The top ten Irish Christmas traditions that make the season - PHOTOS

The Irish flock to church, shop, and make merry

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Christmas really brings out the best in Ireland

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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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