Wicklow Street, Dublin, Ireland. A Christmas greeting in Irish Gaelic (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Christmas countdown begins tonight in our Irish home and we are all a flutter with bringing home the Christmas (dressing the house and making treats).
Our many boxes of decorations are sitting unopened in the hallway as I type this post, the tree is in the house waiting to be dressed, and the crèche is still in its boxes {as are my mom’s Department 56 holiday villages} but not for long! Tomorrow is December 8th which means Christmas in Ireland is officially underway.
Without a doubt this is one of the loveliest times of the year. Starting 8th December, with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and going through to 6th January with the Epiphany, there are lights to see, pantos to attend, singing choirs and street musicians to listen to, festive windows to visit, pubs to stuff into {mind your packages}, and traditions to keep.
Speaking of which, traditionally people living in the “country” come up to Cork, Dublin and Galway to start their shopping on 8th December but that’s not where the fun ends. There’s mid-night mass, a swim at the 40 Foot Christmas morning, the horse races on St. Stephen’s Day, and Nollaig na mBan on 6th January. I particularly like the last event as it’s the day when women meet up with one another or put their feet up and the men of the house do the housework, cooking and take down the Christmas decorations. {Laughter}…that’s never happened in our house!
So there you have it…Irish Christmas 2013 is just beginning. Hope you feel all the joy of the season and have a very Happy Christmas!
More about an Irish Christmas then and now at: http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/XmasthenNow.html
Christmas in Ireland Traditions at: http://christmas.guide-to-nireland.com
A typical Irish Christmas at: http://www.dochara.com/the-irish/irish-christmas/a-typical-irish-christmas/
Top Irish Christmas Traditions at: http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/The-top-ten–Irish-Christmas-traditions-that-make-the-season—SEE-PHOTOS-112236619.html
In an Irish Home 