In some areas of France the bird was nailed to a pole decorated with ribbons and greenery. The group devised a decorative display for the tiny carcass. The second phase of the wren hunt began when the team returned to town. The man or boy who succeeded in finally killing the bird was lauded as the hero of the day. Afterwards, the band trooped back to town displaying their trophy. In some areas the hunters used bow and arrows or even pistols to bring down their diminutive prey. The hunting party might chase the bird for hours before they succeeded in this task. After spotting one of the dainty brown birds the group flushed it out of the bushes using sticks or stones to stun and, eventually, kill it. On this day bands of men and boys would range the countryside scouring the brush in search of a wren. Stephen's Day, which was the more commonly accepted date for the hunt. Eventually, however, these local traditions gravitated to the day after Christmas, St. In some locales early accounts of the "wren hunt" or "the hunting of the wren" give Christmas or Christmas Eve as the date of the ceremony. Although this practice declined to near extinction during the twentieth century, the wren still figures as a minor Christmas symbol, appearing on Christmas cards, ornaments, and other seasonal decorations. In rural communities of England, Ireland, France, and Wales, the day after Christmas once witnessed a ritualized attack on one of the region's tiniest and most harmless birds: the wren.
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