School: Curratavy

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1. Festival Customs

   

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   7th Feb '38
   Festival Customs

   The old festival customs are nearly forgotten now, except one here and there. Some years ago people believed that there were ghosts to visit every house on New Years Eve. This is the cause that they would have every light quenched before twelve o clock. There is one custom that has faded away very rapidly here that is "ringing out the old year and ringing in the new". It was in the time of the evictions, an old woman heard the Chapel bell ring thrice at twelve o'clock on New years Eve. She didn't know what was the cause of it and at last she thought that the whole country was to be plundered. When she went out to find the cause of it, she heard that it was "ringing out the old and ringing in the new"

   On New years Eve, the people long ago used to put a long stick deep in the river. If the waters would rise before next morning, that would be a sign that food would be dear for the coming year. Then they would buy a store of food when it was cheap. After some time the young people began to laugh at this, so they used to put the stick down deeper and then the old people thought the water arose. On St Patricks day, the young men used to put a shamrock in their coats and go playing on a drum and fiddle to the towns. When they reached the towns they would "wet the shamrock". Often when the night came they would'nt be able to return home, they were so drunk.

   On easter sunday the people go out to see the

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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)

   Languages

   Irish

   English

   Collector

   Roise Ní Sámhrain

   Gender

   Female

   Informant

   James Mc Govern

   Relation

   Unknown

   Gender

   Male