from the Chronicles of Celtic Folk Customs by Brian Day... Trinity is the two days, Sunday and Monday, starting on the eighth sunday after Easter Sunday, the first Sunday after Whit Sunday. The celebration of the mystery of the Holy Trinity did not long survive the Reformation except in Brittany, and those customs that did persist on these two days soon had little of their original religious character left, as they were mainly devoted to feasting, drinking, dancing, sports and fairground amusements, instead of the former church service, processions and plays. CELTIC. Only vestiges of Trinity customs survive, and these not normally on their original date. Originally, preparations began on Trinity, and even the Saturday before Trinity Sunday, and events continued until Trinity Tuesday. Before the Reformation the doctrine of the Trinity, that God reveal himself in 3 person, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit to the other two persons of the Trinity that led to the schism of the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches in the 11th century. The cult of the Trinity was introduced into the British Isles at the time of the Norman Conquest, and was devotedly followed until the Reformation, when all church Trinity ceremonial ceased in the Protestant areas. some Trinity symbolism survived for a time. The equilateral triangle was a common symbol, and in Ireland the 3 leaves on a stem of clover were used, allegedly after St Patrick's illustrative use of it in his teaching. The all-seeing eye of God was also employed, drawn as an ordinary human eye, as was the Fleur-de-lis. John Wesley and his Methodists used the analogy of 3 candles in a room giving overall only one light. Others resorted to a more dramatic representation, owing to the popularity of Trinity plays, of an actor playing 3 parts in a play, wearing a different mask for each part. A further reminder of the Trinity lies in the inclusion of 'Holy, holy, holy' in hymn texts. -- Pat Connors, Sacramento CA http://www.connorsgenealogy.com Professional Genealogy Research All outgoing mail virus free, scanned by Norton 2002