Christmas is magical no matter where you live, but these Irish traditions make the holiday a wee bit more special.
Christmas Traditions from Ireland
Light a Candle in the Window on Christmas Eve
A thick, tall candle in the window symbolizes a sign of welcome for Mary & Joseph – though families will now mention that it is helpful for Santa, too. (For safety use an electric candle for this.)
Place a Holly Wreath on Your Front Door
Holly flourishes in Ireland around the holidays and, with its bright colored berries, provided cheery decorations for even the poorest families. Though the Christmas tree is now center-stage, it is rare to find an Irish house without holly.
Decorate on schedule. Decorations were traditionally put up on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and taken down on January 6, Feast of the Epiphany. It was considered bad luck to take decorations down before this date.
A special celebration for the ladies. The “Little Christmas” on January 6 (Feast of the Epiphany) is set aside for the women after all the work of the traditional 12 days of Christmas. Men take over family and home duties for the day.
Not just a fruit cake. A traditional Irish Christmas Cake is a rich cake of fruits and nuts soaked in whiskey. This cake takes 6-8 weeks to make as it is continually ‘fed’ whiskey weekly.
Want to make your own Christmas cake? Here’s a great recipe.
Would you rather buy your Irish Christmas cake? Order one here.
Read James Joyce’s Story, “The Dead”
A short story from Joyce’s Collection “Dubliners“, the tale is rather like and Irish version of “The Christmas Carol” in which a group of Dubliners gather together post-Christmas with reflections of past, present, and future.
References if you wish to know more
Christmas at the House on an Irish Hillside by Felicity Hayes-McCoy is a charming tale of life at the end of the Dingle Peninsula during Christmas time. (Kindle book; Amazon link)
Have a Christmas Hamper shipped to you! The Season Selection and the Irish Christmas Hamper both offer huge baskets of tasty Irish treats specifically for the holiday season. (via The Irish Store)
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