taking our culture forward

Hunt the Wren is a tradition stretching back into Pagan times.

On the Isle of Man today people still come together on the 26th of December to dance and sing the traditional song about a wren, "the king of all birds," who is caught in the bush and killed with sticks and stones. At the centre of the circular dance of Hunt the Wren is the mysterious and beautiful wren pole (or "wren bush"), on which the bird is hung.

Here Fiona McArdle and David Fisher explain how to make a traditional wren pole, and some of the traditions behind it.

For the sheet music for Hunt the Wren, please visit ManxMusic.com: manxmusic.com/learn_page_457493.html

A version of this film is also available in Gaelg: