Laa'l Catreeney

One of the Isle of Man's most odd traditions once took place on Laa'l Catreeney (St. Catherine's Day) on the 6th of December.

Involving a mock funeral of a hen with a traditional song, followed by a dinner from the hen's body and the drinking of much 'jough,' the tradition is at the same time both humorous and deeply sinister. This is perhaps well shown in the song, Kiark Catreeney Marroo:

Catherine’s hen is dead,
You take the head
And I'll take the feet,
And we’ll put her under the ground.