Two special displays of an ancient Manx Christmas tradition have raised roughly £600 for two local charities.

The Manx White Boys tradition is a custom that has been part of the Isle of Man’s Christmas celebrations for roughly 200 years and is a traditional seasonal play known for its distinctive costumes, sword fighting and lively street entertainment.

This entertainment took to the streets of the south and west last week, with the southern White Boys raising £300 for Mooinjer Veggey and the western White Boys raising the same amount for Ed Space in Peel.

Both groups were present in a variety of locations, including Port St Mary, Castletown Square, Port Erin Railway Station, Ramsey, Colby Glen, Michael Street in Peel and the Black Dog Oven in Peel.

The White Boys, named for their white outfits decorated with colourful ribbons, date back to at least the 1830s.

The play features boastful, sword-wielding saints who engage in mock combat, dramatic deaths and revivals by a doctor character, before concluding with songs, a sword dance and a charity collection.

While versions of mummers’ plays once appeared widely across Britain and Ireland, the Manx White Boys are noted for their continuous performance and distinctive local character.

A wide range of historical White Boys photographs were recently released online by Culture Vannin, taken by photographer Brook Wassall.

The stunning pictures by photographer Sue Jones follow one of the two groups currently performing, focusing on the Peel-based group, which is made up of friends and includes performers as young as 11.

They include informal moments such as preparing costumes, travelling between locations and interacting with audiences.

James Franklin, online and educational resources officer at Culture Vannin, said: ‘The White Boys is one of the most riotously joyous Manx traditions, and today it is going from strength to strength as ever-growing audiences come to enjoy them.’