The Wren Boys & St. Stephen’s Ride

A famous procession of men carrying a wren took place in the British Isles on St. Stephen’s Day. According to old Irish legend, the wren betrayed St. Stephen by chattering loudly as he was hiding from his pursuers in a bush or as he was preparing to escape while his guards slept. (1) To take revenge for this treachery, men and boys from Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man and parts of France hunted wrens on this day, although these birds were considered sacral the rest of the year. (2)

The inhabitants of the Isle of Man believed that at Christmas the wren’s body was animated by the spirit of a wicked fairy who could be killed at no other time, and this served to justify the hunt. Some scholars speculate that the origins of hunting the wren came with the early Christian missionaries to Ireland who sought to steer the people away from pagan beliefs in the wren’s sacred character. The triumphant procession through the town with the wren’s dead body on Stephen’s Day declared the victory of Christianity over Paganism. (3)

The “Wren Boys” who hunted the birds darkened their faces with burnt cork or put on straw masks. When they found a wren in the bush and scrub they shouted out and made a commotion. The most traditional manner of killing the wren was by stoning in memory of St. Stephen’s death. (4)

If they were successful, the youths tied the wren’s body to a bush of holly or turz – called a “wren bush” – and attached it to a long pole. Then they visited every house in the village displaying their catch, singing a traditional song and dancing to collect money that was either distributed to the poor or used to host a feast and dance for the whole town. Wealthier farmers and gentry were the chief recipients of the Wren Boys’ visits for their gifts would be generous. The benevolent host was often rewarded with a feather from the wren.

The first and most ancient verse of the traditional song, which was nearly the same in every area, goes as follows:

Wren, wren, king of the birds,
On Stephen’s Day the bird was caught.
He is small himself, his family is great,
And if he gets an oaten cake, he will make a dance.(5)

Sometimes the Wren Boys performed a mummer’s play or were accompanied by a piper, fiddler or expert trickster and tumbler. If two different parties of Wren Boys met, they had a contest to see which group would get the bird. After making their rounds, the Wren Boys in the Isle of Man closed the day by placing the wren on a bier and carried it in a funeral procession to a graveyard where they buried him while singing their ancient funeral dirges. (6)

St. Stephen & the horses

St. Stephen’s patronage also extends to horses. The Germans call this feast day der grosse Pferdstag (the great day of the Horse). (7)

It is uncertain why St. Stephen is so closely associated with horses. A 10^th century poem tells a tale of St. Stephen owning a horse that was miraculously cured by Our Lord, but this does not fully explain the patronage.

Some speculate that it was to replace the ancient rituals of the pagan German nations that sacrificed horses on the winter solstice. Another speculation is that the patronage began in Sweden where St. Stephen became associated with another Stephen (Staffan), an 11^th century missionary, martyr and patron of horses. According to this legend, after his death Staffan’s body was tied to an unbroken colt that pulled it all the way to his home in Norrala, where a chapel was built over his grave. Because of this, sick animals, especially horses, were brought to his grave in this chapel to obtain healing. (8)

But a better hypothesis proposes that Stephen’s patronage of horses originated with the honor given to animals in medieval times during the Twelve Days of Christmas when domestic animals were given extra food and rest from work. The horse, being the noblest domestic animal, was naturally given a feast of its own on St. Stephen’s Day. (9)

Regardless of the origin of the custom, horses were specially honored throughout Europe on St. Stephen’s Day. Farmers adorned their horses with colorful ribbons and processed them to the church to be solemnly blessed by the priest after Mass. After the blessing, the horses were ridden – often thrice – around the church. (10)

In Poland and other Eastern European countries, the people feasted on special sweet rolls in the form of horseshoes (podkovy or St. Stephen’s Horns) when they arrived home. Later in the day, the horses were hitched to a wagon or sleigh for the “St. Stephen’s ride.” (11) In Finland, every family was obliged to open its home to the passengers of any sleigh that stopped by their house.

In some areas of Sweden, masters had their servants mount their horses and ride them to the nearest north-flowing water source; there the horses were obliged to drink to assure them of good health in the coming year. (12)

In Northern Europe, the men of the town would engage in horse races referred to as “riding Stephen,” while in England men mounted their horses for fox hunts on this day. (13)

Farmers also brought sheaves of oats and hay along with water and salt to be blessed with their horses; hence the French name for the feast: “Straw Day.”

Polish peasants used kerchiefs to tie their oat sheaves specially chosen from those standing in a corner of the dining room during the Christmas Eve meal. After the sheaves were blessed, the people threw oats and peas at each other and at the priest, in remembrance of the stoning of St. Stephen. (14)

These blessed provisions were preserved and some were fed to the horses as a protection against accidents and sickness. (15) In some places, a portion was also fed to the cows and chickens to protect them from disease, and the rest was saved and mixed with the seed grain to bring blessings upon the coming year’s sowing. Some families even hung bundles of the oats in the house to ward off fire and lightning.

In England, there is an ancient custom believed to have originated with the Danes of bleeding horses (and sometimes cattle) on this day to preserve them from sickness in the coming year. Up until the modern era, most farmers and tradesmen with horses scrupulously followed this custom, being sure to bring their horses to a sweat in a full gallop before the proceedings. (16) Even in Rome, the Pope’s horse was bled and the blood was reserved to be used in the treatment of many disorders. (17)

Thus did the blessings of St. Stephen’s sacrifice descend even into the animal kingdom. Our Catholic forefathers were mindful of Stephen’s presence in many ways on his feast day and delighted in receiving the blessings that the Church bestowed on the noble steeds that were so vital for their daily lives.