Irish Christmas Candle

The Irish Christmas Candle is a gesture to welcome ancient travelers, who are in search of shelter. To show that in this home, there is room for them as well as for the coming child.

Irish Christmas traditions, similar to several festive customs the world over, have evolved over the generations.

One of the most favorite traditional Irish Christmas decorations is the candle in the window. This particular tradition dates back to that ancient Christmas Eve, when Mary and Joseph were looking for shelter. The candle in the window during Christmas season is a mark of Irish hospitality. It's a way of welcoming Mary and Joseph along with other travelers who might happen to pass by on look out for a warm place to stay during the cold Christmas season.

There was a time when it was considered illegal as well as dangerous to practice the Catholic faith in Ireland owing to the oppressive Penal Laws. At such times, the candle in the window of Irish homes also signaled traveling priests that this was a home where they were welcome and where it was possible for them to conduct the traditional Irish Catholic Christmas Mass in a safe and secure manner.

At Christmas Eve, after dinner the table is again set with bread and milk. Then, the youngest member in the family is supposed to strike the ceremonial match and light a very big candle to be placed in the front window.

Then when it is time to put out the flame, only a girl named Mary has that honor. Some families carry out an alternative to this custom and have someone named Mary light the candle and then have the youngest member of the family blow it out. This contemporary twist serves the purpose for those safety-conscious parents who really don't want their youngest child lighting a match at all, no matter what the tradition says! After all, blowing a candle out is much safer in comparison to lighting one!

Another optional tradition is to place an electric candle in the window as that is also much safer than an open flame.

A welcoming candle:

A Christmas candle in the window, still very popular in Ireland, was long displayed as a mark of hospitality. Window candles in Ireland signal that the house owner wants to welcome the Holy Family - unlike the inn keeper in Bethlehem who turned them away. During the unpleasant times of intolerance for Catholicism in Ireland, window candles also meant to announce that it was safe to say mass at home.

Candle at the window:

Candle at the window is one of the well-observed Irish Christmas traditions and has changed little over the years, except for its rising popularity. In earlier times, only a single candle was placed in a window as a sign of welcome for Mary and Joseph on Christmas Eve. Now it is quite common to see lit candles, generally electric candles placed in windows, and you are most likely to find candles in all windows throughout the festive season of Christmas.