New Year in Ireland: How they celebrated a magical holiday on the Emerald Isle

Ireland is a country where modern traditions are harmoniously intertwined with the heritage inherited from the ancestors. The celebration of Christmas and New Year is becoming a bright event for the Irish, uniting all family members and encouraging them to remember the preserved customs.

Preparing for the celebration

The Irish begin to prepare for the winter holidays before the Catholic Christmas, which falls on the evening of December 24th and all day on December 25th. The locals decorate their dwellings; obligatory attributes of interior decoration - wreaths of holly and mistletoe twigs.

For the Irish, Christmas is a religious holiday, so on the New Year tree, in addition to the usual toys (balls, snowmen, deer, etc.), you can see miniature figures of Jesus in infancy and the Virgin Mary.

christmas night

Santa Claus with gifts appears in Ireland on the night of December 24-25. It is at this time that the whole family gathers at the table to celebrate Christmas together. City streets, as a rule, are empty. local residents leave for their "family nests".

Baked turkey with potatoes is a traditional family Christmas dinner. The final bright accent is the pudding, which is doused with brandy and set on fire before serving to guests.

New Year's Eve

Unlike a quiet family Christmas, the New Year in the country is celebrated with noise and scope. From December 31 to January 1, young people tend to go to pubs and nightclubs that work throughout the night. On the central squares, mass festivities are held, performances and fireworks are arranged. Citizens are happy to leave their homes to watch the fireworks: only licensed pyrotechnicians are allowed to set off fireworks in Ireland, so the fire show is always one of the main events.

The table is replete with meat dishes, pastries and sweets. Traditionally, a festive dessert is served - a seed cake, which is a cake or cookie with the addition of caraway seeds.

Unforgotten past

The Irish remember the customs and beliefs of their ancestors and try to observe them. Gathered together, they light the candles and start ringing the bells. Thus, higher powers are attracted, capable of averting misfortune and inviting good luck to the house.

It has long been believed in Ireland that New Year's Eve opens the door to the future. To find out their fate, young girls are engaged in fortune-telling. Adhering to the old belief that on New Year's Eve you can see your betrothed, they put dried grass (clover, ivy, lavender) under the pillow, which should help to meet in a dream.

Another tradition has also been preserved - to treat neighbors and passers-by with homemade pastries on the eve of the holiday.

During the celebration of the coming year, the doors of many Irish houses are left open: it is believed that this helps to get rid of bad luck and attract prosperity. If at this time a stranger accidentally enters the dwelling, the Irish meet him with all cordiality and invite him to share a meal with them.

Each hostess tries to serve guests as many treats as possible, because according to legend, the richer the table is, the more fruitful the coming year will be. A culinary tradition is the preparation of three puddings: for Christmas, New Year and Epiphany, which become an indispensable attribute of the festive table.

If you are planning a trip to Ireland , without a doubt, it is better to do it at the end of the outgoing year. A trip during this period will allow you to feel the unusual atmosphere of the winter holidays and get to know the customs of this country.