Irish Cultural Traditions at Christmas and at the New Year: As youre hanging that holly wreath on your door, and placing it around the house this Christmas, remember the ancient Celtic roots of this tradition. In addition to honouring your Celtic heritage and making your home look nice, you are also performing the invaluable service of providing shelter to tree fairies and protecting your home from malevolent spirits. Christmas Eve was a special day in Ireland. All work must be finished by midday. After the evening meal, the table should be re-set for three with a large raisin and caraway seed bread loaf, a pitcher of milk and a candle to light the meal for the Holy Family. After Christmas mass a wisp of straw can be “borrowed” from Jesus’ crib, and retained for luck throughout the coming year. To Druids, hollys evergreen nature made it special, it remained green to help keep the earth beautiful when the deciduous trees (such as the oak, which was held sacred) shed their leaves. It was a druid custom to wear it in their hair when they ventured into the forests to watch the priests collecting mistletoe. The holly berries were thought to represent the sacred menstrual blood of their Goddess. In addition to these uses, some ancient religions used holly for protection. They would decorate doors and windows with it in the hopes that it would capture (or at least dissuade) any evil spirits before they could enter the house. The early Christians adopted the tradition of decorating their home with holly. As they started to incorporate this pagan belief into their own religion. The significance of the berries changed so that they now symbolized the blood of Christ and holly gradually solidified its position as a Christmas tradition. Traditionally Irish children were told that an angel stood on each spike of the holly leaves and that on Christmas Eve no prayer was left unanswered. In Ireland at Christmas most people would have used berried things to decorate their homes holly and ivy would be brought into the house, and children would have used starch to whiten the leaves and make a snow effect. Years ago Irish children also would save bits of gold and silver cigarette paper through the year and Christmas time make tree decorations , and they would make the paper chains which for many years criss-crossed many an Irish living room. Mistletoe was especially potent during the winter solstice and was known by the Celts and the Vikings as a healing plant upon which superstition and myth had bestowed miraculous healing powers, making poisons harmless, giving fertility to humans and animals, protecting from witchcraft, banning evil spirits, bringing good luck and great blessings. In fact, it was considered so sacred that even enemies who happened to meet beneath a Mistletoe in the forest would lay down their arms, exchange a friendly greeting, and keep a truce until the following day. in ancient times, the Druids held a special ceremony five days after the new moon following the Winter Solstice, in which they cut the boughs of the Mistletoe from the sacred Oak tree with a golden sickle. It was important that branches did not touch the ground and become contaminated. Then the priests divided up the boughs into sprigs and distributed them among the people who believed the Mistletoe protected them from storms and evil spirits. Good will and happiness is represented with a kiss under the Mistletoe this season. Houses are to be thoroughly at Christmas week cleaned to signify a fresh start to the New Year. In rural areas of Ireland there is a custom of whitewashing the outhouses and stores At one time, it was the whole farm, to be whitewashed inside and out. The family would scrub and polish everything til it shone, and the men would take a bucket of whitewash, or lime wash, and purify everything in honour of the coming of the Christ child, it is customary also to put up fresh curtains, a special Christmas Bed cover, cushions and table linens etc. These customs goes back before Christianity it was a purifying ceremony from the most ancient of times. Throw bread at the doors and walls of the house with bread to expel bad luck from the house and invite the good spirits in. On New Year’s night, remember those who has passed away that by setting a place for them at the dinner table and leaving the door unlatched. Make sure that the first person to pass through the door on New Year’s day is a tall dark handsome man, this will bring the home and it’s occupants good luck but a red haired visitor it could bring hardship and grief. Single men and ladies are advised to place sprigs of mistletoe, holly and ivy leaves under their pillow so they could dream of their future wives and husbands. At midnight always enter the house through the front door and leave through the back door for good luck. ©mmcnally Photo: Irish Cultural Traditions at Christmas and at the New Year: As youre hanging that holly wreath on your door, and placing it around the house this Christmas, remember the ancient Celtic roots of this tradition. In addition to honouring your Celtic heritage and making your home look nice, you are also performing the invaluable service of providing shelter to tree fairies and protecting your home from malevolent spirits. Christmas Eve was a special day in Ireland. All work must be finished by midday. After the evening meal, the table should be re-set for three with a large raisin and caraway seed bread loaf, a pitcher of milk and a candle to light the meal for the Holy Family. After Christmas mass a wisp of straw can be “borrowed” from Jesus’ crib, and retained for luck throughout the coming year. To Druids, hollys evergreen nature made it special, it remained green to help keep the earth beautiful when the deciduous trees (such as the oak, which was held sacred) shed their leaves. It was a druid custom to wear it in their hair when they ventured into the forests to watch the priests collecting mistletoe. The holly berries were thought to represent the sacred menstrual blood of their Goddess. In addition to these uses, some ancient religions used holly for protection. They would decorate doors and windows with it in the hopes that it would capture (or at least dissuade) any evil spirits before they could enter the house. The early Christians adopted the tradition of decorating their home with holly. As they started to incorporate this pagan belief into their own religion. The significance of the berries changed so that they now symbolized the blood of Christ and holly gradually solidified its position as a Christmas tradition. Traditionally Irish children were told that an angel stood on each spike of the holly leaves and that on Christmas Eve no prayer was left unanswered. In Ireland at Christmas most people would have used berried things to decorate their homes holly and ivy would be brought into the house, and children would have used starch to whiten the leaves and make a snow effect. Years ago Irish children also would save bits of gold and silver cigarette paper through the year and Christmas time make tree decorations , and they would make the paper chains which for many years criss-crossed many an Irish living room. Mistletoe was especially potent during the winter solstice and was known by the Celts and the Vikings as a healing plant upon which superstition and myth had bestowed miraculous healing powers, making poisons harmless, giving fertility to humans and animals, protecting from witchcraft, banning evil spirits, bringing good luck and great blessings. In fact, it was considered so sacred that even enemies who happened to meet beneath a Mistletoe in the forest would lay down their arms, exchange a friendly greeting, and keep a truce until the following day. in ancient times, the Druids held a special ceremony five days after the new moon following the Winter Solstice, in which they cut the boughs of the Mistletoe from the sacred Oak tree with a golden sickle. It was important that branches did not touch the ground and become contaminated. Then the priests divided up the boughs into sprigs and distributed them among the people who believed the Mistletoe protected them from storms and evil spirits. Good will and happiness is represented with a kiss under the Mistletoe this season. Houses are to be thoroughly at Christmas week cleaned to signify a fresh start to the New Year. In rural areas of Ireland there is a custom of whitewashing the outhouses and stores At one time, it was the whole farm, to be whitewashed inside and out. The family would scrub and polish everything til it shone, and the men would take a bucket of whitewash, or lime wash, and purify everything in honour of the coming of the Christ child, it is customary also to put up fresh curtains, a special Christmas Bed cover, cushions and table linens etc. These customs goes back before Christianity it was a purifying ceremony from the most ancient of times. Throw bread at the doors and walls of the house with bread to expel bad luck from the house and invite the good spirits in. On New Year’s night, remember those who has passed away that by setting a place for them at the dinner table and leaving the door unlatched. Make sure that the first person to pass through the door on New Year’s day is a tall dark handsome man, this will bring the home and it’s occupants good luck but a red haired visitor it could bring hardship and grief. Single men and ladies are advised to place sprigs of mistletoe, holly and ivy leaves under their pillow so they could dream of their future wives and husbands. At midnight always enter the house through the front door and leave through the back door for good luck. ©mmcnally
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 18:19:28 +0000
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