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The top ten Irish Christmas traditions

Find out how the Irish celebrate the most wonderful time of the year!

By
DARA MCBRIDE,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Friday, November 20, 2009, 4:24 PM
Updated Monday, November 30, 2009, 3:14 PM

 

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Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve is a tradition that marks one of the most joyful occasions in the Catholic calendar – the birth of Christ
Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve is a tradition that marks one of the most joyful occasions in the Catholic calendar – the birth of Christ

One time of the year seems to bring out the carnival spirit in the Irish more than any other: the seven short days between Christmas and New Years. If you’re a first time visitor to the country you’ll be amazed by the hectic social round of parties, gatherings, rituals and dances that mark this week in the Irish calendar.

Of course, this being Ireland, there are centuries old Irish traditions to follow too, if you want to spend your Christmas like a local, that is. Here’s Irish Central’s list of 10 Irish Christmas Traditions that will give your gathering a distinctly Celtic atmosphere no matter where you celebrate it this year.   

 

1. The Unwanted Sweater

The first portent of an Irish Christmas is the sending of an Unwanted Sweater. Hand knit and presented in recycled wrapping paper, its arrival heralds Christmas like the first swallow heralds spring.

Some people will swear that your old aunty Mary hand knitted it for you but the truth is much more sinister. There is, in fact, only one toweringly terrible hand knitted sweater in the whole of Ireland and it’s passed on in secret from house to house, in the dead of night, by a chain of cackling elderly women until Christmas Day, when it mysteriously vanishes, only to reappear again one year later.

Avoid the unwanted sweater stigma by shopping here instead:

http://www.blarney.ie/

 

2. The Fashion Melt Down

You know you’re having an authentic Irish Christmas when you witness a full-blown Fashion Melt Down, although most Irish women (and men) have closets that avalanche when you open them, Christmas week is prime time for an annual Fashion Melt Down. Just as there are five stages to Elizabeth Kübler-Ross’s model of grief, there are five distinct stages to an Irish fashion melt down.

Stage 1: Denial. “These Prada boots work with this Lainey Keogh dress, don’t they? Of course they do! Don’t they? I won’t have to buy new things, will I? Well, will I?”

Stage 2: Anger. “I have nothing to wear! Why do I have nothing to wear? Why am I so poor! I look like Susan Boyle! Why did I marry you! I have nothing to wear! It’s Christmas! Waaahhhhhhhh!”

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11 Comments

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Posted by zitamaria on Jan 07, 2010, 07:49 PM EST
Very Interesting, Love the stories,
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Posted by DunGabhang on Dec 03, 2009, 05:35 PM EST
What about the Wren Players ? I always have the candle in the window and another thing we did when we were young was when we come home from midnight Mass, when it was at midnight....the Christmas tree, which was put up that week and NOT before. The star or fairy was put on by the youngest child and we could open one present and a mince pie before bed. We had to leave some for Santa and carrots for Ruldolf and his mates. Another thing I still do is the wreath on the door is taken on New Years day to the grave yard. The first footing as edelvalle mentions was yes a black/dark haired man with a piece of coal in one hand so that you would always have a fire in the grate and cake in the other hand - so there would be food on the table. This is also done in the boarder areas of England/Scotland- Memories.
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Posted by edelvalle on Dec 02, 2009, 10:20 PM EST
what about the first person into your house in the New Year must be a dark haired man? Or a new apron for the new year with a penny in the pocket, so you'll never go broke
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Posted by ardgehane on Dec 02, 2009, 09:59 PM EST
Cheers!
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Posted by CMMcShane on Dec 02, 2009, 04:05 PM EST
My Grandpa, Bernard McShane from Balls Mill, County Armagh would not let my Mom serve Meat on Dec. 26. He said it was St. Stevens Day and if you didn't eat meat on St Stevens Day you would not be sick during the coming year. He never ate meat on St Steven's Day and was never sick until the day he died [in his 90ies- no one from Ireland in his generation knew their birthday!] JP Callan
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Posted by blueshound on Dec 02, 2009, 12:25 PM EST
I like it a lot !!!
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Posted by Downunderyan on Dec 01, 2009, 05:10 AM EST
Boxing Day is an ignominious English tradition where on the day after Christmas the poor, overworked and underpaid servants were given the leftover foods from the Christmas Dinner and a 'Box' with a token financial bonus or in American parlance 'tip'. If only they paid, hosed and fed them properly in the first place, there would have been no need of a 'Boxing Day'. I'm all for thye name 'Saint Stephen's Day', as it is rich in Irish communal tradition regarding music, dancing and socialising with the neighbours.
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Posted by mumbleyou on Nov 30, 2009, 05:05 PM EST
The "Irish Menorah" as you call it is very different from the Jewish one. The Jewish one has 7 candle holders all at the same level, and often has the middle one slightly raised. The Irish candleabra usually does have 7 BUT they are arranged in a arrow fashion. Jewish people I know have no problem distinguishing them from theirs!!!
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Posted by olovely on Nov 24, 2009, 06:29 PM EST
No one in Ireland calls it St. Stephen's except below the Boyne.
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Posted by plasticpaddy on Nov 23, 2009, 11:49 AM EST
The Boxing Day Swim Jesus its St. Stephens Day in Ireland. Whose writing this article, awful stuff. Boxing day is what the English call it, shameful article.
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Posted by plasticpaddy on Nov 23, 2009, 11:48 AM EST
It is also a German christian celebration with the lights on the window the same as a candle to supposedly show the house would be welcoming to jesus on a night where (the fictional character jesus) had nowhere to stay. The Irish version was always a candle in the window, the German many more candles - same premise. They Jewish reference is simply incorrect and very bad research work in all fairness.
 


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