Irish Christmas Traditions Explained
Christmas in Ireland is a season rich with tradition. Some customs date back centuries, while others, like the Late Late Toy Show, are newer but just as treasured. For the Irish at home and abroad, these rituals are what make Christmas feel like Christmas.
Join us as we dive into the Irish Christmas Traditions Explained, highlighting the rich customs that bring families together during the holiday season.
These Irish Christmas traditions are also a way to connect with loved ones and celebrate heritage.
Here are the Irish Christmas traditions everyone should know.
Irish Christmas Traditions Explained: A Deep Dive
The candle in the window
One of Ireland’s oldest Christmas customs is placing a lit candle in the window on Christmas Eve. It was traditionally a sign of welcome to the Holy Family, and to any traveller looking for shelter on a winter’s night. The candle was often lit by the youngest member of the family.
The tradition took on new meaning for the Irish diaspora when President Mary Robinson kept a light burning in the window of Áras an Uachtaráin for Irish emigrants around the world.
The 8th of December
For generations, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December was the traditional day for families from the country to travel to Dublin or their nearest city to do their Christmas shopping and see the lights. Many still mark it as the start of the festive season.
The Late Late Toy Show
Every year, in late November or early December, families across Ireland gather around the television for the Late Late Toy Show. It’s one of the most-watched programmes of the year, and for many children it’s the night Christmas truly begins.
Christmas food
Irish Christmas tables are generous. Turkey and ham are the centrepiece, with roast potatoes, stuffing and Brussels sprouts. Christmas cake, often made weeks in advance and fed with whiskey, is a must, as is plum pudding. In Cork, spiced beef is a festive speciality.
Midnight Mass and Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is a night of homecomings. Airports fill with emigrants returning home, and friends meet in their local pub. For many families, Midnight Mass, or a vigil Mass earlier in the evening, remains an important part of the night.
Something for Santa
Irish children still leave a treat out for Santa on Christmas Eve, usually a mince pie or a slice of Christmas cake, and a carrot for the reindeer. In many Irish homes, Santa is also left something to warm him on his rounds: a glass of milk, or a bottle of stout.
The Christmas Day swim
On Christmas morning, thousands of brave swimmers plunge into the Irish Sea and the Atlantic, often in fancy dress and usually for charity. The Forty Foot in Sandycove, Dublin, is one of the best-known spots.
St Stephen’s Day and the Wren Boys
St Stephen’s Day, 26 December, is also known as Wren Day (Lá an Dreoilín). In parts of the country, especially Kerry, groups of Wren Boys dress in straw costumes and masks and go from house to house playing music, singing and collecting money, today usually for charity. Dingle’s Wren Day is one of the most colourful celebrations of the season.
It’s also a big day for racing, with the Leopardstown Christmas Festival drawing huge crowds.
Women’s Little Christmas
On 6 January, the Feast of the Epiphany, Ireland marks Nollaig na mBan, or Women’s Little Christmas. Traditionally, women took the day off after the work of the festive season while the men took over the household chores. Today, women gather with friends for lunch, dinner or a drink, especially in Cork and Kerry. It’s also traditionally the day the Christmas decorations come down.
How to say Happy Christmas in Irish
To wish one person a Happy Christmas, say Nollaig Shona Duit. To wish a group, say Nollaig Shona Daoibh.
Frequently asked questions
Why do the Irish put a candle in the window at Christmas?
It’s a traditional sign of welcome to the Holy Family and to travellers, and it has become a symbol of remembrance for the Irish abroad.
What is Wren Day in Ireland?
Wren Day is St Stephen’s Day, 26 December, when Wren Boys in straw costumes go from house to house playing music and collecting for charity.
What is Nollaig na mBan?
Nollaig na mBan, or Women’s Little Christmas, falls on 6 January and is a day for women to rest and celebrate together.
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