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 […]
Why Graveyards Remind Me Of Christmas
Visiting our departed loved ones at Christmas is an age old Irish tradition. My childhood memories of Christmas Day include a trip to the local cemetery to say a prayer at the gravesides of our deceased relatives and friends. To many this may seem a very grave matter for Christmas time, but if like me […]
An Irish Christmas – Ancient Rural Traditions
Christmas in Ireland, as I remember, is different from how Christmas was celebrated by our forefathers in the 19th century. By the time I was born in the 1960’s, Ireland had adopted many English and European customs, such as Christmas trees, plum puddings, and Santa Claus. Ireland’s Christmas traditions evolved and changed over the years, […]
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