Silsoe Boxing Day (and formerly Hunting of the Wren)

The Hunting of the Wren at Silsoe was a modern day interpretation of the old Irish custom with the added advantage that no birds were harmed during the ceremony! Hunting the Wren was a widespread Celtic winter custom in which groups paraded their locality, particularly on Boxing Day, bearing a decorated garland or box containing a dead wren, mumming and singing in return for rewards of food and money. Local Morris side Hemlock Morris perform on Boxing Day and they used to process to the High Street with their artificial wren on a stick, before dancing, readings, acting and music outside the pub for around an hour. Hemlock are a mixed side, wearing the gothic apparel of  Border Morris but performing mainly Cotswold style dances. While Boxing Day dancing and mumming has taken place at Silsoe for a number of years, the Wren Ceremony was introduced more recently by current Squire of Hemlock Andrew Miller, making it a much more unusual event. Currently the dancing and a mummers play still take place but not the Wren ceremony.

Helpful Hints

Dancing now still goes ahead ahead and sometimes a mummers play, but the Hunting the Wren Ceremony is no longer part of the event, and I’ve been advised it is unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future. If it’s wet it will be held inside the village hall (this has been the default wet weather venue in previous years).

Expect a crowd of a couple of hundred; the road is usually closed during the event, which is free to attend and lasts around an hour.

Click here for Hemlock Morris’ website: http://hemlockmorris.com

and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HemlockMorris

Photo by Phil W Shirley.