The candle in the window; the Wren Boys; the laden table... many of the Christmas traditions in Ireland have their roots back to the Gaelic culture. We take a look at them here...



The Light in the Window
Made famous and rejuvenated by President Mary Robinson during her term at Aras an Uachtarain, the placing of a lit candle in the window of houses all around Ireland remains a tradition today. The candle was traditionally a symbol of welcome to Mary and Joseph as they traveled looking for shelter. It originated however back as far as Penal Times when priests were not allowed to perform Mass and it was a signal that it was a safe place.

The Wren Boys
The Wren Boys are not as strong a tradition in Ireland as they once were but they still remain very much a part of Christmas festivities, particularly in some areas of the country. The story goes that back in Penal Times there was a plot to harm local soldiers. They were captured when a group of wrens pecked on their drums and they awoke to avoid capture. The wrens were afterwards known as the Devil’s Bird. The Wren Boys still dress up, sing and go from house to house on St. Stephens Day.

The Laden Table
A particularly Irish tradition was and is ‘The Laden Table’. This tradition was to lay the kitchen table once more even when the evening meal on Christmas Eve was finished. The families left a loaf of bread full of raisins and caraway seeds with a jug of milk and a lit candle. The door to the house was left unlatched (not usually done nowadays!) so that Joseph and Mary or anybody passing by and needing sustenance could help themselves. Nowadays, rather than a full laden table, families often just use the opportunity to sample their first slice of Christmas cake in advance of Christmas Day.

The Holly Wreath
Houses across Ireland are still decorated with the holly wreath on the front door and of course the Christmas tree, usually put up during the first few weeks of December and always taken down by Little Christmas, which falls on January 6th. Holly, Ivy and mistletoe were originally used in pre-Christian times to help celebrate the Winter Solstice Festival, ward off evil spirits and celebrate new growth. Holly grows wild in Ireland and the Celtic people believed that holly represented lift and rebirth. The evergreen leaves symbolized life at a time when everything else was bare all around and the red berries were a symbol of the approach of Spring.

What are your favorite Irish Christmas traditions?