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A Candle In The Window – An Irish Christmas Tradition

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Lighting a candle in the window is a Christmas Eve memory I cherish from my Irish childhood.

Every Christmas Eve we placed a single red candle in the window.  My mother always told me we were lighting the way for Mary and Joseph on their way to find the stable in Bethlehem.

Our family candle lighting ritual signaled Christmas had finally arrived.

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And now as I grow older I light a candle in the window with my children every Christmas Eve in the hope this wonderful Irish tradition will continue for generations to come.  

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This Christmas Eve, I thought we might explore this tradition a little further to discover it’s origins and meaning.

A candle in the window is a wonderful symbol of hospitality, a trait for which the Irish are renowned the world over.

But these Irish candles burning in the windows were not simply a beacon of hope for the Holy Family. They were also a sign of welcome for anyone, friend or stranger, who might be passing by on Christmas Eve.

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All were welcome to stay and share whatever an Irish family may have had for Christmas.  The Irish believed nobody should go without, especially at Christmas time.

This tradition was most widely practiced in the south of Ireland, especially in Munster. Since my family hail from County Cork, we continued the ancient rural tradition of lighting a candle in the window at Christmas time.

The candle was traditionally lit by a daughter called “Mary” or the youngest girl in the house. “Mary” was also called upon to extinguish the candle.

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Now this practice is predominantly part of an Irish Catholic heritage.  Many people from Ulster have never heard of this tradition.

The origins of lighting a candle in the window trace back to the 17th Century at the time of the Penal Laws in Ireland when the Catholic religion was suppressed. 

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Catholic churches were outlawed and priests hid in fear of their lives. They secretly said mass at secluded venues known as Mass Rocks.  Priests often visited homes in secrecy to bless a family and to say Mass.

Irish Catholic families hoped that at some time in their lifetime a priest might visit on Christmas Eve to celebrate Mass with them.

By lighting a candle in the window they signaled to any passing priest that this was a Catholic home.  The doors were unlocked allowing a priest to enter silently to join the family in prayer for Christmas. 

Now all these lighted candles dotted across the countryside not only alerted priests in the vicinity, but also drew the attention of English soldiers.

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The Irish needed to explain to the English authorities why they were lighting so many candles on Christmas Eve.

The rational that they were welcoming Mary and Joseph into their homes was a perfect solution. This Irish tradition or superstition was viewed as harmless by the English and created no undue alarm.

This tradition was born at a time of great upheaval for Irish Catholics. The need to signal a priest to our homes to say Mass may no longer exist, but I’m happy that we continue to light candles in the window to this very day, welcoming Mary and Joseph with open hearts.

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One reader’s brother is a priest in Illinois, Msgr. Eric R. Barr, STL.  He wrote a beautiful homily in 2010 called Candle Burning Warm, Candle Burning Bright, which tells the story of an Irish priest in Penal Times, and how this Irish candle lighting tradition began.  You can read his Christmas story here – scroll down about half way in the page to find it.

 

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And when I see lighted candles in the windows of American homes at Christmas, I know this Irish tradition crossed the Atlantic with our ancestors when they sought a welcome in a new land.

And so, whether you light a candle in the window this Christmas Eve, or simply light up your Christmas tree, I hope God’s spirit will reside within you as you pause and reflect upon the sacredness of this holiday.

 

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

 

Irish American Mom

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  2. I love this tradition. Whenerever she could my Irish Mom, Kay Bonner, would like a bayberry candle and put it in the window. My sisters and brothers and I do it now. As does my grown-up daughter and her family. Thank you for all of your beautiful posts all year long. Blessings and peace to you at Christmas 🎄 and always.

    Reply

    • Hi Linda – I would guess your Irish Mom hailed from County Donegal with a name like “Bonner.” Lovely to hear you and your family continue this beautiful Irish tradition your mother brought with her to America.
      Best wishes for a very happy New Year.
      Mairéad

      Reply

  3. I am not a Catholic, not even a Christian, but a lover of Ireland and all its multiple historic traditions, new and old (especially VERY old). This is a beautiful story! Thanks so very much.

    Now I need to research how the Catholics were suppressed, as it is so much more Catholic today… Perhaps you can do a blog about that!?!

    Reply

    • Hi Lou – I’m so glad you enjoyed this post. And thank you for your suggestion for another blog post. It may take a few posts to explain that little episode in Irish history, but I hope to include some of these stories in 2017.
      Best wishes to you and yours,
      Mairéad

      Reply

  6. There is a candle always kept alight in a window of the residence of the President of Ireland as a symbol of welcome and a reminder of home to the Irish diaspora in far flung lands.

    Reply

    • Hi Mial – It’s lovely to know this Irish tradition continues to this very day and that a candle is lit for the Irish diaspora all over the world. Thanks for sharing this little piece of Irish Christmas trivia, which holds such deep and meaningful sybolism.
      Best wishes for a lovely Christmas and New Year.
      Mairéad

      Reply

    • Hi Maury – It’s lovely to hear from people all over America confirming how this old Irish tradition made it across the Atlantic with our ancestors.
      Blessings to you and yours this holiday season.
      Mairéad

      Reply

  8. Merry Christmas to you and yours and a healthy happy New Year. Thank you for your blog and stories. I just love everything.

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  10. Happy Christmas to you and yours, Mairead! All the best for 2017!
    Thanks for your work on a great blog, I always look forward to reading it. X

    Reply

  11. Thank you so much for your gift to us… your website, your stories, everything. I so enjoy what you share with us. I have ancestors from Ireland (I’m still trying to put it all together and figure it all out). I live in NJ but my heart is in Ireland. I love the country and all it’s history etc, I hope to visit it some day. I really enjoy reading your blogs etc, it brings me closer to Ireland. Reading your website has brought Irish tradition into our home. I put a candle in our window this year (white light) because of your story and it is now a new tradition for us. I can’t wait until next Christmas to add more new traditions to our family. So thank you once again for sharing Ireland with us. I hope you had a Happy Christmas and I’m hoping you have a great New Year.

    Reply

    • Hi April – Thank you so much for your lovely comment about my Irish ramblings. Feedback like yours just makes my day. It’s lovely to know others appreciate my little stories about Ireland, and are interested in learning about our Irish customs and traditions.
      We had a lovely Christmas this year. Thank you for your good wishes. New year blessings to you and yours and wishing you all the very best for 2017,
      Mairéad

      Reply

  12. Hello,
    Are you from the Kilkee, County Clare area ?
    I would love to know more about my mom’s growing up times and family. She was from there. Her name was Mary Ann Deloughery. She passed away in 2010. She came here in 1956 on the Brittanica.
    My dream is to have pictures of my grandparents from Ireland. She said she couldn’t bring any pictures with her, I don’t know why, she never explained. I did get some pictures from her sister Cristine Garvey but it has been so long since I’ve heard from her that I don’t know if she is still living. I joined Ancestry.com but had to give up the membership due to finances, so I have found out very little info for what I want to know. I just started reading things here and I will continue.
    God’s Blessings to you. Have a wonderful Holiday season and a blessed New Year.

    Reply

  13. Dearest Irish American Mon… I did a search for the origin of the candle in the window and found you. What a delightful read. Thank you so much for sharing…

    Reply

    • Hi Dorothy – I’m so glad you found our little Irish American corner of the internet, and that you enjoyed reading my story about this Christmas tradition. Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind words.
      Best wishes,
      Mairéad

      Reply

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