Just as in the US, Christmas is a widely important holiday in Ireland. Thanksgiving in the US takes up November culturally. However in Ireland, directly after Halloween, or Samhain, an ancient Celtic Irish festival always celebrated near the beginning of November, the Christmas celebrations start in Ireland. Ireland's popular seasonal radio station, Christmas FM, can be heard across Irish households, and households start replacing their pumpkins with snowmen.
In Dublin this weekend, I was dazzled by the Christmas decorations in the city center, along Grafton Street and in the Temple Bar area. I was also lucky enough to attend a Christmas market at The Bolands Mills Bizarre Bazaar, complete with hot cocoa, craft vendors, and magical performances. I was even able to buy a “new” vintage coat. The best part of the festivities, for me was the fake snow, bubbles blown out of a machine, blanketing everyone as we were serenaded by Christmas Carols.
While Christmas is of course a time of shopping and gift giving, it has ancient roots in Celtic and Irish folklore. Alban Arthan is a celebration that marks the winter solstice. On the day of the winter solstice, December 21, the shortest day of the year, the sun was said to sit still over the sky.
