While the beginning of December is a joyful time during which we look forward to a sea or Bushveld holiday and the little ones’ wishing lists for Christmas, this time of the year also includes deep longing and nostalgia. With Christmas, we always think of the children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters who celebrate on their own on the other side of the world. This week we talked to Hananja to find out how they celebrate Christmas in Ireland.

1. Are there any interesting Christmas customs and traditions or special dishes?

A new country, new people, new cultures and of course new traditions. Christmas is an exciting time of the year and even more so when you go to live in a new country. Here in Ireland Christmas is taken very seriously. Some of the shops already put up their Christmas decorations in September, but most people will only start to decorate their homes from 1 December onwards. You can see the excitement on everyone’s faces when the lights are put up.
The first tradition I want to mention is aimed at the children. The Late Night Toy Show is a programme that is usually broadcast at the end of November. Various toys are tested and they make a whole performance of it. There are usually also several charities involved. Children stay up late to watch it and then compile a list for Santa Claus of everything they want. It is a very big deal here. Shops sell branded pyjamas and other goods. Parents make up packets of sweets for their children and make a whole festive evening of it. This is usually the start of the festive season.

For the grown-ups there is another fun tradition. Here in Ireland they do what is called 12 Pubs of Christmas. You get a nice festive Christmas sweater (the more ridiculous, the better). Friends will sometimes get matching sweaters so they can go to the pubs dressed similarly. The goal for the evening is to visit 12 pubs and have at least one drink at each of them. Many people try, but not many manage to finish the task. On Christmas Day hundreds of people endure the ice cold Atlantic Ocean for an icy cold Christmas swim in the sea. To be honest, this is not something I will attempt to do very soon – I find the water even too cold during the summer.

Once the lights are up and the Christmas songs start playing, the shops get filled with extraordinary and unique Christmas products. Various delicacies and cheeses from around the world, which we do not normally see here, find their way to the shelves. The fact that all our favourite chocolates are sold in buckets and our world famous jelly beans in 1,5 kg bottles is a good recipe for gaining a few extra kilograms during this time.
The meal on Christmas Day is usually a traditional one with turkey, ham and Brussel sprouts with chestnuts.

2. Are there beautiful Christmas lights in your neighbourhood or is there another Christmas trend in Ireland?

Lights are a big part of Christmas abroad, not only during the festive season but also during this time of year. In the winter we have “daylight savings”, which means that clocks are turned back an hour. In winter the sun rises late and sets early. By 17:00 it is completely dark. If you work, days could go by without you seeing the sun at all. People often become very depressed. The lights are a way of forgetting the darkness and cold and looking forward to what lies ahead. You can really see the joy and excitement on people’s faces when the lights are put up. People in the neighbourhoods go to great lengths with this, some more than others. Some people will decorate their homes with lights to such an extent that it can be seen from the moon. It is always nice to go for a walk and see at all the lights.

The past few years there were people who truly transformed their homes into a winter wonderland and had light shows every night to collect money for a charity of their choice. Last year we were placed under lockdown level 5 just before Christmas. People were heartbroken because they were not able to be with their families. Most people made the decision to keep their lights up until the end of January as a symbol of hope and light during the dark times we had to endure. It was so pretty.

3. Do you prefer traditional foods and festivities or have you found new ways of celebrating Christmas?

Back in South Africa we would usually find ourselves at the coast during Christmas time. We would make a gammon with salads, as it was usually too hot for a cooked meal. Afterwards we would spend the day on the beach. Since arriving in Ireland, we have visited a different country every festive period. We went to their big Christmas markets and tried their traditional food and the delicious warm glühwein at every stall. We have kept our glühwein cups each year to reminisce these times. Christmas is unbelievably beautiful and different in every country.

Amsterdam has the most beautiful moving lights over the channels, and there are stalls filled with fritters and cheeses. Austria with its crowded markets, beautiful dolls and warm sugared nuts, and of course Germany’s warm pretzels, glühwein, different sausages and enough schnapps to keep you warm when you are outside. We always celebrate Christmas Day at home, sometimes with people from South Africa who are close to our hearts, and sometimes on our own. We will typically have a big Christmas meal and afterwards wrap ourselves in ugly Christmas sweaters while enjoying hot chocolate and a good Christmas movie. This year we have little Emily and we want to incorporate some of the German traditions of her heritage, such as cleaning her shoes on 5 December and leaving it outside for her to wake up the next morning to find it filled with treats.