SEE PHOTOS - Christmas traditions in Ireland
Christmas really brings out the best in Ireland and the Irish from cheerful festivities to wild acts of machismo, happy reunions, musical celebrations in Church and partying for week. In Ireland Christmas lasts for about two weeks and is gladly celebrated as a respite from the winter.
Here are just a few of Ireland’s favorite things at Christmas some old some new but all activities and aspects that make Christmas in Ireland particularly special:
1. Midnight mass on Christmas Eve
If you’re looking for a Church packed to the rafters look no further that any Church in Ireland at midnight mass on Christmas Eve. This is a huge social gathering where family, friends and neighbors who you may not have seen all year come together and celebrate Christmas.
With Christmas carols being sung and often live music midnight mass in Ireland is a great place to catch up with old friend and get in touch with the local community at Christmas.
2. Horse races on St. Stephen’s Day
St. Stephen is the patron saint of horses but I am almost positive that this is not the reason that the horse races in Ireland on St Stephen’s Day have become a tradition in Ireland. The races in Leopardstown, South Dublin attract almost 20,000 every year but I think this has little to do with the old Germanic tradition of racing horses on St Stephen’s Day to honor the saint.
In Ireland heading off to the races is a chance to get out of the house, stretch your legs, perhaps have a flutter on the horses and have a drink with friends.
3. Christmas Day Swim, Forty Foot, South Dublin
Christmas day swims take place all over Ireland on Christmas morning but probably most famously at the Forty Foot Rock, just south of Dublin. On Christmas Day hundreds of people can be seen jumping off the rock into the Irish Sea wearing only their bathing suits.
The water in the Irish Sea on Christmas Day is usually around 50F / 10C. Unfortunately the temperature outside the water is usually about have of this making the experience bracing to say the least. This is certainly not for the faint hearted but is a proven hangover cure and is participants often receive sponsorship for charities.
4. Reading of James Joyce’s story, “The Dead”
“The Dead” is a short story from James Joyce’s collection “Dubliners”. The story tells the tale of a group of Dubliners gather together for a Christmas celebration in James Joyce's transcendent tale of the banality and magic in life and death.
This tale has rather become like an Irish version of “The Christmas Carol” a tale of reflection on our past, our present and future.
5. Awful Christmas Sweaters
This started off as aunties, grandmothers and relatives handing over the most ugly sweaters as present for Christmas but somehow Christmas Sweaters have almost turned into a competition on the streets of Ireland. The woollier, hairier and more ridiculously decorated the better. In fact this year I spotted a gentleman with fake robins, bells and fairy lights all on one sweater.
6. Christmas Caroling / The Wren Boy Procession
During Penal Times a group of soldiers were about to be ambushed. They had been surrounded by a group of wrens pecked on their drums and woke them. The wren became known as “The Devil’s Bird”. To remember this on St Stephen’s Day people would have a procession and go door to door wearing old clothes, with blackened faces and a dead wren on top of the pole.
Thankfully this later evolved into a caroling. Although people no long go door to door, or at least very rarely, carollers can be heard on more main streets over Christmas raising money for charity. It there’s one thing the Irish love doing is making music and Christmas is the perfect excuse to make some noise.
7. USA boxes of biscuits
Recently I saw an Irish comic speak about USA biscuits for five minutes straight. It was only then that I realized that everyone I know has a tin of biscuits in the house over Christmas in the house when I was growing up.
Although there were the traditional mince pieces, pudding, and chocolates too the biscuits and the rules about the tin are something that everyone I’ve spoken to remembered. There were about 10 types of biscuits in each layer of the tin but you were not allowed to break through to the second layer without finishing the first layer. This would cause at least one fight a day among the family. The tins were also filled with biscuits like pink wafers and bourbon creams.
8. Decorations / Holly wreath
Christmas decorations in Ireland traditionally was just a wreath of holly on the front door of the house. However National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation” seems to have been a blue print for many Irish household as they are lit up like Rockefeller Center.
Also traditionally, decorations would go up on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and come down on Little Christmas January 6. However, this year I spotted full Christmas decorations on some houses in the first week of November. What can we say? The Irish love Christmas.
9. The shopaholics lament
Most stores are closed Christmas and Stephen’s Day but a brand new tradition sees more and more stores now opening after Christmas Day. This year because of the recession and dreadful weather it seems certain that more and more stores will take part.
10. Women’s Christmas / Nollaig na mBean
January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, is traditionally the Irish finish celebrating Christmas. It is also known as Nollaigh na mBean in Irish (Women’s Christmas).
Tradition has it that women get the day off and the men of the house get to do the housework, cooking and take down the Christmas decorations. Women meet up have a day out and treat themselves.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.STEVENSTAR | Dec 16, 2012, 11:00 PM EST
RUBBISH RUBBISH TOTAL RUBBISH IM IRISH AND I LIVE HERE WE DONT JAMES JOYCE FOR STARTERS WE ALL SIT AROUND DRINK LOTS OF WINE AND MOST OF US WATCH THE QUEENS CHRISTMAS SPEECH AT 3PM AS MY GRAN IS A HUGE ROYALIST.... AFTER THAT WE HAVE LUNCH DRINK SOME MORE WINE AND THEN FALL ASLEEP...WATHCING REPEATS ON RTE
exbelfastboy | Dec 08, 2012, 12:28 PM EST
Enjoyable reading BUT ....how about (some) MORE NORTHERN Ireland news??? Thanks.
eiriamach | Nov 27, 2012, 01:50 PM EST
When my Irish ancestors arrived in New York City in the mid-1800s, people would gather, not only Christmas season, on the west side to race horses north through areas that are now densely built up with shops and paved roads. Later, the Irish built stadiums for racing. From a June 11, 2011 NY Times article: "New York, in particular, was horse crazy. In the 19th century racing fans could follow the sport at tracks in Gravesend, Jamaica and Brighton Beach, or at Jerome Park in Westchester County, where the first Belmont Stakes was run in 1867." German and Scandinavian immigrants also had traditions of horse racing on Lá an Dreoilín. It was great family fun, with 'gentlemen's betting' included.
eileen murphy | Dec 12, 2011, 07:15 PM EST
The stuffing my family made from the Irish parents and relative was bread stuffing with sauage meat, potates butter, celery and onions.Loved it!!!!
norinalundy | Feb 01, 2011, 09:37 PM EST
Love the Women's Christmas idea - I could certainly have used the rest!
maryjohanna | Jan 09, 2011, 05:04 PM EST
How about potato stuffing. My mother always put bread stuffing in the front of the Turkey and pototo stuffing in the back. And the cherry trifle cant forget that.
srcarrvt | Dec 26, 2010, 06:10 PM EST
Hi all - I hoping someone can refresh my memory as to why and when we would put our shoes outside of our door? Thank's!
GeorgeDillon | Dec 25, 2010, 07:49 AM EST
pacifist: Thanks for describing Christmas at the Pacifists. But what's with all the domestic fighting if you're such a pacifist? Maybe next year you all take a vacation around this time? To different places, of course.
pacifist | Dec 21, 2010, 03:06 PM EST
How about a few more? 1 Drinking to excess. 2) Eating too much. 3) Driving under the influence. 4) Spending too much. 5) Increased domestic violence. 6) Increased public violence. 7) Increased vandalism. 8) Family disputes. 9) Family break-ups. 10) Increased depression. 11) Depression.
galwaygirl51 | Dec 21, 2010, 02:15 PM EST
I wish I was in ireland!!~
fromGort | Dec 21, 2010, 12:13 PM EST
Love number 10. Wish it would become widely observed in the USA.
carrickcourt | Dec 21, 2010, 10:18 AM EST
The poor wren on St. Stephan's Day/Wren Day. My late second cousin Tom once told me that the Wren Boys carried around a live wren on Wren Day. Depending upon what 'donations' the Wren Boys received decided the fate of the poor wren (death or life). Thankfully for the wren this part of the Wren Day tradition no longer exists. I think the Wren is now a separate species from it's North American 'cousin' the winter wren.
allicat4u2 | Dec 21, 2010, 10:12 AM EST
As an Irish American, my Pop had us following most of those traditions with the exception of number TEN...(And the horse races, although he did enjoy horses when he could). Now I know why we had the biscuits...never knew that.
oflaherty | Dec 21, 2010, 09:39 AM EST
I always thought that December 8th was traditionally the day when people descended on the closest city to do their Christmas shopping. In the old days, when Ireland was mostly rural and strongly Cathoiic, schools were closed and everyone went to Mass because the Feast of the Immaculate Conception was a Holy Day of obligation. In our house, December 6th - the feast of St. Nicholas - was the start of the Christmas season and when we began putting up decorations. All decorations came down after Epiphany - it was considered bad luck to keep them up after that date. We have a lot of articles about Christmas in Ireland on our web site irish Culture and Customs. Nollaig Shona dhuit agus mise.