Christmas in Ireland

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 * Christmas in Ireland
 * Christmas in Ireland

History
Christmas in Ireland is very much to similar to the UK and North America. In Ireland, people say Nollaig Shona Duit instead of "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays". It is derived from an unknown and old language.

Traditions
The Irish have many the same traditions as western cultures. However, Christmas is celebrated from December 26 to January 6. People, in this case, work until lunchtime on December 24, as westerners tend to work until December 21 or earlier.

Mascots
There is no specification that Santa Claus nor St. Nicholas is the mascot for Irish Christmas. However, we can assume that either St. Nicholas or St. Stephen is Ireland's Christmas mascot.

Food
The traditional Irish Christmas dinner consists of turkey or goose and ham with a selection of vegetables and roast potatoes. There is also Christmas Pudding, a traditional Irish dessert served on Christmas Day.
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