Irish Christmas History
Irish Christmas history begins with the English King, Henry II in 1171.
The English monarch took the Christmas celebrations to Ireland. Henry II built
a very big traditional Irish hall in the village named Hogges. Sumptuous feasts
and Christmas plays were held in which the Irish chiefs loyal to the English
sovereign also took part. Down the ages, the Christmas celebrations in Ireland
have deviated somewhat from the early times, but the spirit is essentially the
same.
Irish Christmas history shows us some traditional rituals of Christmas in
Ireland. Ritual here is used in a very broad sense, some have little religious
significance, but great social importance. A lighted candle in the window on
Christmas Eve is one such custom. All Irish homes have a lighted candle, which
has the symbolism of showing the light to the stranger after dark. This is a
most ancient custom when people were really hospitable. The candle has to be
lit by the youngest in the family and extinguished by any girl named “Mary”.
The custom of a laden table is also an endearing one. The table is laid with
bread filled with caraway seed and raisins and a large pitcher of milk and a
lighted candle. This means that any weary traveler or Joseph and Mary can avail
of this hospitality if they so wanted and is an integral part of Irish
Christmas History.
The Wren Boy Procession
The Wren Boy procession took place on St. Stephen’s day, the day after
Christmas. It shows similarities to Halloween. Children wandered the streets,
carrying a stick topped with a holly bush. They painted their faces, wore old
clothes sang and played music, demanding money “for the hungry wren.” Although
this custom seems harmless enough, its origins are rather dark. The wren was
said to be a treacherous bird; it was blamed for betraying the hiding place of
St. Stephen to his persecutors. It was also claimed that the bird beat its
wings on the shields of the Norsemen to alert them to the presence of Irish
soldiers. However, going further back in time, the wren may have been used in
Druidic rites, to which Irish Christians would have been opposed. Early Wren
Boy processions sported a real dead wren on top of the stick. Currently, a fake
bird is used and the processions usually occur in the southern parts of
Ireland.
Little Women’s Christmas
In the old times, housework was firmly considered women’s business, which
means that after all the cooking, baking and cleaning, the women used to be
completely exhausted. Come the 6th of January, they got one day of
relaxation. On this day, the men did all the housework and the women went to
the pub for a day out. Although “the New Man” has now arrived in Ireland, many
Irish women love to keep this tradition alive. Little Women’s Christmas also
marked the day when it was “safe” to take down Christmas decorations. Any
earlier was considered unlucky.
An Irish Christmas
Blessing
The light of the Christmas star to you
The warmth of home and hearth to you
The cheer and good will of friends to you
The hope of a childlike heart to you
The joy of a thousand angels to you
The love of the Son and God’s peace to you
Nollaig Shona
Happy Christmas
Correspondence
Secretary President
No comments:
Post a Comment