626 irelandwales and scotland in december

Christmas in Ireland lasts from Christmas Eve to the
feast of the Epiphany on January 6, which is referred to
as Little Christmas. Ireland's Christmas is more
religious than a time of fun. Children often put out
Christmas sacks instead of stockings. It is tradition to
leave mince pies and a bottle of Guinness out as a snack
for Santa.
Lighted candles are placed in windows on
Christmas Eve, as a guide that Joseph and
Mary might be looking for shelter. The candles
are usually red in color, and decorated with
sprigs of holly.
Irish women bake a seed cake for each person
in the house. They also make three puddings,
one for each day of the Epiphany such as
Christmas, New Year's Day and the Twelfth
Night.

After the Christmas evening meal, bread and
milk are left out and the door unlatched as a
symbol of hospitality.

St Stephen's Day, the day after Christmas, is
almost as important, with football matches and
meetings going on. For children, the Wren
Boys Procession is their big event. Boys go
from door to door with a fake wren on a stick,
singing, with violins, accordions, harmonicas
and horns to accompany them. The reason for
the ceremony is to ask for money 'for the
starving wren', that is, for their own pockets.

The Scottish people have their big celebrations
on New Year's Day, called Hogmanay. A long
time ago there is a superstition that it is bad
luck for the fire to go out on Christmas Eve,
since it is at this time that the elves are abroad
and only a raging fire will keep them from
coming down the chimney.

On Christmas day, people sometimes make big
bonfires and dance around them to the laying
of bagpipes. Bannock cakes made of oatmeal
are traditionally eaten at Christmas.

The Welsh are great lovers of music. Every
year at Christmas, carol singing is the most
enjoyed activity. In the churches, they are sung
to the harp.Caroling is called eisteddfodde
and is often accompanied by a harp. In some
rural areas a villager is chosen to be the Mari
llwyd. This person travels around the town
draped in white and carrying a horse's skull on
a long pole. Anyone given the "bite" by the
horse's jaws must pay a fine. The carolers
make their rounds at dawn on Christmas
morning, and families wake from sleep and ask
them in for refreshments.
Christmas is spent with lots of people gathering
in the public square for the announcement of
who, during the year, has won the prize for

submitting the best music for a new carol, and
the formal pronouncement of it as the carol of
the year. This carol is now added to those
already known and sung in Wales.

Taffy making is one of the most important of the Welsh
Christmas.It is a special kind of chewy toffee from
brown sugar and butter. The Christmas goose is also
essential . The Welsh people maintain most of the
traditional customs associated with England such as
holly, mistletoe, pudding, carols, Christmas stockings,
oranges, crackers and lots of snow. Children often put
out Christmas sacks instead of stockings. It is tradition
to leave mince pies and a bottle of Guinness out as a
snack for Santa.