​Irish History: Volume XVI

New Year’s Traditions
 
Happy New Year! Despite the many continuing challenges of this modern pandemic era, we’ve had an incredible year here at SRL and are so grateful for you—the community that helps make SRL the supportive and amazing place it is for all our dancers to learn and grow. We have so much to celebrate and are ready to go into to 2022 with optimistic hearts and spirits, so we thought we’d bring you some Irish traditions to help you ring in the New Year too!
 
In Ireland, one of the most consistent New Year’s traditions is one we usually associate with spring rather than mid-winter: a thorough house cleaning! Starting the year with a clean house is thought of as starting the year with a clean slate. There’s even a tradition of sweeping the dust right out the door (to sweep the last year out,) and then sweeping inward (to gather good luck for the new year in!) In some areas, it’s also thought of as essential to make sure every dish in the house is as clean as possible—if you were methodical enough, Cú Chulainn (a great hero from the Ulster cycle of Irish mythology) would leave everyone treats. This coincides with a more regional tradition (remember: any Irish tradition is usually a regional one!): giving small, but thoughtful gifts to those you love to celebrate the new year.

​Though it’s fallen out of favor as modernity has led to more environmentally-friendly forms of heating, it also used to be traditional to make sure one’s house was fully stocked with coal as the new year began—though that’s most likely a practical tradition, as the coldest part of winter (even in fairly mild Ireland) is still ahead. There’s always a lot of focus in Irish tradition on prosperity—which makes sense for a country that’s suffered many periods of deprivation—which is how we get one of Ireland’s quirkiest New Year’s traditions: bread banging. A country-wide superstition leads people to bang on the walls of their house with any leftover (and likely hardened) Christmas bread to chase out the bad luck, welcome in the good, and ensure enough bread in the following year. But that’s not the only ear-ringing tradition--you must also bang on pots and pans at midnight with wooden spoons. You might remember this tradition from during the height of the pandemic in 2020—people all over the UK and Ireland were doing this for essential workers each evening, as it’s said to be a protective act for both your family and your community.
 
Depending on what part of Ireland you live in, you’ll likely be having a big meal on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day—both are considered holidays throughout the country. New Year’s Day was even considered a feast day in the Catholic church until 1960! One consistent tradition surrounding this holiday meal is making sure to open all the windows and doors (or at least unlatch them, if it’s chilly!) to welcome family and ancestors—living and dead. In many regions, a place will even be laid on the table for any loved ones you’ve lost in the last year (or simply still miss, even years later!) to honor them and assure them that, even in death, they’ll always have a place at your table. And don’t forget your living relatives! It’s traditional for the women of the house to visit relatives you don’t often see on New Year’s Day to ensure you stay in good standing with your family for the next year.

Depending on what part of Ireland you live in, you’ll likely be having a big meal on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day—both are considered holidays throughout the country. New Year’s Day was even considered a feast day in the Catholic church until 1960! One consistent tradition surrounding this holiday meal is making sure to open all the windows and doors (or at least unlatch them, if it’s chilly!) to welcome family and ancestors—living and dead. In many regions, a place will even be laid on the table for any loved ones you’ve lost in the last year (or simply still miss, even years later!) to honor them and assure them that, even in death, they’ll always have a place at your table. And don’t forget your living relatives! It’s traditional for the women of the house to visit relatives you don’t often see on New Year’s Day to ensure you stay in good standing with your family for the next year.
 
While we covered some wintery superstitions last week, it’s probably not surprising that there’s a host of old wives’ tales specifically related to New Year’s (we no longer have to wonder where the phrase “the luck of the Irish came from”—they’ve always been careful to make their own luck!) First off: the doors. You must enter your house through the front door and leave through the back around the stroke of midnight for good luck (it’s also a good way to wish your neighbors a Happy New Year!) But be careful—make sure a handsome man is the first in the door, and not a red-hair woman. The former will bring good luck, and the former bad. No handsome men in the house? Make sure to place that leftover Yuletide mistletoe (sometimes holly or ivy, all Yuletide decorations you’re likely to have on hand and symbols of protection_ under your pillow before you go to sleep to ensure you dream of the man you’ll marry in the next 12 months!
 
Take note of the wind as you run in one door and out the other (with all the purses and wallets in your house in hand to ward off money troubles next year)—a westerly wind ensures good luck for Ireland, while an easterly wind means, annoyingly to the Irish, good luck for the UK. No clue which direction would mean good luck here in the U.S., but, no matter which way the wind blows we here at SRL hope you have the happiest holiday season and the brightest new year! Looking forward to dancing with you again in 2022!
 
This post is part of a series. Read our last Irish History post, all about the history of Judaism in Ireland, here. Check out the blog every Monday and Thursday for more posts about Irish history, dance culture, community news, and spotlights on our dancers, staff, and families—among other fun projects! And don’t forget to dance along with us on both Facebook and Instagram.