6 / 7
St. Stephen procession
Some Irish towns celebrate the St. Stephen's Day, in commemoration of the first Christian martyr, with a procession of people that dress in old clothes and put paint on their faces in an effort to look like birds. The celebration of the first Christian martyr is in fact mixed with elements of pre-Christian tradition, when locals would march out to hunt wrens, which according to an old tale helped invaders locate Irish soldiers by flapping their wings. Over time, the wren was interpreted as a betrayer of St. Stephen too.
+

© National Library of Ireland on The Commons|Flickr|Public Domain