High Days and Holidays

• History
• Primary Education

High Days & Holidays

When you see this symbol in the lesson:

Use what you already know 

Learn some new facts

Get ready to take part

Reflect on what you have learned

Can you think of
any special days
we celebrate today?

Special Days

Many of the customs and holidays we celebrate in Ireland today originate from pre-Christian times and are connected to the land, nature and the changing seasons.

Festivals and special days often marked the beginning or end of a phase of agricultural work, such as sowing season and harvest time.  

Many of the customs and events celebrated in Ireland have their origins in the beliefs and lifestyle of ancient rural agricultural communities.  

These communities were deeply connected to the land and the turning of the seasons, and this cycle was marked with a range of special days and celebrations that marked the beginning or end of a phase of agricultural work such as the start of the sowing season, grazing season, or harvest time.  

As Christianity spread throughout Ireland, some of these festivals and celebrations were discarded and forgotten however many were adopted by Christians.  Some special days  became dedicated to saints, other festivals simply continued alongside Christianity with many people choosing to observe new religious days alongside their traditional customs. 

St Brigid's Day

St Brigid's day takes place on 1st February.  This is the same time as the ancient celtic festival of Imbolc. 

Brigid was the patron saint of cattle and diary workers and was said to travel across the land accompanied by a single white cow.

St Brigid's Day marks the beginning of Spring.

What did people make to
celebrate St Brigid's Day?

1. St Brigid's Cakes
2. St Brigid's Crosses
3. St Brigid's Rectangles
4. St Brigid's Bread

People made St Brigid's crosses! Here we can see some being made from straw.

St Brigid's crosses are traditionally made by weaving straw or rushes.  They are usually placed or hung by a door to protect from evil, and to have the blessing of Brigid on the home for the rest of the year.

Legend tells us that while Brigid's father was ill she sat with him and passed the time by gathering rushes from the floor and weaving them into the cross we know today.  

St Patrick's Day

17th March is the feast day of St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.  It became a national holiday in 1903.

In the past, this day brought the promise of better weather and longer evenings.  Traditionally it was the time to start planting potatoes!

What did children wear in the past to
celebrate St Patrick's Day?

1. bunches of shamrocks
2. green clothes
3. handmade badges
4. special hats

St Patrick's Day

17th March is the feast day of St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.  

In the past, this day brought the promise of improved weather and longer evenings.  Traditionally it was the time to start planting potatoes and early spring crops.

St Patrick's Day badges

In the past, children made special badges to wear on St Patrick's Day.  These badges could be round or square, and each had the cross of St Patrick in the centre.  They were made from paper or card and were decorated with ribbons, bows, rosettes, tassels, and even flowers.  Badges were usually worn on the shoulder.

As early as 1681 people wore emblems for St Patrick's Day.  

Early pilgrims wore small crosses made from twisted willow, or sally, pinned to their clothes.

Badges were usually made by children, but this tradition began to fade away in the early 1900s and wearing shamrocks became more popular.  Even today, many people will wear a bunch of shamrocks on St Patrick's day.

Many of our special days are connected to nature and harvest, so weather was very important. Can you think of any old sayings about forecasting the weather?

Predicting the Weather

In the past, there were no such things as weather reports, so people tried to predict the weather as best they could.  They watched nature for signs of the weather changing. Here are some common beliefs:

• 'Red sky at night, shepherd's delight. Red sky in morning, shepherd's warning'.
• Cattle lying down in their field meant rain was on the way.
• Hearing a cuckoo call while the trees were still bare meant a 

       bad harvest was coming.

• Seeing a hedgehog on St Brigid's Day meant good weather 

       was on the way.

St Swithin's Day

St Swithin's Day falls on the 15th of July and was thought to be very important day for predicting the weather.  It was believed that if it rained on St Swithin's Day it would rain for many weeks, as told in this simple rhyme!

St Swithin's Day if it should rain,

for forty days it will remain.

St Swithin's Day if it be fair,

for forty days will rain nae mair.

St Swithin was the Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Winchester in the ancient kingdom of Wessex.  He died in 862 AD.  

On 15th July 971 AD, Swithin's body was removed from its simple grave and placed in a magnificent shrine inside Winchester Cathedral.  Winchester Cathedral is one of the largest cathedrals in Europe and is the largest medieval cathedral in the world!

According to legend, after Swithin's body was moved, 40 days of terrible weather followed.

Even though St Swithin was English, watching the weather  on St Swithin's Day was very common in Ireland!  

According to the rhyme, how many days of bad weather would there be if it rained on St Swithin's Day?

10 Days

20 Days

30 Days

40 Days

50 Days

Halloween

Ancient Irish people celebrated Samhain, the first day of winter, on 1st November.  Today this day is known as All Soul's Day.

All Soul's Eve, 31st October, is commonly known as Halloween and was thought to be a time when supernatural forces such as ghosts and spirits were most active and powerful.  Many people were afraid that that spirits would carry  them off into the otherworld!

In the past, people believed that Halloween was a 'thin' time, when a window was open to let spirits and ghosts from the overworld to get through.

All sorts of ghosts and spirits were thought to be about on Halloween, such as banshees, faeries and the Puca, a much feared spirit that could change shape often appearing as a goat, horse or a bull!

How did people protect themselves from
Halloween ghosts and spirits?

They wore disguises and changed their voices

They rubbed soot on their faces

They carved Jack O'Lanterns

They lit bonfires

They rubbed salt on their heads

Halloween Traditions

They did all of these things!   The most common practice was to dress up in masks and scary costumes so that evil spirits would be tricked into thinking they were not people but fellow ghosts instead!  People also used false names or changed their voices.  A hollowed out turnip was carved with a spooky face and lit from inside.  This was placed in windows or doorways to frighten away evil spirits.  

Games were an important part of the celebrations, such as apple bobbing.  People also celebrated with special foods including barmbrack, a sweet bread made with dried fruit.  Small objects were wrapped in fabric and baked into the bread.  The object you found predicted events for the year ahead: a ring meant you would marry and a coin meant wealth!  There were many ways people tried to predict the future at Halloween, including placing nuts in the fire, throwing balls of wool out the window, peeling apples, and pulling up cabbages while blindfolded!

Some of these Halloween traditions  were carried overseas by Irish migrants and became part of the traditions in their new homes.   Can you think of any other countries that celebrate Halloween?

Making Jack O'Lanterns is believed to come from the legend of 'Stingy Jack' .  Jack was an unpleasant character who tricked the devil into turning himself into a coin.!  

Jack kept the coin in his pocket next to a cross to trap the devil, but when he eventually freed the Devil, Jack made the him promise not to take his soul when he died.

When Jack died the Devil could not take his soul and Heaven would not let Jack in, so the was forced to walk the earth forever, carrying a burning coal in a turnip lantern to light the way!

  

How is Christmas time
celebrated in your home?

Christmas 

In the weeks leading up to Christmas there was lots to prepare!   The home would be cleaned until it was spotless, and children were expected to help.   After the cleaning, the home was decorated with ivy, and holly with bright red berries.  Instead of a tree, families would use a large branch or the top part of an evergreen tree that would be decorated with homemade paperchains.  

Food was prepared including Christmas puddings and cakes, as well as ham, which would be placed in the chimney to smoke.  Fuel for the fire was gathered in and farm animals were given extra bedding and food.

On Christmas Eve, a large candle would be lit and placed in the window, and children waited on Santa to arrive.

Friends and family would send Christmas Cards like this one.

The first commerically produced card was created in 1843 and they were very expensive.   Developments in the printing process made cards cheaper and by 1870 sending Christmas Cards was a well established tradition!

Cards often had images of the natural world, including holly, ivy and robins.  They were often different hapes and sizes and some were decorated with colourful paper and ribbons.

in the build-up to Christmas, children would write a letter to Father Christmas, or Santa Claus.  Santa, or 'Santy' as he is often know in Ireland is associated with St Nicholas, who is the patron saint of children.  His feast day falls on 6th December.

Long socks known as stockings would be left for Santa to fill with gifts, including toys, ribbons and exotic fruits such as oranges.  Children received toys that were made from wood, or were woven, sewn or knitted!

What did most people eat for Christmas Dinner in the past?

1. Roast Turkey
2. Roast Chicken
3. Roast Pork
4. Pot Roasted Goose

Christmas Food

Christmas was a time of feasting and most families enjoyed pot roasted goose, with a herb stuffing made from bread or potatoes, and thick slices of ham with gravy.  Vegetables such as cabbage and mashed turnip 

were also served.

A rich cake made using spiced and dried fruit was a huge treat and would last for several days!

Goose and not turkey was traditional at Christmas time for many Irish families.  Geese were cheaper and easier to raise than turkeys and many towns and villages held Goose Fairs.  

Turkey started to become popular from around the 1850s onwards, but were a luxury that only the wealthy could afford.

Can you match these special days with their description?

This special day marks the start of Spring and is celebrated by making special crosses!

This special day was a time when ghosts and spirits were believed to be most powerful. It is still celebrated today!

To prepare for this special day, the home was cleaned and decorated with holly, ivy and paper chains.

This special day celebrates the patron saint of Ireland. In the past, children made and wore badges.

St Patrick's Day

Christmas 

Halloween

St Brigid's Day

Which special days do you like to celebrate?

It might be one we have learned about today or it
might be one that is special for you and your family!

How did you enjoy the lesson?

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