An Irish Christmas
Christmas is definitely the most magical time of the year filled with family, friends, food and cherished customs that make it all the more ejoyable. Ireland is no different than Malta when it comes to the extravagant shopping, the exchanging of gifts and the eating until your sides split. It also has its very own Christmas traditions, some more alive than others, which add that something extra special to the Irish Christmas and make it that bit more unique.
The Twelve Days of Christmas
The twelve days of Christmas , from the birth of Jesus to the arrival of the three wise men, begin on Christmas Day and end on January 6 which is known as 'Little Christmas' in Ireland. The holiday season is celebrated through this period and it is considered bad luck to take down decorations before January 6.
A Candle placed in a Window
Many Irish homes continue to observe the tradition of placing a large, white candle in the window on Christmas Eve. In times bygone half a turnip would have been hollowed out to set the candle into. After dinner, on Christmas Eve, the table is set again with bread and milk. Then, the youngest child of the family is given the honour of lighting the candle which is placed in the front window of the house. Later, when it is time to extinguish the flame, only a girl named Mary is permitted to accomplish the deed. The candle in the window is said to be a symbol of welcome for Mary and Joseph who travelled on the first Christmas looking for a place to stay. In earlier times in Ireland, during the penal era when Roman Catholic religious practices had to be hidden from the authorities, the candle was placed in the window to let priests know that the house was a safe place to come for shelter and to celebrate mass.
Nowadays many households are going for the safer version, and are placing an electric candle in the window. The little lights shining in all the windows give a warm and welcoming feel when walking through any town in Ireland.
Decorations
Homes are decorated beautifully with traditional holly which has been used for decorative purposes by the Irish since ancient times when it was part of rituals celebrating the winter solstice. Holly is used to decorate everything from picture frames to doorways, mantles, the plates on the dresser and in many other areas of the home. A holly Christmas wreath is hung on the front door to welcome visitors. The placing of a ring of Holly on doors originated in Ireland. Holly was one of the main plants that flourished at Christmas time making it an inexpensive, easy to obtain item. It brightened up Christmas celebrations in drab houses during the barren winter months.
As in all Christendom, the Christmas tree has now found a place in every Irish household. This is only a recent acquired tradition. It is beautifully decorated with Christmas lights and dazzling trinkets.
Most people will also have at least a small crib in the house with the baby Jesus only placed in the manger on Christmas morning. Cribs are also erected in churches, town centres and even shopping malls.
Santa a.k.a. Santy
Children all over Ireland start their Santa lists weeks before Christmas. On Christmas Eve most families go through the ritual of leaving out a mince pie, a glass of whiskey and a carrot, intended for Santa and his reindeer who bring gifts for children (good ones only) during the dead of night.
On Christmas morning Irish children discover their gifts from Santy (not Father Christmas, not Santa Claus) at the foot of their beds or beneath the Christmas tree (depending on family tradition).
The Wren Boys
On St Stephen's Day, the day after Christmas, the Wren Boys come out on their traditional procession which was at one time commonplace in towns all over Ireland, but nowadays you are most likely to see it in the south of the island where this tradition is very much alive. Hunting the Wren is an ancient ritual. In its original form a wren was hunted, killed and hung on a holly bush. As legend has it the wren had earned this punishment by betraying the hiding place of the first martyr, St Stephen.
In reality Hunting the Wren is a tradition that almost certainly refers back to pagan times that predated Christianity and is related to the position of the wren as the king of birds in Celtic Mythology.
Nowadays no birds are killed. The Wren Boys go from house to house, singing, dancing and entertaining the occupants. They dress in old clothes and blacken their faces, carrying a holly bush pole with a wren on top of it (a plastic one these days). The occupants of each house provide the Wren Boys with food, drink and sometimes money. The money collected was in the past used to fund a big party for the Wren Boys. This, along with its probable pagan origins, made the tradition very unpopular with the church. Due to the church’s disapproval this tradition almost died out in the mid-20th century.
It has now been revived and has finally gained the support of the church since the money the Wren Boys collect nowadays goes to local charities.
Nollaig na mBan - Little Christmas
Little Christmas which is also known as Women’s Christmas and falls on January the 6th, the feast of the Epiphany. This marks the official end of the Christmas season in Ireland. It is the day when the tree and all the Christmas decorations are taken down and put into storage for another year. It is also the day when women get a much deserved break.
According to tradition, the night before Nollaig na mBan, when the clock strikes midnight, water turns to wine, rushes to silk and gravel to gold. Traditionally, on this day, the men of the house take over, preparing meals and giving the women a day off to celebrate together after all their hard work in the run-up to to, and during, the Christmas period.
Bibliography
http://www.fantasy-ireland.com/irish-christmas-traditions.html
http://www.santa.ie/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrenboys
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Christmas
All pictures used sourced from the internet.
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