Christmas Traditions & Customs in Ireland

Candle in the window				gone to sleep, Santa visits the children of Ireland.
It's said that a house with a candle lighting on its				While they are tucked up in bed, he leaves gifts
window is a sign of welcome for Mary and				under Christmas trees and fills Christmas
Joseph.				stockings. In return, Santa gets a carrot for
The candle is supposed to be lit by the youngest				Rudolph, a mince pie and a bottle of Guinness!
child and the flame put out by a girl called Mary. Is				Christmas Food
this why the name Mary was so popular in the old				Christmas cooking starts in the months before
days? It was also a sign that Priests were				Christmas! Traditional Christmas fruit cakes, porter
welcome to have mass in that house as masses				cakes and plum puddings are made, wrapped and
were forbidden during Penal Times.				stored. They are opened every now and again
Traditionally, a candle was only lit in one window,				and some brandy or whiskey is poured on them
but nowadays at Christmas, most houses have				to keep them moist.
electric candles in all windows.				The traditional Christmas dinner in Ireland consists
Festive decorations				of ham, stuffed turkey or roast goose, potatoes,
Holly grows wild in Ireland, so it a very common				vegetables and cranberry sauce. The usual
decoration in Irish house over Christmas.				appetizer is salmon or prawn cocktail while the
A berry filled holly wreath on the front door is a				desert is mainly plum pudding with brandy sauce
very popular decoration and is a tradition passed				or fresh cream, followed by Christmas cake or
down through the years when long ago poor				mince pies.
people would use it to decorate their homes.				(Traditionally the pubs or shops don't open at all
The nativity crib, tinsel, baubles, bows and lights				on Christmas day. However, nowadays you will
both inside and outside are also used to decorate				find the odd petrol station and shop open but
homes.				they are few and far between).
Decorating the Christmas tree				Hunting the Wren (The Wran)
This was a Pagan custom, which represented the				The Wren Boy Procession is another Christmas
various lunar objects important to them like the				tradition in Ireland. It was at one time
sun, moon and stars. The tradition of giving gifts				commonplace in towns all over Ireland, but
also came from the Pagan era and is a huge part				nowadays you are most likely to see it in the
of Christmas today.				south of Ireland, and Dingle in Co. Kerry is one
Christmas trees are decorated with tinsel and				town where this tradition is very much alive. It
twinkling fairy lights, and while some people put an				happens each year on the 26th of December (St.
angel on top of the tree, others prefer a star.				Stephen's Day), when The Wren Boys march
Nowadays in Ireland, Christmas trees and				through the streets of the town dressed in
decorations go up as early as the first week of				straw, to the beat of drums and tin whistles. It is
December. In Ireland, it is thought to be bad luck				said that this tradition reigns from Pagan times,
to take Christmas decorations down before the				when the little wren was considered the 'King of
6th January.				all Birds'. Originally the wren was hunted and killed
Whitewashing the outhouses				and then paraded through the town on top of a
The custom of white washing (painting) outhouses				pole, instead nowadays, the Wren Boys use this
still goes on in some rural places in Ireland. This				opportunity to collect money for charity.
goes back to a time before Christianity when the				And finally, don't be shocked if you see people
entire farm inside and out, was scrubbed and				swimming in the icy cold water on Christmas Day
polished in respect of the coming of baby Jesus.				- this has become an annual event at many
Santa Claus				locations all over the country, and it's all in the
Late on Christmas Eve, after everybody has				name of charity.