01/06/2026
Nollaig na mBan aka Women’s Christmas.
A day that was never small even though it’s also known as “little Christmas”.
I’ve always loved this day and it’s interesting because I just went to see the Housemaid in the cinema and now I have intertwining thoughts…more on that another time 😆
Back in the day in Ireland, women did EVERYTHING over Christmas. The cooking, the cleaning, the hosting, the emotional labor of holding the family together. So January 6th became the reward - the ONE day where women stepped away from the house and the men took over. Imagine!! The novelty.
Women. Tea. Cake. Long chats. Candles lit in the windows the night before…a little light to mark the end of it all. Later years, it turned into nights in the pub. Singing, dancing, gossiping, decompressing after weeks of holding it together.
Honestly, it still lands at exactly the right moment for me every year.
January is dark. Sometimes it can be dark dark. And Nollaig na mBan is this pause after the chaos of Christmas and the expectations of a fresh start of a new year. Just an excuse to meet your friends and have a laugh.
Some years it’s tea and cake and catching up. Other years it’s a film, takeaway, and not talking too much. And sometimes it’s a full night out that ends with sore feet and no voice the next day. The only rule I stick to is not turning it into work and I usually fail at that in some shape or form…inc this post!
But here’s my advice to you…rest matters. being held by your friends matters.
Irish women have always understood the power of gathering, even when it’s just to sit, talk nonsense or serious stuff, and just take a breath.
We are stronger than you will EVER know.
Lá Fhéile Nollaig na mBan to all my girlies out there. 💪
Love, Jennifer x
