The House of Darkness, Dowth
There are seven major Celtic Nations and although similar, each have their own particular set of Christmas traditions.
Ireland
In Ireland it was the practice on Christmas Eve to leave a laden table after the evening meal. A large lit candle, milk, and bread with raisins and caraway seeds were left on the set table and the door left unlatched as a hospitality offering to Mary and Joseph or any wandering travellers in the night.
It was traditional to bake a seed cake for every member of the household, as well as three puddings, one each for Christmas, New Year and Epiphany.
On St Stephen’s Day, in addition to the previously mentioned Wren Boys, the people are entertained with a number of pantomimes in which the roles are traditionally played en travesti, i.e. by members of the opposite sex.
One popular Christmas food is spiced beef which can be served warm on Christmas Eve and then eaten again cold during the later festivities.
Scotland
Under the influence of the Reformation, Christmas nearly disappeared as a celebration in Scotland from 1560. When, in 1600, the Scottish New Year was shifted to January 1st from March 25th (Lady Day), bringing Scotland in line with continental Europe and out of step with the Sassenachs (who still used the Julian Calendar), Hogmanay (New Year) became the focus of Scottish celebrations. Christmas has gradually made a return to the Scottish calendar since the 1960s.
But in some places the tradition remained of the Gillean Nollaig, Christmas Lads, who went from house to house, dressed in long white shirts and tall white hats, chanting nollaig songs and marching around the fire with a baby from the house or a dummy infant on a lambskin. They subsequently made offerings to the child. They were then offered food and drink themselves, and there was a feast at the end of the evening. On some of the islands the tradition of Nollaig do Spreidh was preserved until the late 19th Century, where the domestic animals were fed a special sheaf of corn on Christmas morning.
In common with many other Celts the Scots believed that bees swarmed out of their hives early on Christmas morning and then returned.
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man was one of the last places to switch to the Gregorian calendar for the reckoning of the year. It was similarly tenacious in preserving many old traditions, including the celebration of Christmas on January 6th, which was styled Old Christmas. It was considered unlucky to spin during Christmas until the end of Old Christmas This tradition was also preserved in parts of England where January 7th is know as Distaff Day and is reserved as a special day for spinning.
Fish was traditionally eaten on Oiel Verrey (Christmas Eve, derived from Oie Feaill Voirrey, the Eve of the Feast of Mary), often rendered as Ilvary. Eel was the most favoured fish for the meal. Many candles were used both at the Marian services on Christmas Eve, and all day on Christmas Day. Christmas Day was believed to protect all from the influence of witches, ghosts and evil spirits. After the midnight service the churches would be left open for the singing of Manx carols known as carvels, often including competitive singing. The Manx also believed that on Christmas Eve the oxen would worship at midnight and that the myrrh would flower for a brief hour.
The Manx Ilvary.1
WHEN dark December’s dismal gloom
Came louring o’er the sky,
And snow-storms gather’d drear around,
And Christmas-feast was nigh,
With all its merry-making time
Of festival and glee,
Beginning with the good old rule,
The Parish Ilvary;
When each young rustic with his lass,
Dress'd in their best attire,
Trudged onwards to the Parish Church,
Oft o’er their shoes in mire;
But it was good old Christmas Eve,
At which time of the year
They pass’d each glen and haunted road
Without a spark of fear,
...
The parish bell rung merrily,
Indeed as well it might,
For through the year, save at that time
It never rung at night.
Group after group now fast arrived
From all the parish round,
Whulç mirth and rural jollity
Did ’mongst the whole abound.
Some came across the mountain’s side,
Some many weary miles
O’er hills, and lowland marshy fields,
O’er hedges, gates, and stiles;
But it was good old Christmas Eve, ~
Which comes but once a year,
Hail, rain, or snow, could not detain
Them from th’ Ilvary cheer.
The lasses with their gowns tuck’d up,
And strongly pinn’d behind,
Were led by lads along the aisle,
Their landlord’s seat to find,2
With candles formed in many a branch,3
The pew t’ illuminate,
Fused in the crescit4 by young Peg,
And dipp’d by thrifty Kate.
Along the gallery and nave
Of the old church were seen
Festoons of many a holly-branch,
Relieved with heben5 green.
When in full light the sacred pile
Of many a year appear’d,
And the selected prayers were read,
The pastor homeward steer’d,
Leaving the delegated clerk
To rule the rustic train,
While each in turn his carol6 sang,
Celebrity to gain.
A veteran old, of many years’
Experience in song,
Was still the first each Ilvary
Amongst the rustic throng,
To draw the time-worn sheet from out
His leathern breeches’ fob,
In creases deep by dint of years,
But plain enough for Rob,
For he had learnt it all by heart,
As the old saying goes,
But to be thought he could not read
In writing, rhyme or prose,
Was a dishonour to his fame,
Such as he could not brook,
Tho’ he had never learn’d the use
Of letters or a book;
But, to be candid, perhaps he might,
If educated well,
Have been a Milton, or a Pope,
A Johnson, or Boswell;
…
By custom taught for ages back,
The lasses brought their pease,
In pockets full each Ilvary,
The bachelors to tease,
By taking opportunity
When they were least aware,
To throw their pulse artillery
And make the rustics stare.
Now when each chanting candidate
Had done his best to please,8
And lasses tired of the sport
Created by the pease,
They’d all agree with one accord
To take the dreary road,
Re-passing through each haunted glen
Ere all reach’d their abode;
But on that merry-making eve
There is no cause to fear
Nor ghosts, nor witches, for ’tis said
They dare not then appear:
Upon each road a half-way house
Was ready to receive
Each courting pair, on their return
From church on Christmas Eve:
A noted one amongst the rest,
The far-famed Brumish Veg,9
Well stock’d with home-brew’d beverage
Fresh frothing from the keg;
And blithely on that jovial night
Each toast and jest went round,
And with their rustic merriment
Did Brumish Veg resound!
The ale was season’d to the taste
In each full foaming pot,
Not with ground ginger mix’d with spice,
But good black-pepper hot;
And junks of wheaten-flour bread,
So seldom used in Man,
After being toasted on the turf,
Would hiss within the can.
Such was the fare at Brumish Veg
As flow’d the mirthful tide,
And many a youthful pair, whose home
Was on the mountain’s side,
Sat down to quaff the barleycorn’s
Most stimulating juice,
And in their turn another sort
Of songs would introduce
From those which they had sung at church
An hour or two before,
While they would pass the jug about,
Regardless of the score,
Until each lass, persuasively,
Would hint the way was long
They had to go, which would give rise
Unto the parting song.
The parting verse they sang that night
I well remember yet,
It aye reminds me of those scenes
I never can forget;
Though many years have pass’d away
Since last I heard that strain,
Its tones oft o’er my memory steal,
And bring home back again.10
After the parting verse was sung,
And jouglz yer dorrys11 drank,
And the large Christmas candle had
Within the socket sank,
They of the host of Brurnish Veg
Then took a parting leave,
And thus the merry rustics all
Closed that auspicious eve.
Each lad would see his lass safe home
Whose parents would invite
Him in, and sanction his request
To stop with her the night,
While they would go unto their bed
And leave them by themselves,
With a good fire upon the hearth
And plenty on the shelves.
Thus they would pass the happy night,
Still daring not to stride
O’er Hymen’s bound’ry, or attempt
What virtue has denied,
Observin’ the old adage still
Which they were wont to say, -
" To keep the feast strictly preserved
Until the festal day."
Footnotes
1 The Service performed in the Church on Christmas Eve in the Island.
2 As but few of the better-thinking sort of the community visited the church on this night, the rustics had free access to each of their landlord’s seats.
3 It was customary for the females to manufacture candles formed into branches for this occasion.
4 A piece of a broken iron pot, commonly used for melting tallow for the purpose of dipping half-peeled rushes in the grease, and so making "rush-lights" of them.
5 Ivy
6 The custom was for one or two men to stand up at a time, and sing their carols to the audience, after the church service was over. The church door was kept open until a late hour for that purpose.
8 There was considerable rivalry on these occasions in displaying their vocal abilities.
9 A well-known public-house, situated on the banks of the river Corna, in Kirk Maughold.
10 The "Parting Verse" -
"Te traa goll thie da goll da lhie
Te tarn dys traa ny lhiabbagh,
Te'en stoyl ta foin grainayh shin roin
Te’er signal dooin da gleasagh."
Which may be translated thus:
Now we ‘ll to our homes, lads,
‘Tis time to go to bed;
Each rocking-stool a warning gives -
The fire’s flame hath fled!
11 The stirrup-cup.
Mona’s Isle, and Other Poems, William Kennish. 1844.
Wales
In Wales the custom of making a callenigg has its origin in the Roman occupation of Britain. The callenigg is an apple, sitting on a tripod of sticks, pierced with almond pieces or cloves, and topped with a sprig or sprigs of evergreen and a candle. They were given at Christmas, or bought from carolling children, and were placed in the window or on the mantle for luck, sometimes remaining there for a full year.
In yet another variation on marching about and extorting food and drink from householders, the Welsh produced the Mari Lwyd or Grey Mare. It consisted of a horse’s skull and clacking jaw on a pole, bedecked with ribbons and operated by a man under a white sheet who challenged the inhabitants to competitions of singing, riddling and jokes. If they lost they had to invite the mare and her retinue of disguised followers in for some food and drink.
Not surprisingly the Welsh Christmas involved singing. A special service was held called the Plygain where the men sang old polyphonic carols for hours into early Christmas morning. The women stayed at home preparing the Christmas meal and making taffy, using it for divining by pouring it into water and reading letters in the patterns created.
Cornwall
In Cornwall, the disguised singing and dancing seekers-of-free-food-n-booze went Guising, or Goose Dancing. They were particularly rowdy between Christmas and Twelfth Night, so rowdy in fact that the practice was banned in some towns.
A traditional meal at Mousehole (pronounced Mowzel), eaten on the 23rd December, is Stargazy Pie, a pie of herring and vegetables with the head, or heads, of the fish emerging from the pastry crust. Mousehole is also renowned for its Christmas lights, both on the houses and along the port walls.
It is considered bad luck to eat the specially baked Saffron buns before Christmas Day. Each member of the house has their own and everyone shares a piece of everyone else’s. They also bake a saffron coloured Cornish Christmas cake.
Here’s a traditional Cornish recipe
Christmas Saffron Cake
Serves: A lot
Ingredients:
½ crown's worth saffron (0.5g packet)
5 ½ lbs plain flour
½ lb butter
1 ½ lb lard
3 oz yeast
1 lb sugar
2 lbs sultanas
2 ½ lbs currants
Either steep saffron in warm water overnight (or until all the colour is in the water), or roll it between sheets of greaseproof paper until it is a powder.
Put yeast into a dish, sprinkle with sugar and warm milk, then leave to rise.
Put flour into a bowl and rub in the fats and sugar and add fruit.
Add yeast, saffron and enough warm milk and water so that it cleanly mixes together.
Leave to plum (Cornish for rise) overnight in a warm place.
Knead it again to get air out and shape into loaves, roughly 2 lbs for a square loaf tin or 2 ½ lbs for a round tin. [Plum again to a good size.]
Cook for about an hour in a moderate oven, but this changes depending on your oven and how you like it cooked.
Brittany
The midnight mass is followed by the Christmas meal, or le reveillon, which in Brittany always includes buckwheat cakes and sour cream. The Bretons also believe the ghosts of the dead visit le reveillon during the twelve strokes of midnight, and that the weather for the next year may be divined over the 12 days of Christmas.
Brittany has an enormous number of standing stones. These megaliths, which are actually believed to be pre-Celtic, have accumulated many myths, even into the Christian era. One local belief is that on Christmas Night the standing stones march down to the sea to bathe and dance, but a curse is placed on anyone foolish enough to witness the sight, or attempt stealing the treasures which are revealed when the stones move.
Galicia
A popular meal for Christmas is the Cocido Gallego, a stew of meat. The broth is served first as a separate course and the meat (pork, cacheira - cooked salted pigs head with the nose and ears - and chourizo sausage) as another. This is served with grelos (the local turnip), greens, potatoes and garbanzo beans flavoured with pork fat.
Much of the ancient Galician musical heritage has been preserved and like many of the Celtic regions is currently undergoing a renaissance due to an increase in both local and international interest. The traditional Galician carols, or Cantigas De Nadal, are still often performed.
And since we are finishing in Northern Spain; here’s a glimpse of Christmas 1813, during Wellington’s Peninsula Campaign, from an officer of the 43rd Light Infantry - a Belén for the mind’s eye.
Just before dark while passing a corporal's picquet, an officer and myself stood for a few minutes, to contemplate a poor woman, who had brought her little pudding and her child from her distant quarters, to partake of with her husband, by the side of a small fire kindled under a tree.
Nollick Ghennal as Blein Vie Noa!