First holy communion Ireland – celebrating the eucharist with a twist
Holy communion differs from country to country, and at Little Robes Royale we will hopefully try to cover blogs and articles on as many as possible. As the title may have given away, today we will be focussing on the Emerald Island and their fabulous traditions.
Ireland does first holy communion well. There have been some gradual changes over the years where new traditions have come about. Here are some of the traditions that over time we have come across.
Please be aware some of these findings are not supposed to offend but just what we have come across over the years servicing this amazing commandment – enjoy!
NOT EVERYONE IS INVITED!
The more religious or spiritual parts of the day are often by invite only, this because families have a multitude of faiths or interests. Not all find long ceremonies possible or appropriate to attend. Also churches have a limited space, this can also be because there can be multiple communions being completed at the height of the season. This doesn’t mean they do not want to celebrate a landmark event in the life of their relative or friend, but they would rather someone attend who will truly appreciate the ceremony as not all churches have a huge amount of space and there is often multiple communions taking place on the same day.
WHITE HANDBAGS & THE OUTFIT
The little ones, especially the girls will constantly be asked to twirl! Also they almost always lose their compulsory white handbag on purpose – unless it has a smart phone and headphones in of course!
GIVING OF GIFTS
Our guests and customers have admitted that they have often required a visit to the garage. They’ve left it too late to order a thoughtful gift online. It’s time to load a few notes into an envelope. Luckily most service stations have given more thought to this event and made cards are readily available, as well as ATM machines that provide those all-important monetary gifts
GRANNY JEWELS
Most children gifted with jewellery dread wearing them! That’s right in Ireland, when children receive gift from granny without having the choice to select them as part of their outfits, they actually don’t like wearing them! So on their special day, they prefer monetary gifts instead so that they can choose their winning clothing combination themselves.
THE PREP
The day is booked, the children have prepared. Before receiving Communion, children are given instructions about what is involved. In Ireland, typically instructions are given to the children at school. It is important that the parent fully understand what the school is teaching the child so the preparation can be reinforced harmoniously at home and at school. It is a good idea to discuss the parts of the mass again with your child. At each age, the child begins to understand more spiritually the purpose of the mass. The meaning of communion varies with each religion, but it is important that the child understand each time communion is taken, it is symbolizing Christ’s last supper. We’ve heard from some parents who have found it very helpful to act out at home what happened at the last supper. Some have gone as far as setting up stuffed animals with the names of the apostles taped to them and acting out the last supper!
BORING BOYS’ SUITS
The boys and their first communion suits are not so much of a fuss, although at Little Robes Royale we are trying out best to create suits that are more interesting and with a sense of style. More and more parents and carers are complaining about boring boys suits, very little choice. The choice they do have are much the same. Getting boys to be individualistic is proving more and more challenging, but don’t worry we are on it!
TANTRUMS, TIARA’S, TAILORING & THE DRESS
For the girls, the dress, the dress, the dress. Their have been tantrums of course, lots of little ones want a dress that maybe out of budget, and the competition is fierce! How do we avoid potential disasters? We keep a list of all the dresses sold to particular schools, so doubles are not sold. We keep a list of churches that the children attend, to make double sure that no child wears the same two suits of gowns. The other problem we cut out is dragging your children around al the different shops. We have a huge online range for you to choose from – but even if you don’t see something you fancy, you can contact our team by phone or email and have a dress made to your taste! No need for hours of fighting traffic, finding parking, bribing kids to behave, buying lunch as the day has run away from you! The number one place our kiddie customers hated going – the department store!
