Conway Mill Trust

All Christmas decorations are taken down on January 6, Little Christmas. To do this earlier brings bad luck.

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If you take a bath on New Year’s Day it is unlucky. If you do you will lose a friend.

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Wassailing or caroling traditionally takes place on New Year’s Eve and was originally held around the oldest tree in the apple orchard. The first cider crop was poured on the roots of the apple tree to thank the tree spirits for the crop of apples and to ensure a good crop the following year.

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It is bad luck to open a new calendar before the old year is out.

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Originally on St. Stephen’s Day (December 26) young boys would go from house to house, with a dead wren tied to a pole, singing songs. The legend states that the wren betrayed St. Stephen by making noise when the saint was in hiding.

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A lighted candle is always placed in the window as a welcome to the Holy Family and to strangers. It is usually lit by the youngest child and extinguished by a girl named ‘Mary.’

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In the Celtic language, ‘mistletoe’ means ‘all-heal.’ It was believed to have miraculous powers such as healing disease, bringing good luck and doing away with bad.

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Holly growing in the wild shelters small animals. The Irish custom of decorating with holly goes back to pre-Christian times when the people believed that it sheltered the ‘good people’ and if they brought it into their homes it would bring the ‘good people’ out of the cold and good luck to the family.

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The ‘grogach’ is a small, hairy half-human half-fairy creature who attaches itself to a family, helping with the chores. He asks only for a bowl of milk as payment. He resembles a little old man and is found in the north of Ireland, usually Co. Antrim. A ‘banshee’ is a female ancestral spirit who warns members [...]

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Lunasa (Lughnasa) or Garland Sunday is also known as Fraughn Sunday. (A fraughn is a small berry which has ripened and people now enjoy the fruits they have gathered.) It is celebrated on the last Sunday in July and marks the end of summer. It is also called Crom Dubh or the dark, crooked one [...]

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