SCHOOL: Louth | ADDRESS: Louth, Co. Louth
During Holy week some people go around gathering eggs, when they go into the houses they ask for an Easter Egg.
On Easter Sunday morning the rising sun can be seen dancing on the wall and long ago the old people used to get up to see it dancing.
On Easter Saturday morning Holy water is blessed. People take some of it home as it is said when Easter holy water is in a house the house will never be burned.
Eggs that are laid on Good Friday are put aside to be eaten for Easter Sunday. They are called Good Friday Eggs and anyone who eats one of these eggs will not be sick the whole year through.
At three o’clock on Good Friday evening all catholics who can, go to the Chapel . It is said that they will get any request they ask from God if it is for their good, and if they deserve it.
Biddy McArdle who is dead now used to tell me that no food was eaten on Ash Wednesday or on Good Friday except nettle gruel, and she told us that on Easter Sunday five or six dozen of eggs would be boiled in a big pot and that every one who would come into the house would eat one.
People here used to consider it a good sign if Good Friday were a dull day. It was kept as a day of mourning because it was on that day Our Lord was crucified.
At three o’clock on good Friday evening no matter where the people are, they stop work for a few moments and reflect on the death of Our Lord.
On this day it is supposed to be unlucky to look into a mirror.
On Holy Thursday there is a procession of the Blessed Sacrament and the whole day long Our Lord is exposed on the altar of repose.
On Easter Saturday the people used to take portion of their goods, such as salt, butter and the like to the church and get them blessed and they believed there was a cure in these articles.
On Easter Sunday the people eat a lot of Easter eggs. It is the custom for some people to boil eggs real hard and paint them in different colours and roll them down the hills.
Bibliography
“The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0665, Page 278” by Dúchas © National Folklore Collection, UCD is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0