Christmas In Ireland: Did You Know?
♣ The Christmas tradition of decorating with holly in Ireland. Holly shrubs and trees grow in abundance on the island which made this practice popular because it was cheap way to decorate one’s home. Source
♣ The old Irish tradition of leaving a pitcher of milk, loaf of bread, knife and candle on the kitchen table after Christmas Eve dinner was practiced for hundreds of years. This gesture symbolized that the Holy Family (as well as any other travelers) were welcome in the home. The home’s door was even usually left unlocked! Source
♣ It looks like Ireland will indeed have a white Christmas this year – or least parts of the country will. Unseasonably low temperatures throughout most of the country will continue over the coming days creating icy conditions many are not used to and plenty of snow. To read more, click here.
♣ January 6th is known as Little Christmas which is traditionally the final day of the Christmas season in Ireland. In some parts of the country (and places abroad with high populations of Irish immigrants), the day is referred to also as Women’s Christmas, a day when men take over women’s duties. Source
♣ The Lonely Planet guide recommends Dublin City as a top destination for the Christmas season. Christmas markets, festive decorations, and Christmas swimming in Dun Laoghaire are listed among many others as great reasons to visit Dublin in December. Source
♣ Happy Christmas to you in the Irish language is Nollaig Shona Duit. The Irish is pronunciation is something like this: nullig hunna dwit. Source
♣ December the 26th, St. Stephen’s Day, in Ireland is one of nine national public holidays. This year, however, some shops have opted to open on the day even though the country is traditionally shut down. Sales are expected to draw huge crowds this year and many shoppers are planning to start queuing on Christmas Day! Find out more here.
Holly Berries Image Credit: AlexHern; White Christmas Image Source; Dublin City Image Credit: jaqian
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