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The 12 Days of Christmas in Ireland

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When do the Irish celebrate Christmas? Typically from mid-November until early January. In Ireland, we have more than 12 days of Christmas, and two highlights happen after the 25th of December. You won’t see Irish people packing up the tree and returning to normal right after the big day because we are still celebrating. In fact, wrapping up the festivities too soon could be seen as a slight to half the population of Ireland.

The 12 days of Christmas in the famous song refer to the period between the birth of Christ and the arrival of the three wise men, aka the magi, on January 6th. They arrived with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The appeal of these gifts might be less obvious than that of Irish gifts for new mothers and their babies, but the gold was definitely useful. Mary and Joseph needed it to pay their way fleeing to Egypt. The frankincense and myrrh weren’t just nice smelling herbs to make the stable smell better. They symbolised Jesus’s divinity and eventual sacrificial death.

Image from Ireland

In modern Ireland, certain traditions have developed for the first and last of the post-Christmas days of the period.

St. Stephen’s Day: 26th December

Stephen was the first Christian martyr. He was a deacon in the early church known for distributing food to the needy, specifically to Greek-speaking widows, who were a marginalised minority group in Jerusalem.

A Sandwich made from Turkey Leftovers on a plate on a blue wooden table

In urban Ireland today, Stephen’s feast day is mostly a day for visiting family you didn’t seen on the big day and enjoying Christmas leftovers. But in rural areas, the old ways are not completely forgotten. St. Stephen’s Day commemorates Stephen’s location being revealed to the authorities persecuting him by a wren being startled by his movement.

A beautiful singing Wren perched on a blackthorn tree in blossom.

So the tradition developed here of hunting the wren, and the day is also known as Wren Day. Now, no actual birds are harmed – aside from the Christmas turkey. 

Epiphany & Nollaig na MBan: 6th January

Epiphany is celebrated in different ways around the world. In Ireland, we have Nollaig na mBan, which translates as Women’s Christmas. It’s also known as Little Christmas. Traditionally, it has been a day to celebrate the work of women to make Christmas magical.

After weeks of cooking, extra cleaning, shopping, decorating and all of the labor that goes into a big family Christmas celebration, women were ready for a break. Irish society collectively agreed! So on the last of the 12 days of Christmas, women did no work. No cooking. No cleaning. No farm chores.

Two Middle Aged Women Enjoying Tea And Cake Together

Instead, they indulged in one of the most famous Irish gifts. They gathered together to socialize, swapping stories and jokes, enjoying the banter and craic that Irish culture is known for. Today, where the tradition is still embraced, women gather for high tea or pints in the local or maybe at someone’s home. The men and boys look after the housework and prepare the meals.

Most people leave the tree and decorations up until Epiphany and pack everything away on the 7th – or more realistically today, the weekend after Epiphany. We’re all back to work right after New Year’s Day now, making us a little more flexible about when we celebrate the mams behind the Christmas magic.

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