Cregneash Village will host a celebration of Manx May Day, known as 'Laa Boaldyn' on this forthcoming Bank Holiday Monday (4th May).
Organised by Manx National Heritage, the event will feature a variety of activities for visitors throughout the day, including the opportunity to learn about the folklore and traditions of Laa Boaldyn through music, dance and storytelling in Harry Kelly’s cottage.
Yvonne Cresswell, Curator of Social History for Manx National Heritage, said 'The Manx May Day celebrations represent a time between the death of winter and the rebirth of summer, which was thought to be a particularly dangerous time in Manx folklore.
'Midnight on May Day Eve was a time when witches and fairies were considered to be at their most threatening and a series of traditions arose to allay fears and protect the Manx people and their livestock from danger.
'The principal form of protection against mischievous fairies was the crosh cuirn (a rowan or mountain ash cross) that was placed above the door of the house, the cow shed and even tied to the cows’ tails!'
Manx May Day visitors to Cregneash will have the opportunity to make crosh cuirns and learn about traditional Manx cooking and the types of food that were popular at this time of year.
There will be traditional butter-making in Church Farm throughout the day and for hungry visitors, the Village Tearooms will be offering their traditional Manx fare, including freshly-made bonnag.
From 1pm, there will be Manx dancing performances by the Manx Folk Dance Society. The event will run from 10am until 5pm and everyone is welcome.
For further information on Manx National Heritage events and exhibitions over the coming months, please visit the Story of Mann website or pick up a free What’s On leaflet from any of the Story of Mann heritage attractions.
