Nollaig Shona Duit

Christmas

Christmas in Ireland. Nowadays Christmas is more associated with the Gift Giving, Santa, The “Late Late Toy Show”, Christmas Pantos and the “Twelve Pubs of Christmas”. It has certainly changed over the Centuries and Years. I myself would of the part of the generations that have been watching the “Late Late Toy Show” and for many Irish people it marks the beginning of Christmas.

Christmas is no different to any other feast of festival, it has changed and adapted over the years. It is one of the largest celebrating feasts in the world and has its mix with old pagan traditions some of which as still alive in Ireland. From the Yule Tide to the Winter Solstice to many other traditions from around the Northern Hemisphere. So, I decided to go through some of the stories we have gathered and go through some of the traditions note to have occurred in Ireland in Times Past. To do so let’s set the scene:

It has to be noted that electricity was connected to Castlebar, March 1931, Balla was still not fully electrified even as far as the 1950’s. Water was still brought from the spring well on the land. Lighting was from paraffin lamps and in some cases tilly lamps (using methylated spirits). Most heating was from the turf fires which the fireplace was also used to bake, cook and heat water. There were no televisions and only some houses would have had a Radio powered by two Batteries, dry and wet. The wet battery had to be charged from time to time at a cost of one shilling. Many of the houses were stone built, had flagged floors, thatched roofs and whitewashed walls in Preparation for Christmas.

Those Were the Days…. By Tommie Kearns School Reunion Booklet 2012

Twelve Days of Christmas

The people always liked to have the Xmas provisions in on 22nd Dec. On Xmas eve they used to clean and sweep the chimney and bake bread in the early part of the day. They used to make a big comfortable fire that evening with plenty of bog-deal. At twelve o'clock that night all the villagers gathered to one house for the Rosary.

The windows of the houses were very tiny, but the people used to keep a rush candle lighted in each window on Xmas eve,

Xmas Morn. All the people rose in the dark and went to the 1st Mass. The old people all turned out to late Mass.

Everybody had a goose for dinner which was boiled with a good head of cabbage. There was always plenty of food at Xmas.

The neighbours used to visit in each other's houses all during the festive season. They would have singing and dancing.

New Year's Day. Nobody would spend money on that day.

The first Monday of the new year was called ''Luain na Mban maith'' and every woman would go out doing some work in the garden that day.

Twelfth Night. Twelve rush candles were peeled and dipped in grease and lit through the house, these were kept renewed until twelve o'clock. There was a feast on that night just as on Xmas night. Potato cake loaf-bread and currant cake.