Christmas in Ireland

Where in the world is Ireland?
Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is west of England. The people who live in Ireland are called Irish. The language they speak is English. Their native language is called Gaelic. A holiday greeting is Nollaig Shona Duit. It means "Happy Christmas."

When is Christmas celebrated?
Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. It is a holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. The weather is mild and wet at Christmas time. The temperatures are around 41 degrees Fahrenheit.

On Christmas Eve families go to midnight mass. They open their presents early in the morning on Christmas Day. Usually the presents under the tree are the ones placed there by family members or friends. Santa leaves his presents some place else.

The Christmas season begins on December 8th and lasts until January 6th. January 6th is known as Little Christmas.

Is there a special gift giver in Ireland?
Santa Claus is their gift giver. He usually does not leave presents around the Christmas tree. He leaves presents in children's bedrooms in a pillow case at the end of each child's bed. If it is a really big present he might leave it near the tree. Santa Claus usually comes during midnight mass or after midnight mass. Presents are not opened until Christmas Day in the morning.

How do the Irish decorate their houses?
Many Irish people place a ring of holly on their doors. A manger scene is placed in most homes. They do not take down their decorations before January 6th because they think it is bad luck.

Some families put up Christmas trees. Some ornaments they put on their trees ar: Irish flags, sheep, angels, cottages, shamrocks, harps, apples and potatoes. You will see trees in their houses and on the outside of their stores and buildings.

Placing lit candles in their windows on Christmas Eve is very important. It means you are welcoming the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary and Joseph) as they traveled long ago looking for a place to stay or a tired traveler. The father places colored candles in the windows that have holly wrapped around them. The youngest person in the house lights the candles. The candles are blown out on Christmas morning by a girl in the family who has the name, Mary.

What special foods do they eat?
On Christmas morning the families usually will eat eggs, bacon, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes, sausages, fried bread and links of black and white pudding.

Christmas dinner they usually eat goose or turkey with stuffing, ham, potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrots, cauliflower and parsnips. After their Christmas Day dinner they have Christmas cake or pudding. They also like to eat a lot of chocolate candy during the holiday season.

When they are all done eating their Christmas meal, the families leave a loaf of bread with caraway seeds and raisins in it and a pitcher of milk on their table. They leave their doors unlocked. This is to welcome the Holy Family or any tired traveler.

What are some other special traditions?
St. Stephen's Day is celebrated the day after Christmas. Boys might dress up in costumes or wear masks and sing in their neighborhoods. They carry a long pole with a fake holly bush on the top of it with a fake wren inside of it. The boys make lots of noise singing, playing harmonicas, violins, and horns asking for money.

Another important tradition in some parts of Ireland is called Whitewashing the house. The women clean the house and the men whitewash the house to get ready for the Christ child.