From the religious to the secular, the silly to the sincere, Ireland is brimming with beloved Christmas traditions.

Here is a sample of our favourite holiday rituals.

The Wren

While The Wren may be waning in popularity, some communities around Ireland are still devoted to keeping this one alive.

Typically celebrated on St Stephen's Day, The Wren sees groups of children making colourful costumes, often with straw.

Tom Ahern, left, from Clane, and Pat McEvoy at the Wren Boy Festival in Sandymount Green today (26/12/2009). Photo. Mark Stedman/RollingNews.ie

They then move from house to house, singing songs and playing music.

Street busking

As you finish off your Christmas shopping, swing by Grafton Street and listen to some of the many buskers performing their hearts out.

Christmas is a particularly busy time for buskers and it's also a great time to spot a celebrity or two.

U2 frontman Bono participated in the busk on 24/12/2013. Photo: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

Famous musicians such as Bono, Hozier, and Dermot Kennedy have all taken part in Christmas Eve busking in recent years.

12 Pubs of Christmas

Journey through the city streets in the run-up to Christmas and it will be difficult to avoid groups of friends celebrating one of Ireland's more modern Christmas traditions.

Photo shows people eating and drinking, in the south city centre of Dublin. Photo: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

The 12 Pubs of Christmas is a bar-hopping experience - Christmas jumpers and reindeer antlers are very much encouraged.

Midnight Mass

It has long been a Catholic tradition to kick the festivities off with Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

Over the years, midnight mass has defied its name, with some parishes holding it as early as 6pm.

Festive dips

Beaches and swimming spots around Ireland are likely to be jammers with wild swimmers on Christmas morning.

Bring a hot drink, plenty of warm clothes and read these top tips on how to safely enjoy this tradition.

2HC6GEJ Patrick Corkery (centre) wears a santa hat and beard as he takes a Christmas Day dip at Sandy Cover near Dublin. Picture date: Saturday December 25, 2021.

Nollaig na mBan

January 6th - the Epiphany - is referred to as Nollaig na mBan or Women's Christmas.

As per tradition, the women of the household are invited to celebrate with their fellow women, while the men do the household tasks, in recognition of the hard work carried out by women throughout Christmas.

Today, Nollaig na mBan is seen as a celebration of women, with meet-ups and events taking place across the country.

Feature image: Grafton Street during Christmas, Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie