NOLLAIG NA mBAN
by Tom Kenny
Owing to liturgical differences, the Churches of the Eastern Roman Empire celebrated Christmas Day on the 6th of January while those in the Western Roman Empire Churches did so on December 25th. In October, 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar as a correction to the Julian calendar, which meant Christmas Day was now celebrated on December 25th, and “Old Christmas” on January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany. This feast day celebrates the manifestation of the Son of God on earth, and also marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas.
Traditionally, this was the day the Christmas decorations were removed – to take them down before or after risked having bad luck. In some areas, all of the holly decorations were burned on this day, in others the holly was retained until Shrove Tuesday when it was used in the fire for cooking pancakes. It was also, until recently, the last day of the Christmas holidays for schools, both primary and secondary. On the evening before, especially in the days before electricity, 12 candles were often lit in the windows, if possible by 12 different people. The day was referred to as ‘Nollaig na mBan’, ‘Little Christmas’ or ‘Women’s Christmas’ and was seen as a reward for the housewife who had done all the hard work over Christmas. It was an old custom and was celebrated by women all over the country. It goes back to the time when large families were the norm and men never helped with the housework which was regarded as women’s work.
Some mothers would rub the tail of a herring on the eyes of her children to give them immunity from disease for the rest of the year. It was believed that the floor should be swept and a bucket of clean water ready before going to bed at night and that the bucket should never be used in the morning. There was a strong belief in some areas that well water was turned into wine at midnight on the eve of the 6th, but no one was allowed observe this spectacle or sample the well-water, this would bring bad luck.
“Nollaig na bhFhear, Nollaig mór maith, Nollaig na mBan, Nollaig gan rath” is an old saying which suggested that Women’s Christmas was no good. It was almost certainly invented by a man who resented having to take over the household chores and manage the children for the day while his wife did something for herself, had some much needed rest or maybe just celebrated. Roles were reversed. The tradition probably started when women traditionally visited each other for tea, cake and chat. Men would do the cooking and allow the women to go out and relax with each other.
Many country women would have reared several turkeys and sold them at Christmas. She would have kept the money – like egg money – and if there was any surplus, spent it on herself. On this day, some women would gather and enter the men’s domain, the pub, probably sit in the snug, drink stout and eat sandwiches. It was unusual for respectable women to drink stout, but as the day went on, they became as free as the birds in the tree and the singing would start.
Today, lunch or a buffet with wine has largely replaced the pub, though parties of women and girls are common in some bars and restaurants. It is curious that there is very little about Nollaig na mBan in Irish literature, and there are those who think the demise of the Irish language contributed to the fading of the custom with its Gaelic title. It was once common for children to buy presents for their mothers and grandmothers on Little Christmas, but this tradition had largely been taken over by Mother’s Day.
God rested on the seventh day, why not women on the twelfth day? Siobhán McKenna always had an open house in her home in Rathgar and she inspired many others to do the same. Lelia Doolan has been organising legendary gatherings for years now, and has inspired others. Maybe the tradition is getting a new lease of life. It deserves to as it reminds us of the strength of women, especially mothers, in Ireland and acknowledges the fact that they do the majority of the work in the house.
Our image of women enjoying themselves and having a drink is courtesy of RJNagle via Flickr/the Journal.ie