The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Far from home this season Wren, Wren, King of all birds, on St. Steven's Day, got caught in the furze, up with the kettle, down with the pan, penny or thrupence to bury the Wren all silver, no brass, give us your answer and let us pass. This Christmas rhyme was told to the News by Kevin and Mary Rose Lydon of Terrace Bay. The traditional Irish rhyme refers to St. Steven's Day, which is commonly known as Boxing Day. Kevin Lydon said that St. Steven was the first Martyr, a disciple of Christ and the first person to die for his faith. The Wren is King of all the birds, Lydon said, and acquired that title by being the bird that flew the highest. According to tradition, the Wren perched on the back of an eagle, and when the eagle flew as high as it could, the Wren then flew that extra height, he said. As the Lydons were preparing to relate to the News some traditional Irish customs, they realized that some parts weren't very fresh in their memories. So what did they do? They, as Kevin Lydon said, used that as:an excuse to call home. Sure enough, the call was made and after some reminiscing, the Lydons had the information down-pat. The Lydons are originally from Ireland, and have plenty of family there, but have been in Canada since 1973. They, along with their 15-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son, have liv- ed in Terrace Bay since last September. (They have another daughter who is at- tending university in Guelph). Kevin Lydon is the Supervising Principal for the Separate School Board and entered Canada to work quite by the 'toss of a coin'. He was working part-time in Ireland and the opportunity to work full-time elsewhere presented itself- Lydon had a choice of coming to Canada or go- ing to Australia. The Lydons chose Canada because the didn't see Australia on the map, they said. Mary Rose Lydon said that there is more to the Wren custom. The next part is called, 'Christmas Wakes and Greetings. This tradition takes place in her old district of Castlebar and everyone ex- pects it and waits for it. She said that her uncle and two other people, who have been doing this for years, visit homes carrying a cage, which everyone takes for granted car- ries a Wren. They will do this for a week before Christmas starting shortly after mid- night and visit possibly four streets in three hours singing the St. Steven's rhyme, she said. Mrs. Lydon explained what the scenario would be if she answered the door. The callers would say, '"Good Morning Mrs. Lydon. On this cold and frosty morning we wish you a Merry Christmas". Then they would sing the carol, and her uncle would play the accordian. They would also collect donations for charity. Mrs. Lydon said they perform the custom as their fathers had done before them. Another Irish custom related to the News is candle-lighting. On Christmas Eve, everyone would May Christmas be your time of dreams come true! Best SCHREIBER TERRACE BAY 824-2511 825-3224 Holiday Greefings V. 5 ee It's such a_ pleasure to say thank you to our many friends and customers at Christmas. The Management & Staff of the VS au Schreiber ) (fo x CDP ity, f; i Novae % light a candle and put them in every window of the house. The significance in their country, said Mrs. Lydon, is that it signals to travellers that their doors are open. The travellers can go into any house displaying the candles. This custom goes back to Jesus and Mary's time, said Mr. Lydon, when they were looking for a place to stay that holy night. The candles would remain lit until Jan. 6. Christ is coming, the goose is getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat, if you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do, if you haven't a ha'penny God Bless you. Mr. Lydon said concerning rhymes, "My parents have forgotten more than I remember."' "My mother was a genius for nursery rhymes- she remembers some that are long forgotten," he said. Mr. Lydon said that his mother should really compile a collection of these nursery rhymes. He-believes such a book would be very beneficial as a teaching tool. For Mrs. Lydon's recipe for Christmas Pudding, turn to page 15. aa ee Pree eer co oe ~ nie Terrace Bay-Schrelber News, CHRISTMAS EXTRA, December, 1986, pege 5 The Lydons of Terrace Bay won't be going home for Christmas this year, but they will certainly be thinking of friends and relatives back in Ireland during this holiday season. This friendly family shared some of their traditional customs with the News. Shown above are Kevin, Mary Rose and 4-year-old Kevin Lydon. (Their 15-year-old daughter is afraid of cameras). ti the magical and musical spirit of the S Christmas season, we'd like to extend our sincere thanks to our friends and neighbors for their business! Councillors: G. H. KRAUSE oa TOWNSHIP OF SCHREIBER M.L. COSGROVE Reeve G. GODIN E. BORUTSKI T. QUINTON A. J. GAUTHIER Clerk/Treasurer |