Customs and Manners of Christmas. The people of olden times, when Christmas used come, no matter how poor the people were they tried to honour Christmas the best way they could. They used always kill a calf for Christmas day and some of them used have a goose roasted Christmas day. When they used get out of bed Christmas morning they used take three drinks of water and bless themselves after each drink before breakfast, this was a cure for any sudden pain they used get for the rest of the year, there was another custom following it they used keep a piece of the Christmas candle that used be lighting in the kitchen and if they got the pain they used take three drinks and bless themselves as before and they used light the candle and they used make the sign of the cross on themselves

Ireland has a great many old Christmas customs peculiar to itself which comes down from one generation to another.
At the approach of Christmas people in the country set about tidying their houses white-washing and painting and decorating with holly and other decorations.
In towns and cities for weeks before Christmas all the shops and windows are beautifully decorated. In some shops there are Christmas cards and toys of all kinds other windows are laden with Christmas presents for young and old.
On Christmas Eve a large candle is placed in the window and is lighted by the father of the family or head of the house, as soon as night falls and is left lighting until morning. As soon as the candle is lighted all the family kneel down together and say a prayer. On Christmas night the door is left unbolted to show that the Irish people had an open welcome for the Holy family not like the inns of Bethlehem.
Everybody spend Christmas night in his own home and early next morning all the family may be seen hurrying to Mass. All the neighbours wish eachother a Happy Christmas because this is the season of peace and good-will. The remainder of the day is spent in feasting and visiting.

The candles in our house are lighted at five thirty on Christmas Eve. Two candles are put on each of the front windows of the house and one on each of the back. On Christmas Eve also a crib is made in our house and I light a number of small candles round it. On New Year's Eve one candle is lighted on each window, front and back and on Little Christmas Eve two candles are lighted on each window in the front of the house and one on each of the back. It is my father who lights them. Those candles are left lighting all through the night. On each night before they are lighted holy-water is sprinkled round the house. The crib is put up on Christmas Eve and left up until Little Christmas is all-over. Then it is taken

Christmas Customs

Before Christmas the people whitewash their houses and paint the furniture. On Christmas Eve they put up mottoes and holly around the windows.
On that same evening the Christmas candles are lighted on every window. They also bring sweet cakes and drink for Christmas.
On Christmas day boys and girls put on various kinds of clothes and go around from house to house. They sing and play music and dance in every house. Then the people of the house usually give them money and food and drink.
Many presents are brought to the children for Christmas and the women of the house bring a great amount of groceries. Christmas is a very happy time.

These travellers usually come at Easter and Christmas and before the Pattern and Listowel races.

Christmas Customs

Christmas is the most welcome time of the year. People decorate their homes first. They go for lime to the kiln to white wash their houses. They get holly and hang it around their homes in honour of our Lord's Birth. They make a crib in some houses as a reminder of the stable in Bethlehem. They go to town for Christmas. They bring home big candles and every kind of groceries and drink. On Christmas Eve night people stick candles in turnips. They light small candles in front of the crib and a bright star hanging in front of it. On Christmas day

Christmas is a merry time for young people. About a week before Christmas the people go to the kiln for lime to white wash their houses and then they go to town for food and drink for Christmas.

In Ireland at Christmas the lighting of candles and decorating the houses with holly and laurel are very old Customs. Mottoes are also put up. On Christmas day the boys dress themselves up in various kinds of clothes and go out with the wren. They also tie a wren to a bit of holly. They sing and dance in every house to collect money. During Christmas they celebrate in neighbour's house with a feast.

On Christmas night the candle is put in a crock of sand or a scooped out turnip and lighted before a crib.
The head of the family lights it and it must be lighted with a bit of paper. It is then sprinkled with holy water and prayers are said.
A fresh candle is lighted on Christmas Night, New Year's Night and Little Christmas Night.
The Christmas decorations should not be taken down on a Monday and should be left up until the octave of Christmas.

People who visit the locality during Christmas time usually decorates the alter with holly and ivy.

Folk-Tale
Long ago, there lived a man in the County of Kildare by the name of Ger Lenihan. He lived in a cottage alone. He used to make fine home made bread, and often his neighbours used come in to have dinner with him. A few days before Christmas he invited his neighbours for the Christmas dinner, telling them that he intended to have rich fruit cake before them. The day before Christmas Eve he went he went for his Christmas goods, and he told the shop keeper to give him all kinds of fruit and seeds that would make a Christmas cake. He paid for his goods and came home, and that night set to work to make his cake.
First he got his bread pan, and flour and he next put in all the fruit and seeds, and sugar that the shop-keeper gave

We light the candles on Christmas Eve at half past six. We put them into jam-pots, and put coloured paper around them. We place two half pound candles on the kitchen window and one on each of the room windows. My father that lights the candles and they are left lighting until eight o'clock the next morning. We also light them on New Years Eve and on Little Christmas night. We light the same number every night. We have a crib on the kitchen window and have small coloured candles lighting round it. We buy our crib in town and it is made of cardboard. The crib is put up on Christmas Eve and it is left up until the day after Little Christmas

On Christmas Eve we light eight candles in our house, one in the back room, one in the front room, one in the front kitchen window, one half-pound candle in front of the crib and two small coloured candles in front of the crib. Also in the loft three half pound candles are lighted. Six half pound candles we light, we leave them lighting all night. On New Year's Eve and on Little Christmas Eve we light the same number of candles as on Christmas Eve. It is youngest in the house thats lights the candles. Before they are lighted holywater is sprinkled on them. It is on the gable-end window our crib is put. On Christmas Eve it is

On Christmas Eve we light six candles in the house. We put one on each window. There is a crib on the window. The candles are lighted at seven o'clock on Christmas Eve. It is my father that lights the candles and they are left lighting all the night. The candles are lighted on Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, and Little Christmas Eve. The crib is put on the kitchen window and small coloured candles are lighted outside the crib. On St. Stephan's Day the wren boys carry a wren on a branch of holly.

New Year's Day:
If a dark-haired man is the first to enter a house on New Year's morning, 'tis a sign of good luck for the year.
There is an objection to a woman going into a house on New Year's morning. They say they will have better luck for the year if a man goes in first, and he will get a glass of whiskey.
You should never throw out water on New Year's day.
On New Year's Eve you should throw a loaf of bread at the door, to keep away the hunger for the year.
It isn't right to kill a bird on New Year's Day.
It isn't right for a woman to open a door on New Year's morning, until a man opens it first.

Christmas Day falls on the twenty fifth of December. The people of Ireland always keep Christmas as a holiday. Long before Christmas night all the women buy decoration papers, drink, sweet cakes, and a turkey. They also get holly and ivy.

The biggest storm - the present generation remembers occurred about ten or eleven years ago.
There was a storm before Christmas and the biggest storm of all was Christmas and the biggest storm of all was Christmas and the biggest storm of all was Christmas night.
Hay-sheds and houses were knocked and also heavy trees, and it continued almost the twelve days of Christmas. During that time lives were lost in the sea: a good many years ago, I can't tell the exact year, a thunder-storm knocked a part of my grand-uncle's house and the people of the house had a narrow escape.
There was a baby three days old and they had to rise some of the stones off it and still it lived. The stones were in the form of a gullet; they did not injure it.
All the ware in the dresser was broken and there was a hole near the door - thirty feet deep after the lightening.

The Irish people make the best preparation possible for Christmas. This kept in honour of our Lords birth.
The first thing that is done is, the people of the house white-wash it and paint the furniture. This means lime is got and put into a bucket then a kettle of boiling water is pored over it. This is stired with a stick until the lime and water are mixed together. Then one person gets a white-washing brush and white-wash the house. After this is done they get three or four boxes of paint and paint all the furniture in the house.
The Tuesday before Christmas the people of the house go to town and get all the provisions for Christmas. They also carry wine, whiskey, and porter. The 24th of December is called Christmas Day. On that night the candles are left lighting all night. The people of each house drink wine, whiskey and porter that night.
On Christmas Day the people who can, go to mass and hear the three masses which are said on that day.