Analysis: Many Irish folk rituals are associated with the last day of Christmas, January 6th, and the day known as Nollaig na M’ban.
The twelfth and final day of Christmas, January 6th, was known in Ireland as Nollaig na mBan or Women’s Christmas or Little Christmas. As a reward for their hard work during the Christmas season, women were given a day off from all household chores, reversing their traditional roles within the household. That is, the men would do the women’s work in the house, and the women would rest and gather together informally. .
It was customary for women to make social calls to the homes of friends and neighbors and enjoy tea and last-minute Christmas cake.
However, as it happened on the last day of Christmas, some acknowledged that the feast the women enjoyed was leftovers or leftovers from the Christmas season. This was different from the man’s Christmas, Christmas Day, when everyone enjoyed the first and finest treat.
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Marion McGarry talks about Nollaig na mBan’s roots and heritage on RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland
In Ireland, it is considered unlucky to remove Christmas trees and decorations before the 12th day of Christmas, and many people still recognize and practice this custom.
The remaining ornaments were removed and stored for another year, while the holly was traditionally left for Shrove Tuesday and used in the fire to cook pancakes on that day. In the past, large amounts of holly were used for home decoration.
There were many other customs surrounding Little Christmas. On this day, in some parts of the country, mothers rubbed their children’s eyes with herring tails, giving them immunity to diseases throughout the year. It was also believed that before going to bed that night, one should sweep the floor and prepare a bucket of clean water, and that the water in the bucket should not be used in the morning.
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From RTÉ Radio 1’s Drivetime, Grainne McPolin talks to people in County Kerry about Little Christmas and Noragh na Ban
A strange belief was that all the well water in Ireland was said to be turned into wine at midnight on Little Christmas. No one was allowed to go out to observe the spectacle or sample the well water. If you don’t, you’ll be very out of luck. In the dead of night on Christmas Eve, livestock were believed to have the power to speak human language, but a terrible fate awaited those who watched them.
Women’s Christmas was also tied to the Irish custom of fortune-telling on Halloween. One of her traditions is to make a “cake” out of mud or clay and place candles in it with the names of family members in the house. The order in which the candles burned out indicated the order in which their owners would die. This ritual was accompanied by prayers, no indiscretions were tolerated, and was taken very seriously.
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From RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland in January 2013, Kate Lawler from Fen’s Quay Restaurant talks about how Noraig na M’ban is celebrated in Cork
A notable Irish literary association is that Epiphany is the day on which the events of James Joyce’s short story The Dead occur. from dubliners (1914) happens. Joyce discusses a similar Halloween practice of fortune-telling (known as “asking the saucers”) in his short story Clay, included in the same collection.
January 6th was a night of strong winds, Oiche na gaoite moir, In 1839, a devastating hurricane struck Ireland, killing over 100 people, leaving thousands homeless, and causing extensive structural damage across the country. The storm was so strong and unusual that some considered it supernatural, and many thought the end of the world had come.
A report in the Freeman’s Journal said of the city of Dublin that night: “At times thick clouds covered the sky, and the gloom which they produced increased the terror on the scene.” […] The aurora borealis illuminated much of the night, covering the hemisphere with a sheet of red. ”
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From the RTÉ archives, Tom McGuire reports for Nationwide on how Noraig na Mban was celebrated in County Kerry in 1997
A Woman’s Christmas was well known in some areas, such as Cork and Kerry, but others professed to have never heard of it. By the mid-20th century, this tradition Norag na mban It was almost extinct, but is slowly making a comeback. Hotels and restaurants are taking the opportunity to advertise afternoon teas and nights out for women, offering the odd glass of prosecco. This is a tradition worth reviving, as Women’s Christmas recognizes the fact that in the past women did most of the work in the home.
The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ.