HARRY WARREN recalls a very personal Christmas tradition of Faith and Family
It was a bitterly cold Christmas Eve as my wife and I made our way home from Midnight Mass through the quiet streets of Dublin. Normally a time of joy and excitement, our hearts were heavy that night. Our son, daughter-in-law, and beloved grandchildren’s flight home for Christmas had been delayed due to poor weather. The thought of them not arriving in time for Christmas Day left us feeling lost.
They had moved abroad years before, and since then, returning for Christmas had become our most cherished tradition. But this year, their flight from London was delayed by heavy snowfall. As we walked with our arms linked through the empty streets, a sense of worry and sadness weighed on us. Would they make it by Christmas morning?
The house, filled with decorations and presents, suddenly seemed empty.
As we walked through the frosty air, memories of past Christmases came flooding back to me, when the house was filled with the warmth of family, and every room echoed with the sound of happiness.
“We’ll light the Christmas candle when we get home,” I said, offering some comfort to my wife despite the heavy uncertainty I felt. The candle, a tradition from my childhood, had deep Irish roots and was a powerful symbol we continued every Christmas Eve.
The tradition of lighting a candle in the window on Christmas Eve carries a deep and beautiful symbolism in Ireland. At its heart, this simple act is meant to welcome Mary and Joseph, who, on the first Christmas night, roamed the town of Bethlehem in search of shelter.
In placing a candle in the window, Irish families symbolically offer their home as a refuge for the Holy Family, saying, ‘There is room for you here’. This humble gesture, which may seem small in the grand celebration of Christmas, is a profound reflection of hospitality, compassion, and faith, capturing the true essence of the season.
Yet, the tradition carries even deeper layers of meaning, especially when we look back at the difficult and tumultuous history of Ireland during the 17th and 18th centuries, a time when the Penal Laws were enforced.
These laws severely restricted Catholics from practicing their faith. Catholic Mass was outlawed, and priests, who continued to serve their communities, were forced to go into hiding.
In those dangerous days, the candle in the window took on a secret and defiant role. On Christmas Eve, when the faithful longed to celebrate the birth of Christ, a candle placed in the window was a covert signal, letting wandering priests know that this was a ‘safe house’. Here, in the cover of darkness, they could come to offer Mass, hidden from the authorities who sought to suppress the Catholic faith.
Continue reading in this week’s Ireland’s Own festive double issue
