Festival to revive seaweed doll tradition, Co Waterford

A festival in County Waterford is reviving an old tradition of making a seaweed doll to mark the end of the tourist season on St Michael's Day:

The weed doll had a few names — Michil, others called it Breedeen and a small few called it Father Neptune. After the parading of the town, the doll was taken down to the sea where it was cast out as an offering to the sea, a simple ceremony which drew the curtain on the bathing season in the town.

"It was said if the doll turns up in the Back Strand it would mean the next season would be a very good summer."

Read more: Irish Examiner

 There's a little more detail on the history of it in another article here.

I'm just working on some research for Là Fhèill Mìcheil (which falls around the autumn equinox), and this happened to pop up on an email list I'm on. I thought I'd share seeing as it piqued my interest.