There are many traditions and customs in the Isle of Man concerning the period around Christmas and the new year, some of which are still enacted and recognised today, and some of which have vanished into the mists of time.

Culture Vannin’s James Franklin explains one of the more curious of the once-popular customs.

The Mollag bands rise again!

The foolish fortnight is almost upon us; it’s time to stop all work and get your Mollags out!

All work stopped for two weeks traditionally in the Isle of Man from December 21, with everyone devoting their time to drinking, dancing and having fun.

This fortnight was even known as the Kegeesh Ommidjagh (’Foolish Fortnight’), and it included many public displays of raucous fun.

Of course, Hunt the Wren and Cammag are still going strong, but perhaps few will know of the Mollag bands which once terrorised the island.

Gangs of young lads would go out about in disguise; singing, dancing and causing a ruckus.

The most important tools for their rule of mayhem were the Mollags themselves.

These inflated sheep’s bladders were normally used as buoys at sea.

However, in the hands of these youths they were tied to sticks to hit people with as they went about the streets.

Their ’music’ was truly a loud, raucous and unruly racket made on homemade instruments like drums and whistles.

To this accompaniment one of them would perform tricks like flipping and falling down dead whilst dressed like a bear or some other ridiculous animal.

The mayhem they caused even had them going into shops uninvited to cause a ruckus until they were paid to get out and leave.

The same could be expected if you left your own front door open.

They would have been a brilliantly unruly Christmas-time entertainment, but not for everyone.

So it shouldn’t surprise us that these ’dreadful nuisances’ were stamped out with help from the police in the 1890s.

But the spirit of the Mollag bands surely lives on in the Isle of Man, as will be known to anyone who has ever been out in fancy dress on Christmas Eve!

Christmas has its important religious and family-orientated sides, but it’s good to realise that a Manx Christmas has also always had a sense of mayhem, fun and letting-go.

It is nice to recognise this as a glorious Manx tradition which has echoes in the island’s pubs, villages and towns today.

This is why we have made a film recreating a Mollag band, to introduce and explore the tradition more.

Holding true to the custom, they have filmed an anonymous disguised band of unruly revellers re-creating this tradition in Kirk Michael, complete with the acrobatic bear flipping and saluting!

Along with the short video a collection of historical resources is also being made available thanks to Stephen Miller of Chiollagh Books.

The short film, along with more information on this Manx custom, can be found on culturevannin.im

Perhaps it is time to form your own Mollag bandâ?¦ but perhaps you should use something other than pigs’ bladders!

by James Franklin

Online and educational resources officer

culturevannin.im