For many women across Ireland, Christmas is rarely just one day of magic. It’s a full season of lists, late nights, house preparations and the quiet pressure to make everything feel magical for the whole family.
While Christmas is often sold as a time for rest, joy and togetherness, women find themselves wondering what else needs to be bought, what’s next to be cleaned and if there is enough food in the house to feed the hungry family members. Even after Christmas Day has gone by, the women of the house are still shuffling along, tidying up the house and doing the post-Christmas clean up.
While women today still take on many of the household duties, there has been a change in roles in the past few years, with more men taking on tasks in the home. However, for decades, women were the only ones who slaved away and made the house become a home. From cooking, cleaning and keeping the house and family in tip-top form, they were the ones who never got a break during festive season.
@vivienne_in_nyc🤔 I like the whole wine idea 💡🍷 Happy Women’s Christmas to you all! One thing was for is , and that is women are expected to rest today! An article from the Irish Times in 1998 joked that even God rested on the seventh day, Irish women didn’t stop until the twelfth! 😈🤶🏼 Women’s Christmas is known by several names in Ireland including the Irish, Nollaig na mBan, The Feast of Epiphany and the Twelfth Night 🇮🇪 It’s one of the more unique Christmas traditions in Ireland, and it takes place on January 6th, officially marking the end of the Christmas celebrations. Although it began in the 18th century, the tradition of Women’s Christmas is still strong in western Ireland. Irish men, realizing the hard work it took their tireless spouses to organize the meals, the gifts, the decorating and the get-togethers with family and friends, took on all the household duties for the day – cooked, cleaned and looked after the children. The mothers, aunts, sisters, and daughters then left all the chores behind and went out to celebrate. For some it may have been a house party or a quiet tea with friends. For others, it may have been a night out at a public house. Some choose to exchange gifts, others not. Even today, leading up to Christmas, women have been budgeting, baking, wrapping, roasting, decorating and negotiating each and every aspect of the holiday season. After all the days of celebrating, every woman should get to go out for a wee celebration of her own.♬ Kitchen – SZA
To honour their work not just at Christmas, but throughout the year, the 12th day of Christmas, a.k.a January 6th, was theirs. This day signifies the end of the Christmas period in Ireland, before we all have to face the reality of life again. It was even seen as bad luck to take down your Christmas decorations before this date.
The tradition unique to Ireland saw women gather together to eat the last of the Christmas treats and take a day to rest, while the men took on the role of cooking and cleaning. Mothers, sisters, grandmothers, aunts and friends all gathered together and spent the day going from house to house, eating, relaxing and putting the world to right – exactly what we women do best.
This tradition went on for decades throughout Ireland, but in recent years, as less pressure is put on the women in the home, it has slowly started to die out. More men are taking part in household chores like cooking and cleaning, and women are starting to have a life, a job and commitments outside the home.
This shift in gender roles was extremely necessary but was there a need for Nollaig na mBan to be slowly eased out of culture?
While for some they might see the celebration as dated or sexiest, and to some extent it is, why not reshape the meaning of this day instead of completely doing away with this tradition?
Many women still bear more of the holiday stress and preparations of Christmas than their partners. From getting rooms ready for children arriving home, buying presents for loved ones and helping with the big food shop, this time of year is nonstop for them. And it doesn’t just stop after Christmas.
If you stop and look back at all the hard work the women in your life do, from making the home a cosy and safe space, to juggling a job and kids, they are always on the go and rarely get the recognition they deserve. Sure, we have Mother’s Day, but in recent times, that has just become another commercialised holiday. Nollaig na mBan is a genuine day of relaxation and reconnection for women, and a chance for us to say thanks.
Instead of “letting” the men take on the women’s role, let it be a day where women can connect with friends, sisters and mothers, as more often than not, the chance to do this over the month of December becomes impossible. Even if nothing in your home changes, it might simply be a time to reflect on what the women in your life do, and a little reminder to say thanks.
Women don’t need more cards or presents to mark the occasion; they just need to be reminded that we do appreciate everything that they do for us. It’s a chance for them to be celebrated in our own traditionally Irish way.
To keep up this well-loved tradition, some events were held across Ireland this weekend and on January 6th to give women a chance to relax, reconnect and be celebrated in all the ways they should:
Festival Mná – Westmeath
View this post on Instagram
This festival took place this weekend in Moate, Westmeath and invited women to come a join in for some yoga and meditation to allow them to fully switch off for a few hours after the buzz of Christmas. They also held one of Ireland’s largest women circles, where women would share stories, wisdom and truths to help inspire and ground each other. This event was a fabulous way for women to meet up, connect and celebrate together.
Women’s Little Christmas – Dublin 3
View this post on Instagram
On January 6th, the communities of Ballybough, Clonliffe and North Strand in Dublin 3 are celebrating Nollaig Na mBan with a day-long festival.
This day out will be celebrating the lives and achievements of the women from Dublin’s Inner City as 10-12 local women receive awards for their contributions throughout the year. What a gorgeous way to pay homage to the women that do so much for the community!
Bound By Women – Bewley’s Grafton Street
View this post on Instagram
Bound By Women was a bookbinding workshop that took place in Bewley’s this weekend.
The event allowed participants to take in memorabilia that was personal to them to create their very own book of memories. What a nice way to look back on all the amazing things they have achieved over the years!
Whatever you decide to do this Nollaig na mBan, allow it to be a time of reflection and relaxation and a little reminder to those women in your life who make Christmas a little more magical!