The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-25

the WarmeSt emulation. Sometimes,
also, choirs from contiguous parishes
meet in some particular church for the
same purpose, and then the competition
and excitement are still more intense.
TumultuOus applause from the friends
reward the efforts of each, for the
ManX are a musical people, gifted with
fine voices and to an unusual degree
endowed with the power of song. A
kind of jury decides which choir is
the victor, this one. however, receiv-
ing no prize. The honor of being de-
clared the best choir is all that is
sought after.
In the days gone by there was much
drinking of jough, or Manx ale, both
before and after the Oeil Very, and it
was considered fortunate if the affair
did not end in free fight between the
partisans of the competing choirs. But
tea drinking and social pleasure at
home have taken the place of cOnviv-
ial meetings and angry discussions at
the public house." After the Dell
Very the choirs set out at once to
sing Christmas hymns before the resi-
dences of their respective church mem
bers, accompanied by crowds of young
people of both sexes, who are drawn
by the charm of the beautiful Christ
mas music. But outside the church
gates and before separating they unite
in singing.
Christians, awake. salute the happy morn
Wheron the Savior of mankind was born.
putting heart and soul as we'll as voice
into the magnificent OLD melody. the
strains of which are carried for miles
around in the stiffness of the witch
ing hour" AS previously arranged, the
choirs are entertained at some house
with a substantial breakfast during
their tour of singing. No alcoholic
beverages appear on such occasions,
their use being vigorously prohibited
among church members throughout the
island, where tea drinking in a thous-
and ways is a universal custom at
both public and private functions. The
result is, that Christmas morning, not
withstanding that every one then keeps
open house, is unmarked by noise or
disorder; and at 5 or o'clock all go
home to bed sober, happy and clear
headed, to snatch a few hours sleep as
preparation for the coming pleasures of
the day.
THE GAME OF CAMAG.
On Christmas day the unaccountable
practice prevails of unfortunately
shooting birds and game. On that day
every person who possesses gun
seems anxious to use it. a UNIQUE in
sular snort called camag, somewhat like
the English hockey, is also then in
dulged in by both men and boys. 1t is
played with great skill.
Christmas with the ManX terminates
in st. Stephens day, Dec. 20, which is
a national holiday. 1t is celebrated in
a peculiar manner. Throughout the
island large parties of men meet to-
gether to hunt the hare, which is pur-
sued over hill and dale with we'll
trained greyhounds, amid the widest
excitement Nearly the whole ad4It
male population turns out to witness
these annual hunts. which. last until
shutdown, and during many miles of
! the wild mountain lands are secured
and beaten to find poor puss," the
only remnant of the four-footed game
once found abundantly in the island.
! Connected with this day, also, is the
strange, mysterious custom called
''hunt the wren,'' the origin and his
| tory of which tradition alone offers any
account.
HUNTING THE WREN.
The Celtic legend, which offers the
only explanation of it's existence, is as
follows: Once upon time there
| lived in Man a terrible witch, who was
| forever contriving evil to the inhab-
itants. Her necromancies at length
grew to be a scourge to the whole is
/ land, cattle dying and people perishing
as if by a plague. At this juncture,
st. Patrick, who was then in Man, was
appealed to, and he at once laid a
curse upon the witch, by virtue of
which she was transformed into a wren.
In this guise she was hunted and pur-
sued by those whom she had so long
prosecuted until she persisted. And
from that day to this the custom OF