{"id":46555,"date":"2018-12-11T10:49:46","date_gmt":"2018-12-11T15:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=46555"},"modified":"2025-12-10T17:04:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T22:04:36","slug":"common-irish-holiday-traditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/common-irish-holiday-traditions.html","title":{"rendered":"Common Irish Holiday Traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever wonder why your family and community celebrate certain events when they do? Or where the holidays you\u2019ve taken for granted since you were a kid even come from? Traditions evolve over generations and can be visible or subtle clues into your family heritage.<\/p>\n

Irish holidays and traditions are windows into our family history. Many are a combination of Celtic and Catholic traditions as well as a result of Ireland’s political, cultural, and social struggles \u2013 especially the oppression of the Catholics (by the English).<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: European Holly (Ilex aquifolium) leaves and fruit. Credit: J\u00fcrgen Howaldt; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Irish Holiday Traditions \u2013 Christmas<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a majority of the Irish population identified as Catholic, a common Catholic thread runs through many of the Irish holidays and traditions.<\/p>\n

The Candle in the Window<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most common Irish holiday traditions is the candle in the window. In Penal times, Irish Catholics would light a candle and place it in a window to be visible to passers-by. The candle was code for Catholics so that people knew they could expect a covert Mass in the household.<\/p>\n

After a resurgence of popularity in the 1970s, this tradition is now less popular than it once was. The candle in the window has resumed its original meaning, acting as a guiding light for those seeking shelter, especially the itinerant poor, just as Mary and Joseph once searched for lodgings.<\/p>\n

The Laden Table<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also set aside for Mary and Joseph is a simple meal, left out after dinner on Christmas Eve. Presented alongside milk, a loaf of bread baked with raisins and caraway seeds is a staple of this Irish Catholic tradition.<\/p>\n

Holly<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most common Irish holiday traditions is using a wreath of holly to decorate during the Christmas season. As a population forced into poverty by English rule, the Irish didn\u2019t have much for holiday decorations. The holly plant was one of the few that grew in the colder season, giving the poor masses something to dress up their homes.<\/p>\n

Saint Stephen\u2019s Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

Holly is also used in the Wren Boy Procession that happens on Saint Stephen\u2019s Day, known as Boxing Day outside of Ireland. The Irish tradition goes back to Penal times. Legend has it, a flock of wrens interrupted an ambush that Irish rebels had organized to overthrow the English. A wren, or \u201cDevil\u2019s Bird,\u201d used to be sacrificed to commemorate the species\u2019 betrayal. (Note: there are other origins of Wren Day<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Today, people prefer to dress up as the bird in straw outfits or old clothes, bringing holly from house to house on the day after Christmas. The practice of visiting friends is also common on Saint Stephen\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

Irish Christmas Tradition Fun Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n