Tibb's Eve Tidbits

How a time that never was became the time to have on December 23

By Dennis Flynn

My father recently sent me off on a quest to explore one of the most offbeat Newfoundland and Labrador “holidays” – Tibb’s Eve. He started it by telling me, “There was a family nearby, the Browns, who were good hands telling a story using expressions that probably went way back hundreds of years to Ireland or England. If some person was a bit lazy about getting his barn painted they would say, ‘Don’t worry, I have it on good authority he will have it painted by Timm’s Eve.’ Same thing about a loan of a tool to anyone who had selective amnesia about returning things promptly: ‘Yes, my boy, he will rush that back to you Timm’s Eve.’” They called it Timm’s Eve, but the meaning was the same as the more common Tibb’s Eve – “a time neither before nor after Christmas,” Dad explained, which meant a time that didn’t exist. So anything that would happen then, really wouldn’t happen at all. “It was not a specific date like it has come to mean now,” he said.

Some of the oldest local references I could find to Tibb’s Eve bear out this interpretation. It was never meant as a disparagement on any person or a family name, it was simply shorthand for saying never. A 1906 Newfoundland book called Adventures of Billy Topsail describes a scene where a sailing vessel captain gets in battle with an unrelenting pan of ice: “Sure,” said Billy, after a glance to the bridge, “he’ll hit that pan till he smashes it, if it takes till Tibb’s Eve!” “Tibb’s Eve?” “Sure, b’y. Does you not know what that is? ’Tis till the end o’ the world.”

Those who wrote letters to the editors of St. John’s newspapers in a bygone era employed the phrase Tibb’s Eve to take a dig at slow moving political bureaucracy, as in this example from the Terra Nova Advocate and Political Observer in 1880: “…works of improvement and passing resolutions to take effect at Tibb’s Eve, a date the Board of Works doesn’t recognize.”

The Dictionary of Newfoundland English carries a similar interpretation, noting the origins are uncertain but that it is also called “Tib’s Eve” or “Tip’s Eve” or “Tipsy Eve,” and it originally meant simply “a day that will never come” or never. One theory of Tibb’s Eve’s origin links it to a fictitious St. Tibbs; another is that it’s a corruption of the proper name Tabitha, or a nickname for some person whose personal story or morals reflected an unlikelihood of achieving canonization (the process of being made a saint in the Catholic Church).

In any case, a more recent and secondary meaning is “a day or two before Christmas,” when men would go from house to house in the afternoon to visit and perhaps sample each other’s holiday home brew. To that end it is sometimes associated with a chance to have a drink early. Nowadays, local eating and drinking establishments have taken on Tibb’s Eve as festive event. On Facebook there’s a community group called “Celebrating Tibb’s Eve on Dec 23rd,” all about this uniquely Newfoundland and Labrador tradition. One entry quotes Dr. Phillip Hiscock, folklore professor at Memorial University, explaining that Tibb’s Eve as a day of visiting and drinking seems to have begun after the Second World War and originated on Newfoundland’s south coast.

In any case, a more recent and secondary meaning is "a day or two before Christmas," when men would go from house to house in the afternoon to visit and perhaps sample each other's holiday home brew.

One of the great fans of Tibb’s Eve is Ron Delaney of Bay Robert’s, NL, who has written about it in his blog, “Delaney’s Rant.” He recently shared with me his deep familial connection to Tibb’s Eve.

“For us, Tibb’s Eve was not all about alcohol as it is sensationalized today – which is sad. It was preparation to ensure the house and soul were ready for the season and that there was not much to do but celebrate. My grandfather brought the tradition from Dunfield, Trinity Bay, to our clan,” he says. “Tibb’s Eve is a special day for me and the Hurdle/Delaney Clan. It has been for generations… It was a time of sampling and ensuring all preparations for Christmas were taken care of. That included ensuring the baking was done, various rooms in the house were painted – the smell of fresh paint always reminded me of Christmas – and plenty of food and beverage was on hand.”

Ron notes that it was a particularly wonderful time of anticipation and special treats for him and his young relatives. “As a child, I remember going downtown Harbour Grace with some of my siblings, taking Pop to run his errands. These were exciting times, as we knew that in only days the big fellow would be here and, more immediately, we knew that when we went back to Nan and Pop’s there would be sampling. As children, it was a chance to taste Purity syrup and Christmas cake, but in later years as adults there was a chance for a ‘dram’ of liquor in a small Legion glass,” he recalls.

“Today, this celebration has kind of exploded into a new tradition for many; they have been introduced to another part of our culture. I hope they celebrate it in the means for what I think it was intended – to prepare, make sure all is right, and get your heart ready to accept and welcome Christmas.”

Looking for more?

Become a Downhome Member!

www.JoinDownhome.com

life is better...Sunset ride at Tom Luscombe River

Submitted to us by Eldred Allen - Rigolet, NL