Happy Nollaig na mBan!
Perhaps one of my favourite Irish traditions is Little Christmas, otherwise known as Women's Christmas, or Nollaig na mBan, which takes place on 6th January every year.
It traditionally heralds the end of Christmas and is a day to celebrate the ladies. Ireland was, up till recently, a pretty heavily patriarchal society and the women's place and her work was considered to be in the home. This day was a day where, instead of focusing on the home and children, women got to go out visiting their friends or going out to a show or having afternoon tea. The men were expected to take care of the housework on this day, if none other.
Nowadays, in modern Ireland, it is still celebrated, and women take it as an opportunity to go for a spa day with their mam or a nice meal and a few drinks with friends. It's a chance to show the women in your life that you appreciate them, and all the tiny, thankless, unseen things they do.
