In With Danu for the Holiday Season

Wednesday, Dec. 6

There are many holiday traditions the Irish hold dear: the candle in the window (a symbolic beacon to any wandering Josephs or Marys out and about), the laden table (an offering of bread and milk once the table was cleared from Christmas dinner, again for any itinerant "higher power" couples), "Little Christmas" (January 6, the earliest date decorations can be taken down without suffering bad luck), and my personal favorite, the Wren Boy Procession (dressing up in old clothes and dirtying one's face, then going from house to house carrying a holly bush — which replaced the original dead wren — attached to a pole).

However, the most popular customs by far are song and dance. Come out to Mercyhurst's Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center for a craic (i.e., good time) as the Celtic collective Danu presents Feile Na Nollag (A Christmas Gathering). If you wish to celebrate Yuletide in the style of the Emerald Isle, there's few more celebrated bands to do so with. Danu, named for the Irish mother goddess, will swaddle the stage in cheer via nimble instrumentals, lively choreography, and beautiful vocals (courtesy of Nell Ni Chroinin). These musicians, hailing from the counties of Waterford, Dublin, Donegal, and Cork, have shared their blend of ancient and modern Irish tunes around the world with audiences of all ages.

Nollaig Shona Duit! (that's pronounced "null-ig hun-a dit" if your Gaelic is rusty) — Merry Christmas from Ireland! -— Matt Swanseger

7:30 p.m. // 501 E. 38th St. // Adults $20, seniors $15, students and youth $10 // 824-3000 // miac.mercyhurst.edu