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Christmas Customs & Connections
To commemorate the name of St Nicholas' Parish Church in Carrickfergus, Santa is depicted pulled on his sledge by reindeers in a stained glass window of the church.
In the little village of Straidkilly near Glenarm, long before the Antrim Coast Road was built, one household continued a Christmas family tradition for many years. Every Christmas Eve they would place a half-a-crown coin on the outside windowsill for the fairy midwife. This offering was to ensure that if there was a birth in the family the following year, then the birth would be without complications and the child healthy. |
The words of the well loved Christmas hymn "Once in Royal David's City" were written by Mrs Cecil Frances Alexander , who was born in Strabane in 1815. A stained glass window in St Columb's Cathedral Londonderry dedicated to her memory, illustrates three of her hymns including this Christmas one.
The village of Gracehill was founded by the Moravians in the 18th century and members of the church still uphold some of the German customs. On Christmas Eve they hold a beautiful and moving Christingle service . This custom can be traced back to a Moravian children's festival in Germany on 20th December 1747.
Gracehill records for 23rd December 1784 read as follows:
The children later that day held a meeting... "in which Br. Taylor told them they would each receive a little lighted candle, so when Jesus Christ, who came a light into this world, dwells in the heart, the heart is light and thereby rendered a suitable habitation for him to reside in".
Several days before the event, youngsters gather and make about 250 Christingles. The Christingle takes the form of an orange, surrounded by red crepe paper. A candle is pushed into the top of the orange and cocktail sticks are pushed into the sides. On top of each stick is placed a raisin or small sweet. The orange represents the world, the candle - the light of life, the fruit and sweets on the cocktail sticks - "God's bounty to us".
On Christmas Eve they hold the Christingle Service and, between carols, the children perform a nativity play. As the service draws to a close, the candles on the oranges are lit and distributed to each child in the congregation. (Some adults also receive one of these Christingles.) The lights are lowered and in the flickering light of all these candles a carol is sung. |
Christmas Day brings its own set of challenges for the electricity service with sudden increases in demand when turkeys are put into ovens and kettles are switched on after good TV programmes have finished. Apparently the team in the electricity Central Control Room used to be issued with copies of the Radio Times and TV Times to attempt to forecast these fluctuations.
Share YOUR Northern Ireland yuletide customs and connections by using the form at the bottom of the page or by e-mailing ypam-online@bbc.co.uk . |
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