Twelve Irish Christmas Traditions

People around the world celebrate the season with their own unique customs and Ireland is no different. Here are a few of our favorite Irish Christmas traditions that make the season so special for so many on the Emerald Isle. You may even want to try one or two for yourself. Read on to find our twelve ways to mark the holidays Irish-style.

1. Forget Eggnog - Try Mulled Wine

Eggnog might be the festive drink of choice for many at this time of year, but it’s the scent of mulled wine that usually fills the air at holiday parties and gatherings here in Ireland.

The festive beverage is prepared with red wine, port or brandy, fruits and spices, such as cinnamon and cloves. Served warm and usually with a mince pie or a slice of Christmas cake, it's the taste of the holidays in a glass, and a wonderful drink for cold weather months.

Try it for yourself. Mulled wine is easy enough to prepare! Below is a lovely Irish mulled wine recipe from The Irish Countrywoman’s Association.

Ingredients

• 1 lemon (unwaxed ideally)
  1 large orange, or two mandarin oranges
  4 dozen cloves
• 16fl oz/ 1 pt of water
• 6oz or 170g of brown sugar
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 2–3 star anise - this is optional but it does add a more interesting notes to the wine
• 1 bottle red wine
• ½ bottle ruby port
  

Method:

1. Peel the lemon and orange or mandarins if you are using and remove the white piths.
2. Stick the cloves into the peeled fruit- studding them all over
3. Place the fruit in a large saucepan with the water. Add the brown
   sugar, cinnamon and star anise, if using. If you have unwaxed lemons and oranges, add in the peels too!
4. Stir this mixture over a medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved.
5. Leave to simmer on low for about one hour to give the flavours time to combine.
   (If you want to really let the flavours mingle up to this step can be done a day in advance - just reheat it before moving to step 6).
6. Carefully strain off and discard the fruit and spices making sure to retain all the infused liquid.
7. Return the infused liquid to the saucepan and add the red wine and port.
8. Put on a medium heat bringing it close to a boil but DO NOT LET IT BOIL!!
9. It is now ready to serve hot, garnished with an orange or lemon slices and a grating of nutmeg if you want to really bring the Christmas flavours.

You can also decant this delicious mix into a thermos to have on a winter walk, as a pick me up when out searching for the Christmas tree, or after a winter warmer after a Christmas Swim (see tradition number 9 below!)

And if that doesn't tickle your fancy, an Irish Coffee is another favorite when there is a chill in the air in Ireland - find our recipe here.

2. Watch the “The Late Late Toy Show”

The unofficial start to Christmas in Ireland! This annual TV special is an Irish institution and the most-watched program of the year in Ireland. A whopping 81% of Irish TV viewers watch the madness unfold each year, and many more overseas tune in too, with the broadcast streamed from 150+ countries outside of Ireland.

To someone new to the spectacle, it may just look like a showcase for the hottest toys of the holiday season. But really it is a joyous and wholesome mix of kids, songs, dance and the odd celebrity appearance. The clip below will give you a taste of what it is like, or it may just leave you puzzled! Jane has had a go at explaining the appeal of this Irish institution in her Late Late Toy Show guide - have a read here.

It has also raised many millions of euro for children's charities, and even crashed Revolut in Ireland in 2021 with the frenzy of donations. It is a collective event like no other in the Irish calendar. If you are not in Ireland you can still tune in - The show is live from 9:35 pm on Friday, December 5th and is available to watch worldwide on the RTÉ Player.

3. Make a wish with your Christmas Pudding

A traditional holiday dessert in Ireland and the UK, a Christmas pudding might not be to everyone's taste but no one would be caught without at least a small one on the big day! And there are plenty of superstitions that go into the making off this dense treat too. Firstly, you must have it made 4 weeks out from the big day and it should be made with 13 ingredients.

There are various, and at times contradictory, reasons as to why these "rules" are in place. But making it a month out allows for the flavours to mingle we are told. And this usually coincides with the Late Late Toy show, so many combine these two traditions. Secondly, each member of the family should take their turn stirring the pudding making a wish as they do so!

Just like the Halloween brack, many families put coins or gold rings in their pudding too, to see who will be lucky in the coming year after finding it in their slice. And if Christmas pudding is not to your taste, other seasonal favorites in Ireland include Christmas Cake, Irish coffee, and Irish soda bread.

4. Shop on Irish Black Friday

Black Friday is a global phenomenon worldwide and it is one of our busiest times of the year here at My Irish Jeweler! But in Ireland, before there was Black Friday there was December the 8th. The feast of the Immaculate Conception in the Catholic calendar saw many in rural Ireland take the day off from work to head to Dublin, or Cork, or Galway to do their Christmas shopping.

Known to many Dubliners by a more disparaging name, 'Culchie Shopping Day', December 8th would see Ireland's city streets thronged with people from rural Ireland, looking to get all they needed for the big day. With the advent of online shopping and larger local towns, this tradition has changed a little, but many still travel to Irish cities to soak up some seasonal cheer.

5. Check out the city lights

Tied in with heading to the city to do the big Christmas shop, was taking some time to check out the lights. For many families this is still a treasured part of their Christmas traditions. There is something quite magical about strolling Dublins Henry Street hearing the tuneful calls of street sellers, or the carollers on Grafton St in Dublin, the sparkling lights of Shop Street in Galway or the seasonal bustle of Patrick Street in Cork at Christmas. It is guaranteed to get even the grinch in the seasonal spirit.

6. Midnight on Christmas Eve? Time to Go to Mass!

In Ireland, it’s a longstanding tradition to head to church on Christmas Eve. These days, the service often isn’t quite at midnight anymore, with many parishes opting to hold it a bit earlier. The local Christmas Eve mass is a huge social gathering for the Parish. Everyone who has returned "home" for the holidays is there, so it's a great chance to catch up with old friends and acquaintances.

7. Sing it loud at a Christmas Sing Song

Those not at mass may be found in the center of Irish towns and cities around Ireland, singing carols at the top of their lungs. At events like the Christmas Busk, average Joes sing along side famous faces like Bono, Hozier, Kodaline, The Script, Glen Hansard, and Imelda May to raise money for homeless charities. Charity at Christmas resonates with one and all.

8. Light your Christmas Candle - Coinneal Mór na Nollag

Many Irish homes will have a Christmas candle lighting in their front window over the holidays. Lit as a sign of welcome for those passing at Christmas, the tradition stems from the belief that nobody should go without, especially during the holidays. It was also a symbol of lighting the way for the Holy Family, ensuring light, warmth and plenty in the coming year.

Beloved President Mary Robinson breathed new life into the custom during her term of office with her statement that “there will always be a light on in Áras an Uachtaráin for our exiles and our emigrants” extending this Irish tradition to the global Irish family, promising a warm welcome home year round.

This is a tradition that my wife Jane vividly remembers as a child growing up with her Irish parents in Canada. And it's now one of our Christmas eve traditions with our children. Sitting as a family by candlelight on Christmas eve is a lovely quiet pause in an what can be quite a hectic season!

9. Feeling Brave? Go for a Christmas Day Swim

From the cosy candle light to the beach? Has Christmas Day really happened if you haven't had a dip in freezing cold water? No wonder people think we Irish are a little mad!

Dublin’s Forty Foot is a popular destination for Dubliners whenever there’s warm weather. But it’s also packed with hundreds of swimmers on Christmas Day - with the then head of our government, our Taoiseach, famously joining the fun a few years ago. Brave bathers in just their swimsuits or “togs” merrily jump into water typically only 50F / 10C and the surrounding air temperature much colder again with just a Santa hat for warmth. It's not for the faint hearted.

But it is for a good cause, and you will find "Christmas Swims" around the country wherever there is a body of water large enough, again raising money for local charities.

10. St. Stephen’s Day Festivities (We Don't Call It Boxing Day)

While many celebrate Christmas on Dec. 24 and 25, in Ireland we extend the celebrations for as long as we can including the 26th too. People enjoy horse races as well as the old tradition of the hunting of the wren.

The latter is when so-called “wren boys,” dressed up in disguise parade through town, playing music, singing, and calling door to door asking for money to "bury the wren." These days the money collected goes to charity but this ancient tradition continues with vigor in many towns and villages, especially in the south of the country.

11. Head to your local theatre for "The Panto"

"The Panto" as it is known in many parts of Ireland, is short for pantomine, a type of theatre that is synonymous with Christmas in many parts of Europe. Geared toward a family audience, there is music and slapstick comedy for the kids and topical in-jokes for the adults, with plenty of audience participation. Many Irish families head to a show in the days between Christmas and New Years to see which nursery story or fairytale has been given the panto treatment. My own family heads to the panto each year, with our kids getting in on the tradition.

12. Women put their feet up and let their hair down

And Christmas in Ireland extends all the way through to the new year and January 6th. Known as the Feast of the Epiphany or the 12th Day of Christmas, in Ireland it is known as Nollaig na mBan or "Women’s Christmas".

Traditionally it was the day where Irish women, who had worked tirelessly for weeks to create Christmas magic for their families, had the day completely to themselves. These days, Nollaig na mBan is now more of a celebration and acknowledgement of the fantastic women in our lives, a chance to get together and again, and you guessed it, a chance to raise money for good causes.

Did we miss anything?

Of course not everyone in Ireland celebrates Christmas, or observes all the traditions above. And we are certain we have missed many other markers of the holiday season in Ireland that will have some of you howling! If we've missed your favorite holiday tradition please do let us know in the comments below.