one of the leaves was withered in the morning, it would mean death to its owner during the year. It would seem probable, however, that the chance of any of the leaves withering under the circumstances was a very remote one. (see November 11th.)
It may be mentioned here that Tuesdays and Thursdays were considered lucky days, and Fridays unlucky. A search through the Parish Registers will show that weddings usually took place on Tuesday or Thursday, and hardly ever on Friday. Nothing would induce the fishermen to go to sea on Friday.
Footnotes
[59] The meaning of this is, probably: may death, when it comes upon you, find you as happy and comfortable as a mouse in a well-stocked barn.
[60] Literally “without.”
[61] This, we hope, will shortly be published by the Manx Society.
[62] This was probably a harvest custom, originally. See p. 122, also Chapter VII., where an attempt is made to explain the origin of all customs connected with the animal or vegetable kingdom.
[63] The word laa’l appears to be a contraction of Laa-feaill ‘feast day.’ F is a weak consonant in Manx, and when aspirated it loses all its force. Phillips, in his Prayer book of the early seventeenth century, spells this word lail, which shows its origin more distinctly.
[64] Western Isles, p. 119.
[65] See Chapter VII.
[66] It will be seen that these tenures are not peculiar to the Isle of Man from the following:
‘Grant of lands in Free Alms in the Isle of Lismore, with the custody of the Staff of St Moloc.’
DEED OF CONFIRMATION.
To all and singular, etc. We, Archibald Campbell, feudatory, Lord of the lands of Argyle, Campbell, and Lorn, with the consent and assent of our most dear father and guardian, Archibald, Earl of Argyle ... have granted, and as well in honour of God omnipotent, of the Blessed Virgin, and of our holy Patron Moloc, and have mortified, and by this present writing have confirmed to our beloved John McMolmore, and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten or to be begotten, all and singular our lands ... in the Isle of Lismore ... with the Custody of the Great Staff (Baculi) of St Moloc, as freely as the ... other predecessors of the sd John had from our predecessors ... in pure and free alms.’ (Dated 9th April, 1544).
[67] See Chapter VII.—Similar cakes were made in the little island of St. Kilda, but on “All Soul’s Day”, November 2nd not Good Friday.
[68] See Chapter VII.
[69] Kelly: Manx Dictionary, p. 15. Manx Society: Vol. XIII.
[70] See Chapter VII.
[71] Kelly’s (see Manx Dictionary) notion of a connection with the Phœnician God Baal is an evident absurdity.
[72] These extracts about Perambulations were taken from the Ballaugh Parochialia, by the permission of its compiler, the late Rev. W. Kermode.
[73] See Chapter VII.
[74] Cleasby and Vigfusson, Icelandic Dictionary.
[75] See story of “Origin of Arms of the Island.” Chapter III. This custom of rolling down wheels was formerly practised in Bohemia and central France.
[76] See Chapter VII.
[77] The date of this Court has only been changed to the 5th of July since the alteration of the Calendar. For a full description of it see “Manx Names”, pp. 261–66.
[78] Manx Names, p. 210.
[79] See Chapter I.
[80] The Hibbert Lectures, 1888, p. 149.
[81] See Chapter VII.
[82] i.e., after the change of the calendar to the first Sunday after the 12th of August.
[83] Kelly, Manx Dictionary, p. 129.
[84] See Chapter VII.
[85] Rhys’ Hibbert Lectures, 1886; p. 16–17.
[86] This looks like some reminiscence of sacrifice and feasting. See Chapter VII.
[87] Kelly, Manx Dictionary, p. 24.
[88] Kelly, Manx Dictionary, p. 14.
[89] Nuts.
[90] Lovingly.
[91] Watchful eye.
[92] Chimney.
[93] This is identical with an English proverb.
[94] This play is mentioned by Davies Gilbert, F.R.S., as being popular in the West of England in his Ancient Christmas Carols, London, 1822.
[95] Manx Society, Vol. XVI., p. 166–171.
[96] Indogermanischen Sprachen, Vol. III., p. 245.
[97] See Chapter VII., and Manx Dictionary, p. 116.
[98] Mona Miscellany, Manx Society, Vol. XXI.
[99] Indeed the wren was called “King of birds” by almost every European nation.
[100] Manx Dictionary, p. 67.
[101] Mona Miscellany, Manx Society, Vol. XVI.
[102] See Chapter VII.