School: Knockcommon (roll number 16549)

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1. Festival Customs (continued)

   

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   and eat them. On Easter Sunday morning the locals rise at cockcrow to see the sun dancing in water

   May-Day

   On May Day the local people make a May Altar in honour of Our Blessed Lady as May is Mary's month. In making this altar the statue of Our Blessed Lady is used. The children make a May-bush First of all a green bush is decorated with flowers and candles. All the children then dance and sing round the May-bush. Usually the bush is left out during the night and the big people do away with it.

   Hallow-E'en

   In this locality the people have nuts and apples for Hallow Eve. They tie apples to the ceiling and see who will get the first bite. They also put 2 or 3 apples into a tub of water and whoever takes a bite out of one of them without putting his hands near it wins the game. Another game is to put get 4 saucers and put water in one, rosary-beads in the 2nd., clay in the 3rd and a ring in the 4th. Now all the players are blindfolded in turn, and led over to the table with the saucers on it. The one that tips the water will cross the sea, he who tips the clay will die soon, he who tips the ring will be married and he who tips the rosary beads will be either a priest or a nun. This is a very old game.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Maureen Lenehan

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Gilltown, Co. Meath