School: Abbeytown Convent N.S. (roll number 15043)

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1. May Day Customs (continued)

   

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   butter would not be taken away by any old hag. It was said that the first person who put down the fire on May morn would be unlucky during the year, and the person who brought the first can of water from the well was supposed to have good luck through-out the year.

   

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   History Edit

2. May Day Customs

   “There is a lot of customs connected with May-day.”

   

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   There is a lot of customs connected with May-day. The first and most important of those old Irish customs, was the scattering of May-flowers on the threshold. Long, long ago before the Light of Christianity brightened this once-pagan land of ours our forefathers believed, that in each woodland flower, there lived a tiny fairy who could throw a spell of enchantment on any person who held it. The May-flowers were supposed to be the tiny golden mansions of Good Luck. The reason then for scattering the flowers on each doorstep is that the inhabitants of the fairy mansions may shower an abundance of good-luck on the entire household. Another reason was to save them from the witchcraft of the "cailleachs" or the old hags who were supposed to go from house to house on May-morning stealing butter and milk from the churns.

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   Topics

   1. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)
         1. May (~639)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Nan Rutledge

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Boyle, Co. Roscommon

   Informant

   Mr Carney

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Boyle, Co. Roscommon