The Irish have only a few Christmas traditions that stand out as traditionally Irish and not borrowed from other cultures in recent times. Perhaps the oldest of these traditions is ... housecleaning!  And it may, too, have been borrowed from other cultures, although it was as long ago as before the birth of Christ.

This is not your typical housecleaning. Traditional Irish "whitewashing the house" for Christmas involves cleaning and polishing the house and everything in it. "The cleaning of the house from top to bottom ... Every window and glass sparking, all the silver polished till it shone."  Take a drive through the Irish countryside in December and you may see a farmhouse that has the freshly whitewashed look.

Supposedly the "holiday cleansing" tradition originated in the purification ceremonies of ancient cultures, including the Mesopotamians (circa 4000 B.C.).  It has long been a part of the preparations in Ireland (and some other European countries) for Christmas day, and can still be found in many rural areas today.  Is this still a tradition in Ireland?