Today, 6th January, marks Nollaig na mBan, 'little Christmas' or 'Women's Christmas'. I'm not really one to bask in a holiday embedded in outmoded gender roles, but the idea comes from the fact that women, who do basically all household and domestic work, should take today off, while their men-folk do the housework for the day. It's also the day when the Christmas decorations are taken down, so sadly the wreath will be coming off the door and the coloured strings of lights will be put away for another year (or at least until it gets dark and they offer some hygge).
Here's an article on the history of the tradition in Ireland.
I have, as you can tell, conflicted feelings about the day. I love celebrating the work women do and the things we contribute to society (life being the primary one I'm thinking of), but the idea of celebrating your right to take a day off from domestic work makes me ill at ease - women shouldn't have to wait until today, when weeks of hard work have taken their toll, to have a rest.
That being said, I suppose I'll make the most of the day, and eat a slice of cake on behalf of womenkind everywhere. Cheers to that!
