Nollaig na mBan

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4th January 2023

Nollaig na mBan

"God rested on the seventh day, but women didn't rest until the twelfth day of Christmas." 

The twelfth and final day of Christmas, January 6th, is known in Ireland as Nollaig na mBan or Women’s Christmas. Goose was the traditional meat served on Women's Christmas.The custom was that women made social calls to the homes of their friends and neighbours and enjoyed tea and the last of the Christmas cake. 

The idea of Nollaig na mBan might seem twee but the day is not filled with the patronising umbra of its past. Galas and charity fundraisers for women's causes are part of the lineup; and many organisations have embraced the day to celebrate women's contributions. 

Nollaig na mBan is in vogue with hotels and restaurants advertising ladies’ afternoon teas and evenings out, accompanied by a glass of prosecco. The Irish Writers' Centre run an annual event. 

James Joyce’s short story The Dead from Dubliners (1914) takes place on the Epiphany. Browse our online Dublin City Libraries catalogue here. 

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2 Comments
james larragy
28 days ago
When was this custom created? Did it exist among the peasantry? Why does Joyce not mention it in Dubliners or especially not in The Dead, even though this is centred around a party on 6th January in which principals argue about nationalism?
28 days ago
Hello James, I have no idea when this custom was created exactly but here is a link I found: https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2023/0106/1103975-the-roots-and-traditions-of-nollaig-na-mban/ James Joyce’s short story The Dead from Dubliners (1914) takes place on the Epiphany. Joyce featured the Halloween death divination custom (known as "ask the saucers") in his short story Clay in the same collection. Women’s Christmas was also associated with the Irish death divination customs that were practised at Halloween. One tradition is that a "cake" of mud or clay was made and candles named for the family members in the house was placed into it.

The order in which the candles burned out indicated the order in which the owners of those candles would die. Kind Regards, K