This may seem rather unseasonal – if you recognise it.
It’s sung in rural Ireland on St. Stephen’s Day, what the English call Boxing Day, the 26th of December. A group of people (Mummers) disguise themselves in Fancy Dress, go round visiting their neighbours playing accordions and anything else they can manage and singing. This picture was taken in 1946 in Limerick.
The wren (pronounced “ran”) song commemorates the story that St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, hiding from enemies, was betrayed by a wren singing. In retribution the poor old wren is hunted and killed. Somewhat unlikely, you are thinking, that there was a wren in Jerusalem. Traditionally the singers would carry a caged wren with them. These days there is no caged wren and, besides being a bit of fun and an excuse for a lot to drink, it raises money for local charities.
In Hungary St. Stephen’s Day is a national holiday falling on the 20th August. Their St. Stephen is King Stephen I, canonised on the 20th August, 1083 by Pope Gregory VII five days after his death. He founded the kingdom of Hungary. As in Ireland, there is a lot of partying but an important part of the day is a procession starting from St. Stephen’s basilica in Budapest. The focal point is Stephen’s Holy Right Hand which somehow became severed from the rest of him and for the rest of the year is housed inside the basilica. Here is the parliament building in Budapest , on the Danube, as photographed by Robert today. The Danube will appear here again soon. Note that the sky is bluer than the river.
Robert has made the transition from drinking some of the most expensive beer in Europe, in Norway, to the more affordable Hungarian pint – costing about 85p. The partying takes place in “ruin” pubs. These are empty buildings, maybe formerly a factory or warehouse, converted into makeshift bars/clubs. As St. Stephen’s Day fell on a Thursday this year, Friday was a holiday too.
The Stradivari Trust is an interesting charity. Founded in 2004 by Nigel Brown OBE, it raises money to buy instruments for professional musicians. They repay the money over a number of years from their earnings. It works just like a mortgage on a house. I know about this because of another Stephen, Stephen Upshaw. Stephen is from Atlanta but after studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama is based in London when he is not working abroad. He has played in Bodø, Norway, and with The Irish Chamber Orchestra. So far he has not dressed up as a Mummer and played the Wren Song, but who knows. He plays a 1715 English-made viola, paid for by contributors to the Stradivari Trust.