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Name
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The Oie'll Voirrey
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Description
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Mary's Eve, the vigil service held on Christmas Eve in every parish church. The service was the occasion for the singing of the carvals, the Manx Christmas carols. Young men composed carvals and competed to perform them. The service lasted through the night, combining Christian worship with community gathering and creative expression in the Manx language. The tradition declined as English replaced Manx in the churches, but it represented something the institutional church had sustained: a living connection between faith, language, and community creativity.
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Date
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Christmas Eve
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Also Known As
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Oie'll Voirrey
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Type
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Church Service
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Tradition
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Source
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Moore
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Oral tradition
