An Irish Christmas

Despite globalisation, some aspects of Irish customs survive at Christmas.

Low cost travel, mobile phone technology and an increased movement of people around the world means more and more cultures are merging into one.The process of globalisation brings many benefits but it can also obscure local and traditional customs, allowing them to be replaced by bigger more dominant cultures, particularly those from North America and the UK.

Christmas is no different and more and more Irish people are talking about “the holiday season” - which is more of an American term than an Irish one. However, Ireland has always had a few distinct Christmas traditions that are our own. Here are some that have survived into modern times:

The candle in the window
Placing a lit candle in the window is still very common, particularly in rural Ireland. It was seen as a welcoming symbol for Mary and Joseph as they sought shelter. It signalled a safe place for priests to perform mass during the penal times, when the English outlawed the practicing of mass. Another aspect to the tradition said the candle should be lit by the youngest member of the family and be put out by a girl called Mary. This tradition may go back to Pagan times when the Winter Solstice (usually around December 21st) welcomed the return of the light and the sun.

The laden table
After the Christmas Eve meal the table was set again with bread containing caraway seeds and raisins beside a jug of milk and a lit candle. The door to the house was left unlocked so as to welcome any wandering traveller.

The wren boy procession
During the penal times there was a plot against English soldiers in one village. The wren birds somehow pecked on their drums and woke them, and hence the ambush was foiled. The people started to call the wren 'the devil's bird'. There are also other stories that the wren was deemed to be the king of the birds, as well as others that said the wren betrayed St. Stephen who was hiding in a bush. The true story looks like it is consigned to history.

A tradition started whereby people would dress up in colourful and dramatic customs with blacked out faces on St. Stephen's Day (December 26th) and carry a pole with holly on it from house to house. Sometimes, an actual wren bird was killed. This custom now takes the form of singers and musicians dressing up and visiting houses and pubs and is especially popular in rural areas and in some cities. Today's 'wren boys' collect money for charity.

Decorations
Placing a ring of holly on doors originated from using this winter plant as a cheap form of decoration when times were tough. All decorations are usually taken down before January 6th, which is known as 'little Christmas'. Otherwise it's bad luck to leave them hanging.

Irish greeting
The Irish for Merry Christmas is 'Nollaig Shona Dhuit' and is still very common, even amongst English speakers.

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