TRIVIA BITS …
THE CANDLE IN THE WINDOW
This is a traditional Irish Christmas custom.
The placing of a lighted candle in the window of a house on Christmas Eve is still practised today. It has a number of purposes but primarily it was a symbol of welcome to Mary and Joseph as they travelled looking for shelter.
The candle also indicated a safe place for priests to perform mass as, during Penal Times this was not allowed.
A further element of the tradition is that the candle should be lit by the youngest member of
the household and only be extinguished by a girl bearing the name 'Mary'
.
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