Posted on December 26, 2019
First, you get to gallivant all over with your friends as you "hunt" for a wren - a fake wren, that is!
Then you all get to put the fake wren on top of a decorated pole.
Then all of you - the wren boys / straw boys / mummers - get to put on straw suits and masks and colorful "motley" clothing (which means all mismatched and odd) and then gather around the pole. You get to dance through the streets in a musical parade.
Best of all, hidden behind your mummer suit and mask, you can play tricks on your friends and maybe even beg for money from strangers. The money will go to a charity, of course!
Wren Day used to feature capturing a real, live wren (poor thing!) and used to be very wild. However, the holiday has evolved into a friendlier event. It is a Celtic tradition, and it is most commonly celebrated in Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Suffolk (England), but it is celebrated by some elsewhere in Europe as well.
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