The tradition of the 12 Irish Christmas Pubs

In Ireland, Christmas is a very important holiday for the whole family! Even for students, who have created their own Christmas tradition: the tradition of the 12 Christmas Pubs. The concept? Celebrate Christmas and the end of the first student semester by visiting no less than 12 irish pubs in the evening! It’s a busy programme, which doesn’t necessarily mean alcohol abuse, as many participants drink a pint or two before moving on to sodas and other softier drinks. (We recommend that you be reasonable and in moderation).

The rules of the 12 Christmas Pubs tradition

Each irish pub has its mission

So the evening is punctuated by visits to 12 different pubs. But the principle doesn’t stop there. The participants will have to fill in “pledges” or “missions” in each establishment visited to bring a little more spice…

The rules are variable:

come with a super-chic Christmas sweater,
show up at the counter with a hat on,
order his drink while placing a ridiculous and out of context word in your request (e.g. smurf),
stay only a certain amount of time in each irish pub
singing a Christmas carol in front of everyone,
arm wrestling with the guy next to him at the table,
…etc.

Each year, the rules change according to the inspiration of the evening’s organizers. The idea being above all to have a good time, all in the conviviality and enchantment of Christmas.

It should be noted that this tradition is becoming more and more important over the years: also, more and more companies are offering this tradition of the 12 irish Christmas pubs to their employees. A way to strengthen the bonds between each employee, in a fun and original context.

A few tips, however, if you decide to organize this type of event:

Avoid going to every pub with 30 people: you risk being refused entry (pubs don’t like large groups),
choose a neighborhood with a good supply of irish pubs to avoid long or illogical trips,
prefer accessible and good-natured pawns,
drink moderately,
enjoy the moment!