the magazine of the sirens • by the sirens • for the sirens
December 2014
Defending
Holiday Tr aditions
A NeoNostalgic Yuletide Volume 2, issue IV
Published by Siren School
Historical Reasons for the Traditions ˝ of the Season A Christmas Message from Patricia SemackRitter .............................................................5
Christmas comestibles ......................................48
Charles Dickens - the modern Father Christmas .......6
Worldwide traditions ..........................................52
Christmas Memories from Bonnie Ramsburg .....18
Christmas Crackers ...........................................55
Oh Tannenbaum ................................................27
Carols .. .............................................................56
A Windsor Castle Christmas .............................28
Handbells ..........................................................57
Wreathed in History........................................... 34
Presents ............................................................58
Empty Nest Christmas by Corinne Royer ......... 35
Snow & Ice ........................................................68
Baking Gingerly .................................................39
Holly, Ivy & Poinsettias ......................................72
The Gingerbread Man .......................................43
Yule Log ............................................................74
Fruitcake 101 ....................................................44
Wassailing .........................................................75
Christmas Comestibles .....................................47
Murmerring ........................................................76
The Goff Family’s Traditions .............................53
Pudding! ............................................................77
The Nutcracker .................................................60
The Christmas Pickle ........................................87
A Kiwi Christmas with Victoria Blake .................71
Hannukah - the Feast of Lights .........................90
Cookie-rama with Kathleen Young ....................82
Kwanzaa ...........................................................92
Hang with Care - Stockings...............................84
Boxing Day ........................................................94
Baking up memories with Kimberley Thomson Morris ....................................................89
The 12 Days of Christmas ................................96
Christmas Traditions and Customs (from WhyChristmas.com)
International Giftbringers...................................51
Twelfth Night .....................................................98 Epiphany ...........................................................99 Additional Traditions ........................................101
Advent .............................................................12
-2-
When Christmas is Celebrated .........................14
RECIPES
Why the 25th of December? .............................16
Gingerbread ......................................................42
Christmas or Xmas? .........................................20
Fruitcake ...........................................................46
The Colors of Christmas ...................................21
From around the world ......................................54
Christmas Trees ................................................22
Wassail .............................................................75
Christmas Cards ............................................... 36
Christmas Pudding ............................................79
Candy Canes ....................................................38
Pinata Cake ......................................................81
Yule or Yuletide ("Yule time") is a pagan religious festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples, later being absorbed into and equated with the Christian festival of Christmas. The earliest references to Yule are by way of indigenous Germanic month names Ærra Jéola (Before Yule) or Jiuli and Æftera Jéola (After Yule). Scholars have connected the celebration to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin and the pagan Anglo-SaxonModranicht. Terms with an etymological equivalent to Yule are used in the Nordic countries for Christmas with its religiousrites, but also for the holidays of this season. Yule is also used to a lesser extent in English-speaking countries to refer to Christmas. Customs such as the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing, and others stem from Yule. A number of Neopagans have introduced their own rites. Image: The Holly King. The Holly King is a speculative archetype of modern studies of folklore and mythology which has been popularized in some Neopagan religions. [source: Wikipedia]
-3-
We all follow certain customs this time of year. More often than not we’d be hard-pressed to cite the origins of these traditions. This month we will take a neo-nostalgic look at the Yuletide traditions observed around the world, especially the current incarnation of all we expect Christmas (the granddaddy of holiday observances) to look like, and whence came those expectations. Hint: this time, Hallmark’s not to blame. Whatever be your own chosen religious activities or personal rituals, we wish you a harmonious holiday season, one filled with true peace and goodwill.
-4-
A Christmas Message by Patricia Semack Ritter My father was a very talented man, an artist with wood. He loved the way it smelled when freshly cut and found beauty in every knot and grain. When he retired he had more time to enjoy his hobby of wood working. A friend of his suggested he could made a few extra dollars making Old World Santas and slieghs out of wood to sell at a local shop. They were a big hit!
I know for a fact that she didn't paint her own blue bird red because she still had it in place on her Santa a few days after Christmas. Think what you will, but I believe my little red bird came back to me. Now when I look at my green coated Santa I smile and have a Merry Christmas. I remember my father with love and believe he is somehow still a part of our traditional Christmas Eve.
One year for Christmas he gave all of us a Santa and Sliegh as a special gift. We had our choice of colors. I picked a traditional Santa with a green coat and little red bird perched on his sack. My sister-in-law wanted blue and white. Each one unique in design. With each passing Christmas my Santa would be unwrapped with care and placed on a table or shelf until New Years Day. Then with a sigh I would wrap him up and say goodbye until the following day after Thanksgiving. When my father passed away we were asked by my mother to place a special message in my father's urn. Some of my siblings wrote a letter but I chose my little red bird. I wanted my father to take a little piece of Christmas with him. The following year I opened the box with my green coated Santa sad to see the little red bird missing. I knew that Christmas would forever be a little less merry without my father. We all missed him terribly. It was my turn to have our traditional family Christmas Eve that year. Everyone brought a dish and a small exchange gift. My sister-in-law had one for me. When I opened the little box I could not believe my eyes. In it laying on a tuft of cotton was a small red wooden bird. She said it was in the box with her Blue and White Santa. -5-
-6-
by Laura Grande As historian A.N. Wilson wrote, “The early-19th century in England was the England of Dickens”. No other author wrote so honestly about the hardships of those suffering extreme poverty during the industrial age. Dickens’s popularity was owed, in large part, to his ability to speak directly to those who endured daily struggles for survival in a society that emphasized work ethic and money above all else. One of Dickens’ defining characteristics in his novels was the notion of human redemption. While villains always lurked on the edges of his greatest novels, Dickens never failed to instill a sense of hope in even the most dastardly of his creations. Among his most famous is that of Ebenezer Scrooge. More than 160 years after its publication, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has become a part of people’s Yuletide traditions around the world; the soul at the centre of their holiday season. By simply focusing on one man’s self-discovery on the path to becoming a better person, Dickens superimposed his secular vision of Christmas on the public. Christmas Under Cromwell During the Victorian era, old medieval traditions, which were once used to celebrate the birth of Christ, were in a state o f r a p i d d e c l i n e . H o w e v e r, t h e disappearance of Christmas traditions was a long time coming, as England had long since stopped celebrating the holiday season on a yearly basis. In the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell, England’s Lord Protector and a devout Puritan, wanted Christmas to return back to its original observance of the birth of Christ as a day of religious prayer and piety and
not an elaborate celebration with food, wine and gifts. Cromwell and his parliament had soldiers sent out to take food by force if they saw any families celebrating around lavish feasts in their homes. Traditional decorations were banned outright. Prior to the English Civil War between Cromwell’s faction and those of the Royalists who supported Charles I, the holidays were referred to as Christ-tide. Families prepared large feasts to be enjoyed over the course of a few days, decorating their homes and exchanging gifts. The argument of Cromwell and his largely Puritan parliament was that such extravagance and waste was simply an unwelcome example of Roman Catholicism’s emphasis on materialism. Prince Albert’s Germanic Traditions The outcome of Cromwell’s intense scrutiny of England’s holiday traditions resulted in an almost complete lack of observance of Christmas over the course of the following centuries. Prince Albert married Queen Victoria in 1840 and brought along his Germanic holiday traditions. He introduced Great Britain to Christmas carols, holiday cards and, most significantly, he gave them England’s first Christmas tree. Prince Albert had Christmas trees distributed to schools and army barracks around the country, while newspapers featured illustrations of the Royal Family seated before their fully ornamented Christmas tree at Windsor Castle. However, Christmas still was not observed by the majority of the population, as workhouses and mills owners refused to recognize it as a holiday, forcing their employees to work their usual shifts, which often ran longer than 10 hours a day. With the majority of England at work, it’s no small wonder that Christmas still went largely unrecognized. -7-
Charles Dickens’s Influences for A Christmas Carol Between 1837-44, England was going through the worst economic depression to hit their country. An estimated one million people were starving because of lack of employment. The ethics of mill owners and those who ran workhouses created both wealth and poverty. Dickens himself grew up surrounded by hardships and financial woes. Born in 1812 to John and Elizabeth Dickens, young Charles was taken out of school at the age of nine when his father was imprisoned for debt in 1824. The Marshalsea debtors’ prison, situated on the south bank of the River Thames, became a second home for the Dickens family. In order to help pay off his father’s debt, Charles laboured at Warren’s Shoe Blacking factory at the age of 12, pawning his beloved books to help pay off the debt. While his family languished in the Marshalsea, young Charles lived across the street, on his own, so that he could work every day, visiting his family on Sunday afternoons. Charles’ strained relationship with his father is mirrored in the characters of William Dorrit in Little Dorrit and Mr. Micawber in David Copperfield. As historian A.N. Wilson wrote, Dickens desired to “put the world of injustice, ignorance and disease behind him” in his adult years. His sensitivity to the plight of the poor was the spark that ignited his passion for writing. Dickens portrayed the two sides of London, where “the harshness of life is tempered by kindliness”. This positive and negative view of the world would become his signature style of storytelling. His 1837 publication,Oliver Twist, had caused outrage among his readers who were shocked by the depravity and struggle endured by the young children in the book. Dickens would garner just as much reader attention for his creation of Ebenezer Scrooge and his penny-pinching ways. -8-
In October of 1843, Dickens attended a three-day fundraiser in Manchester where he was involved in long discussions about combating ignorance and strife with educational reforms for children. At the time, he and his wife, Kate, were expecting the fifth of their eventual 10 children and the couple was strapped for cash. However, nothing prepared Dickens for what he learned on his visit to Manchester. It was here that D i c k e n s realized the depths of poverty some of his fellow countrymen e n d u r e d . W e l f a r e applicants were forced to work on treadmills, sometimes for as long as 10 hours a day. Dickens firmly believed that education was a remedy for the poverty and crime that he witnessed. Remembering his own childhood full of work and struggle, Dickens vowed to “strike a sledgehammer blow” for the poor and those displaced by the Industrial Revolution. During a visit to Scotland that same year, Dickens visited Greyfriar Kirkyard, Edinburgh’s oldest cemetery. While walking among the headstones, Dickens came across a marker that read: “Ebenezer Scroggie, Meal Man”. It wasn’t uncommon for gravestones to cite the person’s job in life, and “meal man” was simply another
term for corn merchant. However, Dickens misread the marker as “mean man” and asked a companion what one could have done in life to deserve such a comment even after death.
to me. “ Although the story has only just gotten started, this Scrooge is already dramatically different from the one who treated his clerk, Bob Cratchit, so poorly earlier in the evening.
The combination of the Manchester fundraiser and the cemetery headstone planted the seeds of inspiration Dickens was looking for.
With the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future, Scrooge goes from conjuring nostalgic memories from his youth to witnessing long ago tragedies, like the death of his beloved sister, Fan. All of these visions culminate into his new outlook on life.
The Messages of Ebenezer Scrooge and A Christmas Carol Dickens began writing A Christmas Carol in October of 1843 and the novella was completed within six weeks. Due to Dickens’ r e l i g i o u s indifference, the story was not so much a b o u t Christianity but an attempt at simply understanding human nature. When the ghost of Jacob Marley laments to Scrooge that “mankind was my business”, it does not involve religious connotations. Jacob Marley simply repents his lack of decency and charity when he was alive. The first signs of tenderness the audience sees in Scrooge comes when he first notices the ghost of his longtime friend, Marley, weighted down by chains. Scrooge realizes that Marley has given him the gift of (arguably undeserved) friendship when he admits, “you always were a good friend
The proof of the ongoing transformation of Scrooge is not related to going to church, but the fact that he both learns to bond with his estranged nephew, Fred, and shows great generosity to the Cratchit family. Scrooge “knew how to keep Christmas well” because he’d transformed into a kindhearted man and discovered, though his generosity, what had eluded Jacob Marley all of his life. Mankind was still Scrooge’s business, only now it came in the form of charity to mankind. A Christmas Carol has more to do with industrialization and the loss of cultural traditions than anything else. Dickens illustrates how cities were less inclined to give paid holidays, as witnessed through Scrooge’s poor treatment of Cratchit. Widespread poverty and suffering, illustrated through the ghostly apparitions of Ignorance and Want, was the point Dickens wanted his readers to understand. For Dickens, and later countless readers, A Christmas Carol was a spiritual experience. As Dickens himself later wrote about the writing process, “I wept and laughed and laughed and wept again.” Critical Reception & Its Enduring Success The novella was bound in red cloth and published through Chapman and Hall and was officially released on 19 December 1843. It included four hand-coloured etchings and four black and white -9-
engravings. The novella sold for an affordable five shillings, at Dickens’ request. By Christmas Eve, all 6,000 copies had sold out and it continued to sell out with each new edition well into the following year. Author William Makepeace Thackeray wrote in Fraser’s Magazine in February of 1844. “The last two people I heard speak of it were women; neither knew the other, or the author, and both said, by way of criticism, ‘God bless him!’ …What a feeling this is for a writer to inspire, and what a reward to reap!” As Scottish novelist, Margaret Oliphant, noted that same year, A Christmas Carol was “a new gospel”, noting that it appeared as though people had started behaving better to one another. By February 1844, less than two months after its debut, A Christmas Carol was adapted for the stage three times. That same year, Gentleman’s Magazine gave their first large donation to children’s charities.
In Conclusion More than 160 years later, A Christmas Carol has endured as a significant part of the holiday tradition around the world. Whether he expected it to become the phenomenon that it did is unknown, yet his message remains clear and just as relevant as ever. It’s hard to imagine Christmas without Ebenezer Scrooge. As Dickens himself wrote in the prelude to his novella, his only desire was simply: “may it haunt their houses pleasantly”. SOURCES David Perdue’s Charles Dickens Page Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. A.N. Wilson, The Victorians. London: W&W Norton and Company, 2003.
The observance of Christmas had experienced a mid-Victorian revival, with a heavy emphasis on family-oriented festivities. Dickens was hailed as a hero and he did public readings of A Christmas Carol every holiday season from 1853-70. In total, Dickens had read his book aloud to massive crowds 127 times. In June of 1870, Dickens passed away at the age of 58 of complications from a stroke. Both family and fans alike attended his funeral at Westminster Abbey. Newspapers reported the news of his passing with the inclusion of a quote, supposedly spoken by a little girl upon hearing of Dickens’ death. “Mr. Dickens dead? Then will Father Christmas die too?” In 1988, London’s Sunday Telegraph honoured Dickens with the title “The Man Who Invented Christmas”.
-10-
Illustrations by John Leech. London: Chapman & Hall, 1843. First edition.
I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it. Their faithful Friend and Servant, C. D. December, 1843.
Stave 1: Marley's Ghost Stave 2: The First of the Three Spirits Stave 3: The Second of the Three Spirits Stave 4: The Last of the Spirits
MP3 Files: AUDIOBOOK Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12
Stave 5: The End of It
Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16
[Click links above to read staves or listen to parts of the audiobook] -11-
The Tradition of Advent from WhyChristmas.com Advent is the period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas (or sometimes from the 1st December to Christmas Day!). Advent means 'Coming' in Latin. This is the coming of Jesus into the world. Christians use the four Sundays and weeks of Advent to prepare and remember the real meaning of Christmas. There are three meanings of 'coming' that Christians describe in Advent. The first, and most thought of, happened about 2000 years ago when Jesus came into the world as a baby to live as a man and die for us. The second can happen now as Jesus wants to come into our lives now. And the third will happen in the future when Jesus comes back to the world as King and Judge, not a baby. Some people fast (don't eat anything) during advent to help them concentrate on preparing to celebrate Jesus's coming. In many Orthodox and Eastern Catholics Churches, Advent lasts for 40 days and starts on November 15th and is also called the Nativity Fast.
-12-
Orthodox Christians often don't eat meat and dairy during Advent, and depending on the day, also olive oil, wine and fish. You can see what days mean now eating what foods on this calendar from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. There are several ways that Advent is counted down but the most common is by a calendar or candle(s). There are many types of calendars used in different countries. The most common ones in the UK andUSA are made of paper or card with 25 little windows on. A window is opened on every day in December and a Christmas picture is displayed underneath. When they were first made, scenes from the Christmas Story and other Christmas images were used, such as snowmen and robins, but now many calendars are made in the theme of television programmes and sports clubs. Some of these types of calendar even have chocolate under each window, to make every day in December that little bit better! I used to like those when I was a little boy (and still do now!)
Some European countries such as Germany use a wreath of fir with 24 bags or boxes hanging from it. In each box or bag there is a little present for each day. You can also not get online Advent or 'Christmas Countdown' calendars and there's one on this site. So during December, why don't you visit the Online Advent Calendar and find out about something Christmassy each day! There are two types of candle(s) that are used to count down to Christmas Day in Advent. The first looks like a normal candle, but has the days up to Christmas Day marked down the candle. On the first of December the candle is lit and burnt down to the first line on the candle. The same is done every day and then the rest of the candle is burnt on Christmas day. I use one of these candles to count down during Advent. An Advent Crown is another form of candles that are used to count down Advent. These are often used in Churches rather than in people's homes. The crown is often made up of a wreath of greenery and has four candles round the outside and one in the middle or in a separate place. Sometimes a more traditional candelabra is used to display the five candles. One candle is lit on the first Sunday of Advent, two are lit on the second Sunday and so on. Each candle has a different meaning in Christianity. Different churches have given them different meanings, but I was taught the following: • The first represents Isaiah and other prophets in the bible that predicted the coming of Jesus. • The second represents the bible. • The third represents Mary, the mother of Jesus. • The fourth represents John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin, who told the people in Israel to get ready for Jesus' teaching.
The middle or separate candle is lit on Christmas Day and represents Jesus, the light of the world. In Germany this fifth candle is known as the 'Heiligabend' and is lit on Christmas Eve. In many churches, the colour purple is used to signify the season of Advent. On the third Sunday, representing Mary, the colour is sometimes changes to pink or rose. In medieval and pre-medieval times, in parts of England, there were an early form of Nativity scene called 'advent images' or a 'vessel cup'. They were a box, often with a glass lid that was covered with a white napkin, that contained two dolls representing Mary and the baby Jesus. The box was decorated with ribbons and flowers (and sometimes apples). They were carried around from door to door. It was thought to be very unlucky if you haven't seen a box before Christmas Eve! People paid the box carriers a halfpenny to see the box. There are some Christmas Carols that are really Advent Carols! These include 'People Look East', 'Come, thou long expected Jesus', 'Lo! He comes, with clouds descending' and perhaps the most popular advent song 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel!'. -13-
When Christmas is Celebrated from WhyChristmas.com
Christmas Snapshot — descriptions in greater depth follow throughout this issue
Many people think Christmas is on December the 25th and that's all there is to Christmas. However, for many people around the world, in different countries and in different Christian traditions, Christmas lasts for a lot longer than that - and it's even celebrated at different times! Although December 25th is the date when most people celebrate Christmas, there are some other dates as well! Some churches (mainly Orthodox churches) use a different calendars for their religious celebrations. Orthodox Churches in Russia,Serbia, Jerusalem, Ukraine, Ethiopia and other countries use the old 'Julian' calendar and people in those churches celebrate Christmas on January 7th. Most people in the Greek Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas on December 25th. But some still use the Julian calendar and so celebrate Christmas on 7th January! Some Greek Catholics also celebrate on January 7th. In Armenia, the Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas on January 6th. It also celebrates 'Epiphany' on this day. A d v e n t - T h e Ti m e Before Christmas Before Christmas, many Christians use the time of Advent to prepare -14-
themselves and get ready to celebrate the joy of Christmas, when Christians celebrate of the birth of Jesus, who they believe is the Son of God. Advent is normally a period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas. In many Orthodox and Eastern Catholics Churches Advent lasts for 40 days, starting on November 15th. In Orthodox Churches which celebrate Christmas on 7th January, Advent start on 28th November! During Advent many people fast (don't eat certain foods). The types of food people give up depends on their church tradition and where in the world they live. After Christmas - The 12 Days of Christmas & Epiphany After Advent, traditionally, Christmas celebrations (and often a feast!) started on Christmas Day and lasted for 12 Days - so they were known as The 12 Days of Christmas! The celebrations finished on the evening of 5th January, which is better known as Twelfth Night. Throughout history, the 12 Days of Christmas were a time of feasting and fun. Following Twelfth Night, o n 6 t h J a n u a r y, i s Epiphany, when people remember the Wise Men (also sometimes called the Three Kings) who visited Jesus and/or the Baptism of Jesus. Epiphany/Twelfth Night is also the time when it was traditional to take your Christmas decorations down - although some people leave them up until Candlemas.
Candlemas - The End of Christmas “In ancient Europe, Candlemas was celebrated as a torchlight procession to purify and fertilize the fields before the seedplanting season and to honor and give thanks to the various associated deities and spirits. Even the Christians adopted this sabbat celebration, giving honor to the Virgin Mary.” —The Wicca Life blog You might think that Christmas ends when you take the Christmas Decorations down - but it doesn't! After both Christmas and the season of Epiphany, the end of the Christmas celebrations come on February 2nd, 40 days after Christmas, with Candlemas. Candlemas, also known as the 'Presentation of Jesus at the Temple' or the 'Feast of the Purification of the Virgin (or Mary)' is when some
Christians remember the time when Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem to give thanks to God for giving them a son. It's a very important day in some Orthodox and Catholic churches. The name Candlemas comes from 'Candle Mass' because in many Candlemas services, the candles are blessed to be used in churches during the coming year or are given out to people for them to use in their homes and private prayers. In many Catholic churches, it's a time when people remember and renew promises they've made to the church and celebrate some of the prophesies which were given about Jesus. In many Eastern/Orthodox churches, an all night vigil is held on the night before the candle blessing ceremony. In the morning, the candles are blessed and are given out to people. -15-
Why is Christmas Day December 25th? from WhyChristmas.com No one knows the real birthday of Jesus! No date is given in the Bible, so why do we celebrate it on the 25th December? The early Christians certainly had many arguments as to when it should be celebrated! Also, the birth of Jesus probably didn't happen in the year 1AD but slightly earlier, somewhere between 2BC and 7BC (there isn't a 0AD - the years go from 1BC to 1AD!). The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336AD, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). A few years later, Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on the 25th December. There are many different traditions and theories as to why Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. A very early Christian tradition said that the day when Mary was told that she would have a very special baby, Jesus (called the Annunciation) was on March 25th - and it's still celebrated today on the 25th March. Nine months after the 25th March is the 25th December! March 25th was also the day some early Christians thought the world had been made, and also the day that Jesus died on when he was an adult. December 25th might have also been chosen because the Winter Solstice and the ancient pagan Roman midwinter festivals called 'Saturnalia' and 'Dies Natalis Solis Invicti' took place in December around this date - so it was a time when people already celebrated things. The Winter Solstice is the day where there is the shortest time between the sun rising and the sun setting. It happens on December 21st or 22nd. To pagans this meant that the winter was over and spring was coming and they had a festival to -16-
celebrate it and worshipped the sun for winning over the darkness of winter. In Scandinavia, and some other parts of northern Europe, the Winter Solstice is known as Yule and is where we get Yule Logs from. In Eastern europe the mid-winter festival is called Koleda. The Roman Festival of Saturnalia took place between December 17th and 23rd and honoured the Roman god Saturn. Dies Natalis Solis Invicti means 'birthday of the unconquered sun' and was held on December 25th (when the Romans thought the Winter Solstice took place) and was the 'birthday' of the Pagan Sun god Mithra. In the pagan religion of Mithraism, the holy day was Sunday and is where get that word from! Early Christians might have given this festival a new meaning - to celebrate the birth of the Son of God 'the unconquered Son'! (In the Bible a prophesy about the Jewish savior, who Christians believe is Jesus, is called 'Sun of Righteousness'.) The Jewish festival of Lights, Hanukkah starts on the 25th of Kislev (the month in the Jewish calendar that occurs at about the same time as December). Hanukkah celebrates when the Jewish people were able to re-dedicate and worship in their Temple, in Jerusalem, again following many years of not being allowed to practice their religion. Jesus was a Jew, so this could be another reason that helped the early Church choose December the 25th for the date of Christmas! Christmas had also been celebrated by the early Church on January 6th, when they also celebrated the Epiphany and the Baptism of Jesus. Now Epiphany mainly celebrates the visit of the Wise Men to the baby Jesus, but back then it celebrated both things! Jesus's Baptism was originally seen as more important than his birth, as this was when he started his ministry. But soon people wanted a separate day to celebrate his birth. Most of the world uses the 'Gregorian Calendar' implemented by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Before that the 'Roman' or Julian Calendar was used (named after Julius Caesar). The Gregorian calendar is more accurate
that the Roman calendar which had too many days in a year! When the switch was made 10 days were lost, so that the day that followed the 4th October 1582 was 15th October 1582. In the UK the change of calendars was made in 1752. The day after 2nd September 1752 was 14th September 1752. Many Orthodox and Coptic Churches still use the Julian Calendar and so celebrate Christmas on the 7th January (which is when December 25th would have been on the Julian calendar). And the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates it on the 6th January! In some part of the UK, January 6th is still called 'Old Christmas' as this would have been the day that Christmas would have celebrated on, if the calendar hadn't been changed. Some people didn't want to use the new calendar as they thought it 'cheated' them out of 11 days! Christians believe that Jesus is the light of the world, so the early Christians thought that this was the right time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. They also took over some of the customs from the Winter Solstice and gave them Christian meanings, like Holly, Mistletoe and even Christmas Carols! St Augustine was the person who really started Christmas in the UK by introducing Christianity in the 6th century. He came from countries that used the Roman Calendar, so western countries celebrate Christmas on the 25th December. Then people from Britain and Western Europe took Christmas on the 25th December all over the world!
In the autumn (in September or October) there's the Jewish festival of 'Sukkot' or 'The Feast of Tabernacles'. It's the festival that's mentioned the most times in the Bible! It was when the Jewish people remember that they depended on God for all they had after they had escaped from Egypt and spent 40 years in the desert. It also celebrated the end of the harvest. During the festival people lived outside in temporary shelters (the word 'tabernacle' come from a latin word meaning 'booth' or 'hut'). Many people who have studied the Bible, think that Sukkot would be a likely time for the birth of Jesus as it might fit with the description of there being 'no room in the inn'. It also would have been a good time to take the Roman Census as many Jews went to Jerusalem for the festival and they would have brought their own tents/shelters with them! The possibilities for the Star of Bethlehem seems to point either spring or autumn. As well as Christmas and the solstice, there are some other festivals that are held in late December. Hanukkah is celebrated by Jews; and the festival of Kwanzaa is celebrated by some Africans and African Americans takes place from December 26th to January 1st.
The name 'Christmas' comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service (which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life. The 'Christ-Mass' service was the only one that was allowed to take place after sunset (and before sunrise the next day), so people had it at Midnight! So we get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to Christmas.
So when was Jesus Born? There's a strong and practical reason why Jesus might not have been born in the winter, but in the spring or the autumn! It can get very cold in the winter and it's unlikely that the shepherds would have been keeping sheep out on the hills (as those hills can get quite a lot of snow sometimes!). During the spring (in March or April) there's a Jewish festival called 'Passover'. This festival remembers when the Jews had escaped from slavery in Egypt about 1500 years before Jesus was born. Lots of lambs would have been needed during the Passover Festival, to be sacrificed in the Temple in Jerusalem. Jews from all over the Roman Empire travelled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, so it would have been a good time for the Romans to take a census. Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem for the census (Bethlehem is about six miles from Jerusalem).
Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry Décembre -17-
Christmas Memories by Bonnie Ramsburg Memories are usually something to cherish. And I cherish all of them that I can recall- especially around the holidays. I have to admit, Christmas is my favorite holiday. And I have some pretty awesome memories. Christmas Tree Mishaps One of our few live trees had a surprise in store for us. It was over 5-6 feet tall, and my parents knew they were going to have to cut some of the trunk off. They thought it was just because it was too wide to fit the tree stand. But dad soon found out that the trunk was bent in an odd way; he thought simply cutting a bit more off would do the trick. No such luck, by the time he found a straight piece of trunk that would allow the tree to A) fit in the stand and B) stand up straight, our 5-6 foot tall tree ended up being less than 3 feet tall. It was the cutest tree I can remember having. It was also the first time we had a cat during the holidays, and we found out late at night that the little devil liked climbing trees. Dad ended up having to tie the tree to different pieces of furniture in order to keep it safe from the cat. My first car was a Geo-Metro Hatch Back. Small, compact, really too small for me because of my size, but that’s another story. I decided that I wanted a real tree for the family one year while I had said car. I went to get it with my mom, and we fit it in the car with no problem. It slid in, trunk first, no bending or harming of the branches. We tied the hatch down and made our way home. After getting home, my dad looked at us, looked at the car with the tree top sticking out of the back and just shook his head, and proceeded to remove the tree (with some difficulty) from the car. -18-
Christmas Presents My most memorable Christmas present was the one and only time I ever wanted to sneak a peak. That year, my parents’ put a huge box in their closet. We put the presents we had wrapped in it till Christmas morning. I went in to put a wallet I bought for my mom in the box and noticed a most unusual shaped package with my name on it. It was so intriguing that I kept going back and looking at it whenever I could. I managed to refrain from opening the present though. Cabbage Patch Dolls were the big deal at the time. My unusual present was a doll. But it wasn’t a Cabbage Patch. It was a Cauliflower Patch Doll. She had pink hair pulled up in a bun, and was packaged in a hard plastic Cauliflower shaped container. I’m extremely glad that I didn’t sneak a peak that year. I did end up getting a Cabbage Patch Doll for either my birthday or Christmas from my aunt the following year, but my I liked my Cauliflower Patch Doll better! We never asked for specific toys. We knew better. But one year, (and I admit it, I was an adult by this time) I really wanted a specific toy. I had been watching a T.V. show geared towards kids (yes, I do still like some cartoons and kids shows). It was called ‘Wishbone.’ It was about a Jack Russell Terrier that we, the audience could hear talk, but his human family couldn’t. I liked it because it was the only way I was exposed to stories from classical literature. The dog would become the main character in whichever book they were portraying that show. I happened to see a stuffed Wishbone that talked, and when I found all of the spots and pressed them, his tail spot said, “Don’t go there!” That just tickled my funny bone and made me want this animal for Christmas. I put it out there to my mom, fully expecting not to get it. But come Christmas morning, there he was, under the Christmas tree! There were many years that were tight financially for my parents around the holidays. But we always managed to have something under the tree. Usually it was something we needed more than what we wanted, but they made sure we had Christmas. One year though, the ladies in the office of the company that my dad worked for found out that we weren’t going to have any presents that year. They came together and bought us several nice presents, including a Super NES game system. Mom and dad made sure we wrote thank you notes for those ladies! The End of a Belief I clearly remember the year I ‘Officially’ quit believing in Santa Claus. Don’t get me wrong, I knew that my parents were the ones buying me presents, but I still liked the idea of a Santa Claus. But the year I turned 15, I was away from home for school. I was able to spend Christmas with my biological father and my 2 brothers. Christmas morning arrived and he had me go down in the basement with him under the pretext of helping him do something. He then called the boys downstairs to “help” him carry some stuff upstairs and while we were all down there, they got to see the bikes that “Santa” had gotten them for Christmas; yet he had showed them to me the night before, so I was faced with the truth that Santa wasn’t real. Not exactly a fond memory, but one that made an impact on me. I still like the thought of a Santa Claus though. And I hope I always do. -19-
Christmas or Xmas? Christmas is also sometimes known as Xmas. Some people don't think it's correct to call Christmas 'Xmas' as that takes the 'Christ' (Jesus) out of Christmas. (As Christmas comes from Christ-Mass, the Church service that celebrated the birth of Jesus.) But that is not quite right! In the Greek language and alphabet, the letter that looks like an X is the Greek letter chi / Χ (pronounced 'kye' - it rhymes with 'eye') which is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, Christos. The early church used the first two letters of Christos in the Greek alphabet 'chi' and 'rho' to create a monogram (symbol) to represent the name of Jesus. This looks like an X with a small p on the top: ☧ The symbol of a fish is sometimes used by Christians (you might see a fish sticker on a car or someone wearing a little fish badge). This comes from the time when the first Christians had to meet in secret, as the Romans wanted to kill them (before Emperor Constantine became a Christian). Jesus had said that he wanted to make his followers 'Fishers of Men', so people started to use that symbol. When two Christians met, one person drew half a basic fish shape (often using their foot in the dust on the ground) and the other person drew the other half of the fish. The Greek word for fish is 'Ikthus' or 'Ichthys'. There are five Greek letters in the word. It can also make up a sentence of Christian beliefs 'Ie-sous Christos Theou Huios So-te-r' which in English means "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour". The second letter of these five letter is X or Christos! So Xmas can also mean Christmas; but it should also be pronounced 'Christmas' rather than 'ex-mas'! Christmas Eve has many of its own customs and traditions. The most widely practised one that still exists today is going to a Midnight Mass Church Service. In many countries, especially Catholic ones such as Spain, Mexico, Poland and Italy, this is the most important Church service of the Christmas season. People might fast during Christmas Eve (not eat any meat or fish usually) and then the main Christmas meal is often eaten after the Midnight Mass Service in these countries. In some other countries, such as Belgium, Finland,Lithuania and Denmark the meal is eaten in the evening and you might go to a Midnight Service afterwards! The Midnight Mass Communion Service (or 'Christ-Mas') was a very special one as it was the only one that was allowed to start after sunset (and before sunrise the next day), so it was held at Midnight! Christmas Eve is also the day when people in some countries, like Germany, Sweden and Portugal exchange their presents. I think Santa must have those countries on his extra early list! Christmas Eve is also Santa's -20-
"Xmas" used on a Christmas postcard, 1910
busiest day of the year when he has to travel over 220 million miles (355 million km) to get to every house on earth! You can see where Santa's got to on SantaUpdate.com In many european countries including Germany, Serbia and Slovakia, Christmas Eve is the day when the Christmas Tree is brought into the house and decorated. It was also traditional to bring the Yule Log into the house and light it on Christmas Eve. It was lit using a piece of the previous years log and then would burnt non-stop until Twelfth Night (6th January). Tradition also said that any greenery such as Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe should only be taken into the house on Christmas Eve. There were lots of superstitions in the UK that said girls could find out the initials, or even have visions, of the person they would marry on Christmas Eve! This was often done by cooking a special cake called a 'dumb cake'. You were supposed to make the cake in silence and prick your initials into the top. When you went to bed, you left the cake by the fire hearth and your true love was supposed to coming in at midnight and prick his initials next to yours! Other Christmas Eve superstitions included that farm and wild animals would kneel at midnight in honor of Jesus being born or that they could even talk!
The Colors of Christmas There are several colors which are traditionally associated with Christmas. This site uses Red, Green and Gold. But why do we have them and what do the colors represent? Most of the colors and their meanings come from the western/northern european traditions and customs, when Christmas is in the middle of winter and it's dark and cold.
Green
when he died on the cross. Red is also the color of Bishops robes. These would have been worn by St. Nicholas and then also became Santa's uniform!
Gold Gold is the color of the Sun and light - both very important in the dark winter. And both red and gold are the colors of fire that you need to keep you warm. Gold was also one of the presents brought to the baby Jesus by one of the wise men and traditionally it's the color used to show the star that the wise men followed. Silver is sometimes used instead of (or with) gold. But gold is a 'warmer' color.
White
Evergreen plants, like Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe have been used for thousands of years to decorate and brighten up buildings during the long dark winter. They also reminded people that spring would come and that winter wouldn't last forever! The Romans would exchange evergreen branches during January as a sign of good luck. The ancient Egyptians used to bring palm branches into their houses during the mid winter festivals. In many parts of Europe during the middle ages, Paradise plays were performed, often on Christmas Eve. They told Bible stories to people who couldn't read. The 'Paradise Tree' in the garden of eden in the play was normally a pine tree with red apples tied to it. Now the most common use of green at Christmas are Christmas Trees.
Red As mentioned above, an early use of red at Christmas were the apples on the paradise tree. They represented the fall of Adam in the plays. Red is also the color of Holly berries, which is said to represent the blood of Jesus
White is often associated with purity and peace in western cultures. The snow of winter is also very white! White paper wafers were also sometimes used to decorate paradise trees. The wafers represented the bread eaten during Christian Communion or Mass, when Christians remember that Jesus died for them. White is used by most churches as the color of Christmas, when the altar is covered with a white cloth (in the Russian Orthodox Church Gold is used for Christmas).
Blue The color blue is often associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus. In medieval times blue dye and paint was more expensive than gold! So it would only be worn by Royal families and very rich people. Mary was often painted wearing blue to show she was very important. Blue can also represent the color of the sky and heaven. During Advent, purple and sometimes blue is used in most churches fort he colour of the altar cloth (in the Russian Orthodox Church red is used for advent).
Mouth-blown, Hand-Painted Christmas Ornaments by Christine Till, CT-Graphics
-21-
The History of Christmas Trees
-22-
from WhyChristmas.com
The evergreen fir tree has traditionally been used to celebrate winter festivals (pagan and Christian) for thousands of years. Pagans used branches of it to decorate their homes during the winter solstice, as it made them think of the spring to come. The Romans used Fir Trees to decorate their temples at the festival of Saturnalia. Christians use it as a sign of everlasting life with God. Nobody is really sure when Fir trees were first used as Christmas trees. It probably started about began 1000 years ago in Northern Europe. Many early Christmas Trees seem to have been hung upside down from the ceiling using chains (hung from chandeliers/lighting hooks). Other early Christmas Trees, across many part of northern Europe, were cherry or hawthorn plants (or a branch of the plant) that were put into pots and brought inside, so they would hopefully flower at Christmas time. If you couldn't afford a real plant, people made pyramids of woods and they were decorated to look like a tree with paper, apples and candles. Sometimes there were carried around from house to house, rather than being displayed in a home. It's possible that the wooden pyramid trees were meant to be like Paradise Trees. These were used in medieval German Mystery or Miracle Plays that were acted out in front of Churches on Christmas Eve. In early church calendars of saints, 24th December was Adam and Eve's day. The Paradise Tree represented the Garden of Eden. It was often paraded around the town before the play started, as a way of advertising the play. The plays told Bible stories to people who could not read. The first documented use of a tree at Christmas and New Year celebrations is in town square of Riga, the capital of Latvia, in the year 1510. In the square there is a plaque which is engraved with "The First New Years Tree in Riga in 1510", in eight languages. The tree might have been a 'Paradise
Tree' rather than a 'real' tree. Not much is known about the tree, apart from that it was attended by men wearing black hats, and that after a ceremony they burnt the tree. This is like the custom of the Yule Log. You can find out more about the Riga Tree from this great website: FirstChristmasTree.com A picture from Germany in 1521 which shows a tree being paraded through the streets with a man riding a horse behind it. The man is dressed a bishop, possibly representing St. Nicholas. In 1584, the historian Balthasar Russow wrote about a tradition, in Riga, of a decorated fir tree in the market square where the young men “went with a flock of maidens and women, first sang and danced there and then set the tree aflame”. There's a record of a small tree in Breman, Germany from 1570. It is described as a tree decorated with "apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers". It was displayed in a 'guild-house' (the meeting place for a society of business men in the city). -23-
branches. It was so beautiful, that he went home and told his children that it reminded him of Jesus, who left the stars of heaven to come to earth at Christmas. Some people say this is the same tree as the 'Riga' tree, but it isn't! The Riga tree originally took place a few decades earlier. Northern Germany and Latvia are neighbors.
The first first person to bring a Christmas Tree into a house, in the way we know it today, may have been the 16th century German preacher Martin Luther. A story is told that, one night before Christmas, he was walking through the forest and looked up to see the stars shining through the tree
Another story says that St. Boniface of Crediton (a village in Devon, UK) left England and travelled to Germany to preach to the pagan German tribes and convert them to Christianity. He is said to have come across a group of pagans about to sacrifice a young boy while worshipping an oak tree. In anger, and to stop the sacrifice, St. Boniface is said to have cut down the oak tree and, to his amazement, a young fir tree sprang up from the roots of the oak tree. St. Boniface took this as a sign of the Christian faith and his followers decorated the tree with candles so that St. Boniface could preach to the pagans at night. There is another legend, from Germany, about how the Christmas Tree came into being, it goes: Once on a cold Christmas Eve night, a forester and his family were in their cottage gathered round the fire to keep warm. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. When the forester opened the door, he found a poor little boy standing on the door step, lost and alone. The forester welcomed him into his house and the family fed and washed him and put him to bed in the youngest sons own bed (he had to share with his brother that night!). The next morning, Christmas Morning, the family were woken up by a choir of angels, and the poor little boy had turned into Jesus, the Christ Child. The Christ Child went into the front garden of the cottage and broke a branch off a Fir tree and gave it to the family as a present to say thank you for looking after him. So ever since them, people have remembered that night by bringing a Christmas Tree into their homes!
-24-
In Germany, the first Christmas Trees were decorated with edible things, such as gingerbread and gold covered apples. Then glass makers made special small ornaments similar to some of the decorations used today. In 1605 an unknown German wrote: "At Christmas they set up fir trees in the parlours of Strasbourg and hang thereon roses cut out of many-coloured paper, apples, wafers, gold foil, sweets, etc." At first, a figure of the Baby Jesus was put on the top of the tree. Over time it changed to an angel/fairy that told the shepherds about Jesus, or a star like the Wise men saw.
In Victorian times, the tree would have been decorated with candles to represent stars. In many parts of Europe, candles are still widely used to decorate Christmas trees. Tinsel was also created in Germany, were it was originally made from thin strips of beaten silver. But when plastic/man made tinsel was invented it became very popular as it was much cheaper than real silver and also lighter to go on the tree! One legend says that the Christ Child first made tinsel by turning spider's webs into silver after taking pity on a poor family that couldn't afford any decorations for their Christmas Tree! Because of the danger of fire, in 1895 Ralph Morris, an American telephonist, invented the first electric Christmas lights, similar to the ones we use today. In 1885 a hospital in Chicago burned down because of candles on a Christmas Tree! And in 1908 insurance companies in the USA tried to get a law made that would ban candles from being used on Christmas Trees because of the many fires they had caused! So we have to say a big thank you to Ralph Morris for making Christmas safer!
The first Christmas Trees came to Britain sometime in the 1830s. They became very popular in 1841, when Prince Albert (Queen Victoria's German husband) had a Christmas Tree set up in Windsor Castle. In 1848, drawing of "The Queen's Christmas tree at Windsor Castle" was published in the Illustrated London News, 1848. The drawing was republished in Godey's Lady's Book, Philadelphia in December 1850 (but they removed the Queen's crown and Prince Albert's moustache to make it look 'American'!). The publication of the drawing helped Christmas Trees become popular in the UK and USA. -25-
The most lights lit at the same time on a Christmas tree is 194,672 and was done by Kiwanis Malmedy / Haute Fagnes Belgium in Malmedy, Belgium, on 10 December 2010! Many towns and villages have their own Christmas Trees. One of the most famous is the tree in Trafalgar Square in London, England, which is given to the UK by Norway every year as a 'thank you' present for the help the UK gave Norway in World War II. The White House in the USA has had a big tree on the front lawn since the 1920s. The record for the most Christmas trees chopped down in two minutes is 27 and belongs to Erin Lavoie from the USA. She set the record on 19th December 2008 on the set of Guinness World Records: Die GroBten Weltrekorde in Germany. Artificial Christmas Trees really started becoming popular in the early 20th century. In the Edwardian
period Christmas Trees made from colored ostrich feathers were popular at 'fashionable' parties. Around 1900 there was even a short fashion for white trees so if you thought colored trees are a new invention they're not! Over the years artificial tress have been made from feathers, papier mâché, metal, glass, and many different types of plastic. The tallest artificial Christmas tree was 52m (170.6ft) high and was covered in green PVC leaves!. It was called the 'Peace Tree' and was designed by Grupo Sonae Distribuição Brasil and was displayed in Moinhos de Vento Park, Porto Alegre, Brazil from 1st December 2001 until 6th January 2002. In many countries, different trees are used as Christmas trees. In New Zealand a tree called the 'Pohutakawa' that has red flowers is sometimes used and in India, Banana or Mango trees are sometimes decorated. You can even decorate an Christmas Tree online!
Belmont Shore, Long Beach, CA - where our editress swims . taken by J. Christopher Launi Photography -26-
O Christmas Tree English Version 1 Author unknown
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, How lovely are your branches! In beauty green will always grow Through summer sun and winter snow. O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, How lovely are your branches! O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, You are the tree most loved! How often you give us delight In brightly shining Christmas light! O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, You are the tree most loved! O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, Your beauty green will teach me That hope and love will ever be The way to joy and peace for me. O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, Your beauty green will teach me.
"O Tannenbaum" ("O Christmas Tree") is a German Christmas song. Based on a traditional folk song, it became associated with the Christmas tree by the early 20th century and sung as a Christmas carol. The modern lyrics were written in 1824 by the Leipzig organist, teacher and composer Ernst Anschütz. A Tannenbaum is a fir tree. The lyrics do not actually refer to Christmas, or describe a decorated Christmas tree. Instead, they refer to the fir's evergreen qualities as a symbol of constancy and faithfulness Anschütz based his text on a 16thcentury Silesian folk song by Melchior Franck, "Ach Tannenbaum".Joachim August Zarnack (de) (1777–1827) in 1819 wrote a tragic love song inspired by this folk song, taking the evergreen, "faithful" fir tree as contrasting with a faithless lover. The folk song first became associated with Christmas with Anschütz, who added two verses of his own to the first, traditional verse. The custom of the Christmas tree developed in the course of the 19th century, and the song came to be seen as a Christmas carol. Anschütz's version still had treu (true, faithful) as the adjective describing the fir's leaves (needles), harking back to the contrast to the faithless maiden of the folk song. This was changed to grün (green) at some point in the 20th century, after the song had come to be associated with Christmas. The tune is an old folk tune attested in the 16th century. It is also known as the tune of Es lebe hoch der Zimmermannsgeselle and of Lauriger Horatius. [from Wikipedia]
-27-
The Queen’s Modernday Christmas at Windsor Castle Sauceboats shaped like sleighs and a giant conifer suspended from the ceiling... Get set for a Victorian Christmas at Windsor castle by Rebecca English, Royal Correspondent On December 24 1850 Queen Victoria sat down at her bureau at Windsor Castle and wrote breathlessly in her journal: ‘My beloved Albert first took me to my tree and table, covered by such numberless gifts, really too much, too magnificent!’ Now visitors to the royal residence in leafy Berkshire will, for the first time, be able to sample Christmas just as Victoria and Prince Albert did 161 years ago. Although monarchs have celebrated Christmas at Windsor since the 12th century, the couple were responsible for popularising the celebration in the form we know today. The finishing touches are made to the table in Windsor Castle's state dining room, which has be laid for a Victorian Christmas feast
-28-
German-born Albert personally brought over the Christmas tree to Britain and the highlight of the castle’s new seasonal exhibition is a giant conifer - suspended from the ceiling of the Octagon Dining Room in place of its magnificent chandelier. Just why the prince chose to display his trees from the ceiling is a mystery, but in 1860 a visitor to the castle described how the rooms ‘were lighted up with Christmas trees hung from the ceiling, the chandeliers being taken down. These trees…were covered with bonbons and little wax coloured lights, some of the trees were made to appear as if partially covered in snow.’ Anything Victoria and Albert did was certain to became the rage - and Christmas trees are still the centrepiece of most of our celebrations today. Inspired by these contemporary descriptions, an artificial tree decorated with swags, ribbons, replica candles and imitation snow is now taking pride of place in the Windsor recreation.
In the German tradition, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve. Presents were laid out on tables, each of which had a Christmas tree at its centre. Staff have painstakingly recreated two such gift tables piled with presents that were actually exchanged by Victoria and Albert. Among them is a painting of a young nun and her suitor by Sir Charles Eastlake. It was commissioned by Victoria in 1844 as a gift for Albert and it is said that Eastlake had to paint for 19 hours without a break to finish it in time. There are also sculptures of the numerous royal children, including a tender representation of Victoria and Albert’s youngest child, Princess Beatrice, as a baby lying in a shell. This was given to the Queen by Prince Albert for Christmas 1858. Victoria was always a keen diary keeper and in 1850 described her brood’s excitement, saying: ‘The 7 children were then taken to their tree, jumping and shouting with
joy over their toys and other presents: the boys could think of nothing but the sword we had given them and Bertie some of the armour, which however he complained, pinched him’. In the Castle’s State Dining Room, the table has also been laid for a Victorian Christmas feast with a magnificent porcelain dessert service by Minton of Staffordshire. Known as the Victoria Service, the set was purchased by the Queen at the Great Exhibition in 1851 and includes four porcelain figures of the four seasons, ice pails, cream and bon-bon dishes, and a pair of silvergilt sauceboats shaped like sleighs. During Christmas 1860 a visitor to Windsor described the ‘mighty sight’ of 50 turkeys being roasted in the Great Kitchen, a huge baron of beef (a joint of beef consisting of the two sirloins joined at the backbone) and a woodcock pie of 100 birds presented to the Queen each Christmas by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
-29-
David Oakley, curator of the Christmas display for the Royal Collection, puts the finishing touches to a Christmas tree which is suspended from the ceiling
-30-
-31-
German-born Albert chose to suspend his trees from the ceiling and this tradition has been recreated at Windsor Castle.
-32-
The table features a magnificent porcelain dessert service by Minton of Staffordshire which was purchased by the Queen at the Great Exhibition in 1851
-33-
Wreathed in History from NorthwoodsInspirations.com The wreath has a long history and many religious associations dating back to the ancient cultures of the Persian Empire. Originally, the circlet was called a "diadem" and took the form of fabric headbands which were sometimes adorned with jewels. Beginning in 776 B.C., wreaths made of laurel leaves were used to crown victors of Olympic Games. Later, when the Games began to move to different cities, each host city would award head garlands made of branches of local trees. Exactly when the transition from head ornament to wall decoration occurred is unclear. It is likely that celebration attendees simply hung the leafy headbands on their walls as souvenirs. Today, beautifully decorated wreaths are not only an integral part of the December holidays, but they're popular throughout the year, decorated to fit each season.
Ancient Rome, people used decorative wreaths as a sign of victory. Some believe that this is where the hanging of wreaths on doors came from. The origins of the Advent wreath are found in the folk practices of the preChristian Germanic peoples who, during the cold December darkness of Eastern Europe, gathered wreaths of evergreen and lighted fires as signs of hope in a coming spring and renewed light. Christians kept these popular traditions alive, and by the 16th century Catholics and Protestants throughout Germany used these symbols to celebrate their Advent hope in Christ, the everlasting Light. From Germany the use of the Advent wreath spread to other parts of the Christian world. Traditionally, the wreath is made of four candles in a circle of evergreens with a fifth candle in the middle. Three candles are violet and the fourth is rose, but four white candles or four violet candles can also be used. Each day at home, the candles are lighted, perhaps before the evening meal-- one candle the first week, and then another each succeeding week until December 25th. A short prayer may accompany the lighting of each candle. The last candle is the middle candle. The lighting of this candle takes place on Christmas Eve. It represents Jesus Christ being born. from The History of Christmas
Perhaps the loveliest use of this symbol is the Advent wreath. Although its true origin is not know, some believe it was inspired by the Swedish Crown of Lights, a candlebearing crown worn by young Swedish girls on St. Lucia's Day. St. Lucia was a young Christian martyr who gave her entire dowry to the poor.
The making of wreaths is an ancient and honored art that began about a thousand years before the birth of Christ. The Christmas Wreath symbolizes the strength of life overcoming the forces of winter. In ancient Rome, people -34-
used decorative wreaths as a sign of victory and celebration. the custom of hanging a wreath on the front door of your home probably came from this practice. At Christmas, the wreath is symbolic of Christian immortality. the circle and the sphere are symbols of immortality. The use of evergreens and wreaths as symbols of life was also an ancient custom of the Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews among other people. The use of evergreens for Christmas wreaths and other decorations probably arose in northern Europe, Italy and Spain in the early 19th century. The traditional colors of Christmas are green and red. Green represents the continuance of life through the winter and the Christian belief in eternal life through Christ. Red symbolizes the blood that Jesus shed at his crucifixion. but for most of the 20th century, the word "wreath" conjured up visions of rings of evergreens with red ribbons hung on doors at Christmas. The traditional Christmas wreath is hung anytime from right after Thanksgiving to midDecember and left hanging through the winter months.
Did you Know In the early days in Europe, people would put wreaths on their doors to identify their home in the same manner that house numbers are used today. Each house would have a different wreath made of quite exotic flowers, most likely grown by the home owner right on their own land. Today, wreaths are a common custom in New England, with a different wreath for each season.
Empty Nest Christmas
by Corinne Royer
The kids are all grown up and gone, but this big old house is not empty. No, sir; the two of us have had to downsize twice. We’ve unloaded tons of "things" on the kids; and we still need more space for our interests and hobbies. We began our own Holiday Traditions. First, our Holiday’s start on my birthday in October, and end on New Year's Day. Here's how it goes: My birthday, Indian Summer, Halloween, Harvest Tie, Thanksgiving, Paul's birthday, Our Anniversary, Christmas and New Year's Eve. Focusing on Christmas-we bought these big red and green Matryoshka boxes. They’re all glossy, bright and decorative. We divide them up between us. One year, he starts with the biggest box, me the next size: and so on. Then the next year, I get the biggest box. We each buy odds and ends. Office toys, sewing items, hair products; you get the idea. Nothing expensive, nothing that will put us into debt: so we won’t spend the next year paying the balance. Anyone else? Have you spent your adult life going into debt every year for your kids and relatives? We send e-cards to relatives, now and we Skype the fussy, needy ones. We stack the boxes from biggest to smallest, in two stacks, side by side: instead of a tree (no muss, no fuss). We begin opening one box each, every night for the 12 days of Christmas. Each day, we celebrate and occasionally slip in one, maybe two expensive, beautifully wrapped gifts for the season. Last year I got a special sewing machine that sews loose yarn into fabric-it is an amazingly creative form of decorating cloth. We open the left over boxes on Christmas Eve. We have been married for 33 years, this December. We have had eight years all to ourselves. I recommend that you all consider designing the end years of your lives. The end years that are all your own, single or married. Celebrate everything that you love. Everything!
-35-
The History of Christmas Cards from WhyChristmas.com The custom of sending Christmas cards was started in the UK in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole. He was a civil servant (Government worker) who was very interested in the new 'Public Post Office' and wondered how it could be used more by ordinary people. Sir Henry had the idea of Christmas Cards with his friend John Horsley, who was an artist. They designed the first card and sold them for 1 shilling each. (That is only 5p or 8 cents today, but in those days it was worth much much more.) The card had three panels. The outer two panels showed people caring for the poor and in the centre panel was a family having a large Christmas dinner! Some people didn't like the card because it showed a child being given a glass of wine! About 1000 (or it might have been less!) were printed and sold. They are now very rare and cost thousands of Pounds or Dollars to buy now!
The first postal service that ordinary people could use was started in 1840 when the first 'Penny Post' public postal deliveries began. Before that, only very rich people could afford to send anything in the post. The new Post Office was able to offer a Penny stamp because new railways were being built. These could carry much more post than the horse and carriage that had been used before. Also, trains could go a lot faster. Cards became even more popular in the UK when they could be posted in an unsealed envelope for one halfpenny - half the price of an ordinary letter. As printing methods improved, Christmas cards became much more popular and were produced in large numbers from about 1860. In 1870 the cost of sending a post card, and also Christmas cards, dropped to half a penny. This meant even more people were able to send cards. An engraved card by the artist William Egley, who illustrated some of Charles Dickens's books, is on display in the British Museum. By the early 1900s, the custom had spread over Europe and had become especially popular in Germany.
The world’s first Christmas card, 1843 -36-
The first cards usually had pictures of the Nativity scene on them. In late Victorian times, robins (an English bird) and snow-scenes became popular. In those times the postmen were nicknamed 'Robin Postmen' because of the red uniforms they wore. Snow-scenes were popular because they reminded people of the very bad winter that happened in the UK in 1836. Christmas Cards appeared in the United States of America in the late 1840s, but were very expensive and most people couldn't afford them. It 1875, Louis Prang, a printer who was originally from German but who had also worked on early cards in the UK, started mass producing cards so more people could afford to buy them. Mr Prang's first cards featured flowers, plants, and children. In 1915, John C. Hall and two of his brothers created Hallmark Cards, who are still one of the biggest card makers today!
things such as foil and ribbon on them. These were usually too delicate to send through the post and were given by hand. Nowadays, cards have all sorts of pictures on them: jokes, winter pictures, Santa Claus or romantic scenes of life in past times. Charities often sell their own Christmas Cards as a way raising money at Christmas. Charities also make money from seals or stickers used to seal the card envelopes. This custom started in Denmark in the early 1900s by a postal worker who thought it would be a good way for charities to raise money, as well as making the cards more decorative. It was a great success: over four million were sold in the first year! Soon Sweden and Norway adopted the custom and then it spread all over Europe and to America.
In the 1910s and 1920s, home made cards became popular. They were often unusual shapes and had -37-
Christmas Candy Canes
from WhyChristmas.com
The Christmas Candy Cane originated in Germany about 250 years ago. They started as straight white sugar sticks. A story says that a choirmaster, in 1670, was worried about the children sitting quietly all through the long Christmas nativity service. So he gave them something to eat to keep them quiet! As he wanted to remind them of Christmas, he made them into a 'J' shape like a shepherds crook, to remind them of the shepherds that visited the baby Jesus at the first christmas. However, the earliest records of 'candy canes' comes from over 200 years later, so the story, although rather nice, probably isn't true! Sometime around 1900 the red stripes were added and they were flavored with peppermint or wintergreen. Sometimes other Christian meanings are giving to the parts of the canes. The 'J' can also mean Jesus. The white of the cane can represent the purity of Jesus Christ and the red stripes are for the blood he shed when he died on the cross. The peppermint flavor can represent the hyssop plant that was used for purifying in the Bible. Around 1920, Bob McCormack, from Georgia, USA, started making canes for his friends and family. They became more and -38-
more popular and he started his own business called Bob's Candies. Bob McCormack's brother-in-law, Gregory Harding Keller, who was a Catholic priest, invented the Keller Machine that made turning straight candy sticks into curved candy canes automatic! In 2005, Bob's Candies was bought by Farley and Sathers but they still make candy canes!
A Tradition of Baking Gingerly
by Tori Avey from The History of Gingerbread via PBS.org No confection symbolizes the holidays quite like gingerbread in its many forms, from edible houses to candy-studded gingerbread men to spiced loaves of cake-like bread. In Medieval England, the term gingerbread simply meant ‘preserved ginger’ and wasn’t applied to the desserts we are familiar with until the 15th century. The term is now broadly used to describe any type of sweet treat that combines ginger with honey, treacle or molasses. Ginger root was first cultivated in ancient China, where it was commonly used as a medical treatment. From there it spread to Europe via the Silk Road. During the Middle Ages it was favored as a spice for its ability to disguise the taste of preserved meats. Henry VIII is said to have used a ginger concoction in hopes of building a resistance to the plague. Even today we use ginger as an effective remedy for nausea and other stomach ailments. In Sanskrit the root was known as srigavera, which translates to ‘root shaped like a horn’ – a fitting name for ginger’s unusual appearance. According to Rhonda Massingham Hart’s Making Gingerbread Houses, the first
known recipe for gingerbread came from Greece in 2400 BC. Chinese recipes were developed during the 10th century and by the late Middle Ages, Europeans had their own version of gingerbread. The hard cookies, sometimes gilded with gold leaf and shaped like animals, kings and queens, were a staple at Medieval fairs in England, France, Holland and Germany. Queen Elizabeth I is credited with the idea of decorating the cookies in this fashion, after she had some made to resemble the dignitaries visiting her court. Over time some of these festivals came to be known as Gingerbread Fairs, and the gingerbread cookies served there were known as ‘fairings.’ The shapes of the gingerbread changed with the season, including flowers in the spring and birds in the fall. Elaborately decorated gingerbread became synonymous with all things fancy and elegant in England. The gold leaf that was often used to decorate gingerbread cookies led to the popular expression ‘to take the gilt off of gingerbread.’ The carved, white architectural details found on many colonial American seaside homes is sometimes referred to as ‘gingerbread work’. -39-
Gingerbread houses originated in Germany during the 16th century. The elaborate cookie-walled houses, decorated with foil in addition to gold leaf, became associated with Christmas tradition. Their popularity rose when the Brothers Grimm wrote the story of Hansel and Gretel, in which the main characters stumble upon a house made entirely of treats deep in the forest. It is unclear whether or not gingerbread houses were a result of the popular fairy tale, or vice versa. Recently the record for world’s largest gingerbread house was broken. The previous record was set by the Mall of America in 2006. The new winning gingerbread house, spanning nearly 40,000 cubic feet, was erected at Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas. The house required a building permit and was built much like a traditional house. 4,000
image from the book, Dramatic Reader For Lower Grades, by Florence Holbrook, 1911
A mere 35,823,400 calories, the structure is 60 feet by 42 feet and measures up to 20 feet tall.
It’s comprised of 3,000 pounds of sugar, 7,200 pounds of flour, 1,800 pounds of butter and 7,200 eggs. -40-
gingerbread bricks were used during its construction. To put that in perspective, a recipe for a house this size would include 1,800 pounds of butter and 1,080 ounces of ground ginger. Sounds more like a gingerbread resort! Gingerbread arrived in the New World with English colonists. The cookies were sometimes used to sway Virginia voters to favor one candidate over another. The first American cookbook, American Cookery by Amelia Simmons, has recipes for three types of gingerbread including the soft variety baked in loaves: Soft gingerbread to be baked in pans. No. 2. Rub three pounds of sugar, two pounds of butter, into four pounds of flour, add 20 eggs, 4 ounces ginger, 4 spoons rosewater, bake as No. 1. This softer version of gingerbread was more common in America. George Washington’s mother, Mary Ball Washington, served her recipe for gingerbread to the Marquis de Lafayette when he visited her Fredericksburg, Virginia home. Since then it was known as Gingerbread
Lafayette. The confection was passed down through generations of Washingtons. Of course I couldn’t explore the history of gingerbread without making a few cookies of my own. There are many tempting varieties, but ultimately I decided to go the traditional route and make gingerbread men. This recipe is slightly adapted from the now out-of-print New York Times Heritage Cookbook. It makes sturdy cookies with a crunchy snap, perfect for building gingerbread house walls (if you’re brave enough to forgo a kit!). I added a touch more ginger to the cookies to give them more flavor. You also might consider adding a splash of rosewater to the dough as a nod to Amelia Simmons! The gingerbread men bake up smooth and flat, the perfect pallet for decorating with royal icing, candies, sugar pearls and sprinkles. If you’d like to learn how to ice the cookies as they appear in the pictures, try my royal icing recipe with this tutorial I wrote up last year on how to decorate cookies with royal icing.
-41-
Ingredients • ¾ cup unsulphured molasses • ¾ cup butter • ¾ cup dark brown sugar • 4 ½ cups flour, plus more for rolling surface • 1 tsp baking powder • 1 tsp salt • ½ tsp baking soda • 3 ½ tsp ground ginger • 2 tsp cinnamon • 1 egg, lightly beaten • Royal icing (optional) • Sprinkles, cinnamon candies, or any other decorations of your choice (optional) Directions 1. In a medium saucepan, heat the molasses to the simmering point. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until it melts. Stir in the brown sugar. Allow to cool. 2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon. Add the cooled molasses and the egg to the flour mixture and mix very well until a dough forms. You may need to use your hands to -42-
3. 4.
5.
6.
7.
really incorporate the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Wrap dough in wax or parchment paper and chill for 1-2 hours, or until firm enough to roll. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer chilled dough to a lightly floured rolling surface and roll out the dough to one-quarter inch thickness. Roll out a quarter of the dough at a time. Cut cookies with your choice of cookie cutter. I chose a traditional gingerbread man, but you can get creative with any kind of cookie cutter you’d like. Transfer cut dough to a baking sheet that has been lightly greased with nonstick cooking spray or lined with a silicone baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. The cookies will puff up, but won’t spread much. Cool completely on a rack before decorating with royal icing, decorative sprinkles and candies.
Tips/Techniques You will also need: medium saucepan, large mixing bowl, sifter, wax or parchment paper, rolling pin, cookie cutter(s) of your choice, baking sheet, nonstick cooking spray or silicone baking sheet.
Once upon a time
, there were a little old woman and a little old man who lived in a little cottage near the river. The little old woman and the little old man were hungry, so the little old woman decided to bake a gingerbread man. She made a big batch of gingerbread dough, then rolled it flat and cut it in the shape of a gingerbread man. She gave him raisins for eyes, a cinnamon drop for a mouth, and chocolate chips for buttons. Then she put the gingerbread man in the oven to bake. When the gingerbread man was done, the little old woman opened the oven door, but before she could take him out, the gingerbread man jumped up and ran through the kitchen and out of the cottage shouting, "Don't eat me!" The little old woman ran after the gingerbread man. "Stop," she yelled. But the gingerbread man ran even faster, chanting, "Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man." The gingerbread man ran into the garden and passed the little old man. "Stop," the little old man called out, "I want to eat you." But the gingerbread man ran even faster, chanting, "I've run away from a little old woman , and I can run away from you, I can. Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man." The little old man chased the gingerbread man, followed by the little old woman. But the gingerbread man ran too fast for them. The gingerbread man ran through the yard and passed a pig . "Stop," the pig snorted, "I want to eat you." But the gingerbread man ran even faster, chanting, "I've run from a little old woman and a little old man, and I can run away from you, I can. Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man." The pig chased the gingerbread man, followed by the little old woman and the little old man. But the gingerbread man ran too fast for them. The gingerbread man passed a cow by the barn. "Stop," the cow mooed, "I want to eat you." But the gingerbread man ran even faster, chanting, "I've run from a little old woman and a little old man and a pig, and I can run away from you, I can. Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man." The cow chased the gingerbread man, followed by the pig and the little old woman and the little old man. But the gingerbread man ran too fast for them. The gingerbread man passed a horse in the field. "Stop," the horse neighed, "I want to eat you." But the gingerbread man ran even faster, chanting, "I've run from a little old woman and a little old man and a pig and a cow, and I can run away from you, I can. Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man." The horse chased the gingerbread man, followed by the cow, the pig, and the little old woman and the little old man. But the gingerbread man ran too fast for them. Then the gingerbread man reached a wide river, but he didn't know how to swim. A sly and hungry fox saw the gingerbread man and said, "Jump on my tail, and I'll take you across the river!" The gingerbread man thought to himself, "I'll be safe on his tail." So he jumped on the fox's tail and they started across the river. Halfway across the river, the fox barked, "You're too heavy for my tail, jump on my back." So the gingerbread man jumped on the fox's back. Soon, the fox said, You're too heavy for my back, jump onto my nose." So the gingerbread man jumped on the fox's nose. But as soon as they reached the riverbank, the fox flipped the gingerbread man into the air, snapped his mouth shut, and ate the gingerbread man. And that was the end of the gingerbread man. -43-
Fruitcake 101: A Concise Cultural History of This Loved & Loathed Loaf by Jesse Rhodes from Smithsonian.com
The action of Truman Capote's 1956 short story "A Christmas Memory" is set into motion when a nameless sixtysomething woman looks out her kitchen window and exclaims, "Oh my, it's fruitcake weather." Thus, she and her dearest friend, her 7-year-old, live-in cousin Buddy, begin amassing supplies for a seasonal four-day baking spree— which involves everything from snitching fallen nuts from a neighbor's pecan grove to procuring a quart of bootleg whiskey. However, on learning how his spirits are going to be used, the bootlegger flippantly remarks, "That's no way to waste good whiskey." In spite of the goodwill and Christmas cheer fruitcakes are intended to embody, they are the running joke of the modern holiday season. Late-night comedian Johnny Carson got his digs in with lines like: " There is only one fruitcake in the entire world and people keep passing it around." In English slang the word has come to mean someone who is eccentric or flat-out insane, while in Manitou Springs, Colorado there is an annual fruitcake toss where unwanted loaves are bid adieu by medieval means—namely, catapults. There seems to be a cultural expectation that we collectively loathe this token baked good. But can fruitcake really be as bad as all that? That's hard to believe given its staying power, culturally speaking. The ancient Romans made a mishmash of barley, pomegranate seeds, nuts and raisins as a sort of energy bar; however the modern fruitcake can be traced back to the Middle Ages as dried fruits became more widely available and fruited breads entered Western European cuisine. But variations on the fruitcake started springing up: Italy's dense, sweetand-spicy panforte (literally, "strong bread") dates back to 13th century Sienna; Germany's stollen, a tapered loaf coated with melted butter and powdered sugar that's more bread-like in consistency, has been a Dresden delicacy since the 1400s and has its own annual festival; and then there's black cake in the Caribbean Islands, a boozy descendant of Britain's plum pudding where the fruit is soaked in rum for months, or even as long as a year. -44-
The tradition of making fruitcakes for special occasions such as weddings and holidays gained in popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries and due to the cost of the materials, it was a grand indulgence. But, as with many traditions, how this confection came to be exclusively associated with Christmas season is a mystery. Another mystery is the point at which the fruitcake fell from grace. Perhaps one nail was driven into the coffin in the early 20th century when massproduced mail-order fruitcakes became available, creating the regrettably classic image of a dry, leaden cake encrusted with garish candied fruits and pecans. But since some of the companies producing these things have been in business for decades, this isn't an entirely satisfactory answer. They must be doing something right, right? Personally, I'm a fan of the homemade stuff. This time of year I enjoy remembering people through food, and I crack out the family recipes that distinguished the Christmas season. Among them is Great Grandma Reamer's fruitcake, and although I never knew her personally, I know this one dish of hers and every year her guarded, liquor-kissed blend of dried fruits and miniature marshmallows is thrown together in my kitchen. And this holiday season I made my first attempt at making panforte, mainly because every year the Italian side of my family always remarks on how hard it is to find that particular fruitcake in the stores. We'll see if mine passes muster come Christmas morning. You may have to employ the scientific method of trial and error before you find a fruitcake recipe that pleases your palette, but I dare you to give it a try. With all the international and regional variations out there to try—and even a recipe championed by Good Eats chef Alton Brown—you may end up creating a positive fruitcake tradition of your own. And for those of you looking for the recipe that's only vaguely described in "A Christmas Memory," check out Fruitcake by Truman Capote's aunt Marie Rudisill. She is perhaps best known for her guest appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno under her stage name "The Fruitcake Lady."
image from SavannahNow.com
-45-
Alton Brown’s Free Range Fruitcake
image from WomansInsite.com
from FoodNetwork.com Yield:10 slices, Level:Easy Ingredients • 1 cup golden raisins • 1 cup currants • 1/2 cup sun dried cranberries • 1/2 cup sun dried blueberries • 1/2 cup sun dried cherries • 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped • Zest of one lemon, chopped coarsely • Zest of one orange, chopped coarsely • 1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped • 1 cup gold rum • 1 cup sugar • 5 ounces unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks) • 1 cup unfiltered apple juice • 4 whole cloves, ground • 6 allspice berries, ground • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1 teaspoon ground ginger • 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt -46-
1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 eggs 1/4 to 1/2 cup toasted pecans, broken • Brandy for basting and/or spritzing • • • •
Directions 1. Combine dried fruits, candied ginger and both zests. Add rum and macerate overnight, or microwave for 5 minutes to re-hydrate fruit. 2. Place fruit and liquid in a nonreactive pot with the sugar, butter, apple juice and spices. Bring mixture to a boil stirring often, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for at least 15 minutes. (Batter can be completed up to this point, then covered & refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before completing cake.) 3. Heat oven to 325 degrees.
4.Combine dry ingredients and sift into fruit mixture. Quickly bring batter together with a large wooden spoon, then stir in eggs one at a time until completely integrated, then fold in nuts. Spoon into a 10-inch non-stick loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Check for doneness by inserting toothpick into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not, bake another 10 minutes, and check again. 5.Remove cake from oven and place on cooling rack or trivet. Baste or spritz top with brandy and allow to cool completely before turning out from pan. 6.When cake is completely cooled, seal in a tight sealing, food safe container. Every 2 to 3 days, feel the cake and if dry, spritz with brandy. The cake's flavor will enhance considerably over the next two weeks. If you decide to give the cake as a gift, be sure to tell the recipient that they are very lucky indeed.
Talking turkey & other Christmas comestibles from TheHistoryOfChristmas.com
Unfortunately, the mince pie tradition hasn't always been upheld as during his time in the midseventeenth century Cromwell decided they were far too indulgent and banned them. Eventually mince pies came back into existence after the Restoration. The sweet, rich and fruity pies that we are now accustomed to developed early in the twentieth century when the meat content was removed for good.
According to "The Joy of Cooking," by Irma Rombauer and Marion Becker, "Many people feel that these cakes improve greatly with age. When they are well saturated with alcoholic liquors, which raise the spirits and keep down mold, and are buried in powdered sugar in tightly closed tins, they have been enjoyed as long as 25 years after baking."
TURKEY Meat has always featured at the centre of traditional Christmas feasts, although it is has not always been in the form of turkey. The act of serving a large roasted joint of meat at Christmas is believed to originate from ancient sacrificial rites to appease the gods and hopefully ensure a sufficient harvest in the following year. Popular meats used for early celebratory purposes were beef, mutton, pork, peacocks and swans. King James I can be thanked for the emergence of turkey as he introduced it during the seventeenth century for the important reason that it was far kinder to his delicate digestive system! Of course not everyone could afford it, and the poor had to make do with goose.
CHRISTMAS CAKE Christmas cake as we know it now a rich fruit cake with marzipan and icing - was introduced as a custom by the Victorians. Prior to that period, cake was eaten during Christmas, but without the toppings. The idea of using marzipan is thought to be linked to the Tudor Marchpane an iced and decorated cake of marzipan that acted as the table centrepiece during banquets and festive occasions.
EGGNOG According to reports by Captain John Smith, the first eggnog made in the United States was consumed in his 1607 Jamestown settlement. Nog comes from the word grog, which refers to any drink made with rum.
MINCE PIES Mince pies, or Christmas pies as they were often known, have existed for centuries, although their shape and content have changed dramatically through the ages. In their original form mince pies were much larger, crib-shaped to represent the manger and packed full of meat, spices and fruit. -47-
St. Nicholas, Santa Claus & Father Christmas
-48-
The Man Behind the Story of Father Christmas/ Santa Claus St. Nicholas was a Bishop who lived in the fourth century AD in a place called Myra in Asia Minor (now called Turkey). He was a very rich man because his parents died when he was young and left him a lot of money. He was also a very kind man and had a reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to people who needed it. There are several legends about St. Nicholas, although we don't know if any of them are true! The most famous story about St. Nicholas tells how the custom of hanging up stockings to get presents in first started! It goes like this: There was a poor man who had three daughters. He was so poor, he did not have enough money for a dowry, so his daughters couldn't get married. (A dowry is a sum of money paid to the bridegroom by the brides parents on the wedding day. This still happens in some countries, even today.) One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and into the house (This meant that the oldest daughter was then able to be married.). The bag fell into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry! This was repeated later with the second daughter. Finally, determined to discover the person who had given him the money, the father secretly hid by the fire every evening until he caught Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold. Nicholas begged the man to not tell anyone what he had done, because he did not want to bring attention to himself. But soon the news got out and when anyone received a secret gift, it was thought that maybe it was from Nicholas. Because of his kindness Nicholas was made a Saint. St. Nicholas is not only the saint of children but also of sailors! One story tells of him helping some sailors that were caught in a dreadful storm off the coast of Turkey. The storm was raging around them and all the men were terrified that their ship would sink beneath the giant waves. They prayed to St. Nicholas to help them. Suddenly, he was standing on the deck before them. He ordered the sea to be calm, the storm died away, and they were able to sail their ship safely to port. St. Nicholas was exiled from Myra and later put in prison during the persecution by the Emperor Diocletian. No one is really knows when he died, but it was on 6th December in either 345 or 352 AD. In 1087, his bones were stolen from Turkey by some Italianmerchant sailors. The bones are now kept in the Church named after him in the Italian port of Bari. On St. Nicholas feast day (6th December), the sailors of Bari still carry his statue from the Cathedral out to sea, so that he can bless the waters and so give them safe voyages throughout the year. You can find out lots about about St Nicholas at the St. Nicholas Center.
How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus In the 16th Century in Europe, the stories and traditions about St. Nicholas had become very unpopular. But someone had to deliver presents to children at Christmas, so in the UK, he became 'Father Christmas', a character from old children's stories; in France, he was then known as 'Père Nöel'; inGermany, the 'Christ Kind'. In the early USA his name was 'Kris Kringle'. Later, Dutch settlers in the USA took the old stories of St. Nicholas with them and Kris Kringle became 'Sinterklaas' or as we now say 'Santa Claus'! Many countries, especially ones in Europe, celebrate St. Nicholas' Day on 6th December. In Holland and some other European Countries, children leave clogs or shoes out to be filled with presents. They also believe that if they leave some hay and carrots in their shoes for Sinterklaas's horse, they will be left some sweets. St. Nicholas became popular again in the Victorian era when writers, poets and artists rediscovered the old stories. In 1823 the famous poem 'A Visit from St. Nicholas' or 'T'was the Night before Christmas', was published. Dr Clement Clarke Moore later claimed that he had written it for his children. However, some scholars now believe that it was actually written by Henry Livingston, Jr., who was a distant relative of Dr Moore's wife. The poem describes -49-
eight reindeer and gives them their names. They became really well known in the song 'Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer', written in 1949. Do you know all eight names? Click here to learn more about Santa’s steeds. Did you know that Rudolph might actually be a girl!? Only female reindeer keep their antlers throughout winter. By Christmas time most males have discarded their antlers and are saving their energy ready to grow a new pair in the spring. The UK Father Christmas and the American Santa Claus became more and more alike over the years and are now one and the same. Some people say that Santa lives at the North Pole. In Finland, they say that he lives in the north part of their country called Lapland. But everyone agrees that he travels through the sky on a sledge that is pulled by reindeer, that he comes into houses down the chimney at night and places presents for the children in socks or bags by their beds, in front of the family Christmas tree, or by the fire place. Most children receive their presents on Christmas Eve night or early Christmas morning, but in some countries they get their presents on St. Nicholas' Day, December 6th. St. Nicholas putting the bag of gold into a stocking is probably where the custom of having a tangerine or satsuma at the bottom of your Christmas stocking came from. If people couldn't afford gold, some golden fruit was a good replacement - and until the last 50 years these were quite unusual fruits and so still special! The biggest Christmas stocking was 51m 35cm (168ft 5.65in) long and 21m 63cm (70ft 11.57in) wide (from the heel to the toe). It was made the volunteer emergency services organisation Pubblica Assistenza Carrara e Sezioni (Italy) in Carrara, Tuscany, Italy, on 5th January 2011. Just think how many presents you could fit in that! -50-
Santa Claus and Coca-Cola There's a Christmas Urban Legend that says that Santa's red suit was designed by Coca-Cola and that they might even 'own' Santa! This is definitely NOT TRUE! Long before coke had been invented, St Nicholas had worn his Bishop's red robes. During Victorian times, he wore a range of colours (red, green, blue and brown fur) but red was always his favourite! In January 1863, the magazine Harper's Weekly published the first illustration of St Nicholas/St Nick by Thomas Nast. In this he was wearing a 'Stars and Stripes' outfit! Over the next 20 years Thomas Nast continued to draw Santa every Christmas and his works were very popular indeed (he must have been very good f r i e n d s with Santa to get such good access!). This is when Santa really started to develop his big tummy and the style of red and white outfit he wears today. Nast designed Santa's look on some historical information about Santa and the poem 'A Visit from St. Nicholas'. On January 1st 1881, Harper's Weekly published Nast's most famous image of Santa, complete with a big red belly, an arm full of toys and smoking a pipe! This image of Santa became very popular, with more artists drawing Santa in his red and white costume from 1900 to 1930. By 1931, when Coke first used Santa in their advertising, his image was well established. The first 'Coke Santa' was drawn by artist Haddon Sundblom. He took the idea of Nast's Santa but made him even more larger than life and jolly, replaced the pipe with a bottle of Coke and created the famous Coke holding Santa! Coca-Cola also agree that the red suit was made popular by Thomas Nast not them!
Gift Bringers from Around the World
Santa Claus / Father Christmas in different Countries Although Santa Claus/Father Christmas is the best known Christmas gift bringer, there are many different present givers in different countries around the world. Santa's also called different things in different countries! Here are some of them: from WhyChristmas.com • • • • • •
• • • •
Afghanistan: Baba Chaghaloo Albania: Babadimri Armenia: Gaghant Baba / Kaghand Papa (Father Christmas or Father New Year) Austria: Christkind (a little angel like person) Azerbaijan: Şaxta baba (Grandfather Frost) Belgium: Sinterklaas/St. Niklaas (Flemish) or Saint Nicholas (Walloon) & Père Noël (Father Christmas) Bosnia and Herzegovina: Djeda Mraz (Grandfather Frost) Brazil: Papai Noel (Father Christmas) & Bom Velhinho (Good Old Man) Bulgaria: Дядо Коледа (Grandfather Christmas) Chile: Viejito Pascuero (Christmas old man)
• China: Sheng dan lao ren (Traditional: 聖 誕⽼老老⼈人, Simplified: 圣诞⽼老老⼈人; means Old Christmas Man) • Costa Rica: Niño dios (Child God, meaning Jesus) & Colacho (another name for St. Nicholas) • Croatia: Djed Božičnjak (Grandfather Christmas) • Czech Republic: Svatý Mikuláš (St. Nicholas) and Ježíšek (the Christ child) • Denmark: Julemanden (Christmas Man) • Ecuador: Papa Noel • Egypt: Baba Noël • Estonia: Jõuluvana (Yule Elder) • Ethiopia: Amharic: Yágena Abãt (Christmas Father) • Finland: Santa Claus (well he does live in Lapland in Finland!) or Joulupukki • France: Père Noël (Father Christmas) • Georgia: !"#$%& '(')(, !"#$%& *(*( / Tovlis Babua, Tovlis Papa (Snow Grandfather)
• Germany: Weihnachtsmann (Christmas Man) & Christkind (a little angel like person) • Greece: Aghios Vassilis / Άγιος Βασίλης (Saint Basil) • Haiti: Tonton Nwèl • Holland/Netherlands: Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas) & Kerstman (Christmas Man) • Hungary: Mikulás (Nicholas) & Télapó (Old Man Winter) • Iceland: Jólasveinn (Yule Man) & Jólasveinarnir (The Yule Lads) • India: Hindi: Christmas Baba, Urdu: Baba Christmas (Father Christmas), Telugu: Thatha (Christmas old man), Tamil: Christmas Thaathaa, Marathi: Natal Bua (Christmas Elder Man) • Indonesia: Sinterklas • Iraq: Baba Noel / Vader Kersfees • Ireland: San Nioclás' (Saint Nicholas) & Daidí na Nollag (Father Christmas) • Italy: Babbo Natale (Santa Claus) or La Befana (an old woman) • Japan: サンタさん、サンタクロー ス santa-san (Mr Santa) & Hoteiosho (A Japanese god of good fortune - not really related to Christmas) • Latvia: Ziemassvētku vecītis (Christmas old man) • Lithuania: Senis Šaltis (Old Man Frost) & Kalėdų Senelis (Christmas Grandfather) • Lebanon: Baba Noël • Macedonia: Дедо Мраз / Dedo Mraz • Malta: San Niklaw (St. Nicholas) • Mexico: El Niñito Dios (baby Jesus), Los Reyes Magos (The Three Wise Men) & Santo Clós (Santa Claus) • Norway: Julenissen (Santa Claus) or 'Nisse' (Small Gnomes) • Pakistan: Christmas Baba • Peru: Papá Noel • Philippines: Santa Klaus • Poland: Swiety Mikolaj (St. Nicholas)
• Portugal: Pai Natal (Father Christmas) • Romania: Moş Crăciun (Old Man Christmas), Moş Nicolae (Old Man Nicholas), Moş Gerilă (Old Man Frost) • Russia: Дед Мороз / Ded Morez (Grandfather Frost) or Babouschka (an old woman - although this more 'western' than actually Russian!) • Serbia: Дедa Мрaз / Deda Mraz (Grandfather Frost), Божић Бата / Božić Bata (Christmas Brother) • Slovenia: Sveti Miklavž or Sveti Nikolaj (Saint Nicholas) / Božiček or Dedek Mraz (Grandfather Winter); Božiček on December 24 and Dedek Mraz on December 31! • South Africa: Sinterklaas / Kersvader • South Korea: 산타 클로스 (santa kullosu), 산타 할아버지 (Santa Grandfather) • Spain: Los tres Reyes Mages (The Three Magic King / Magi) & Papá Noel (Father Christmas); in Catalonia he's known as Tió de Nadal • Sri Lanka: Naththal Seeya • Sweden: Jultomten (Santa) & Nissar / Tomte (Christmas Gnomes/Elves) • Switzerland: Samichlaus (St. Nicholas) • Syria: Baba Noël • Turkey: Noel Babal (Father Christmas) • Ukraine: Svyatyy Mykolay (St. Nicholas) & Дід Мороз / Did Moroz • United Kingdom: Father Christmas (interchangeable with Santa Claus), Wales: Siôn Corn (Chimney John) • USA: Santa Claus, Hawaii: Kanakaloka • Uzbekistan: Qor bobo (Grandfather Snow - more related to New Year's Eve than Christmas) • Venezuela: San Nicolás (St. Nicholas) & Niño Jesús (Baby Jesus) • Vietnam: Ông già Noel (Christmas old man)
-51-
Click on the country of your choice for Christmas Traditions in different locales and cultures around the world
Armenia Australia Belgium Brazil Canada China Costa Rica Czech Rep. Democratic Rep. of the Congo Denmark Egypt Ethiopia Finland France Germany Ghana Greece Greenland Holland -52-
Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Ireland Italy Jamaica Japan Latvia Lebanon Madagascar Mali Malta Mexico New Zealand Nigeria Norway Pakistan Palestine
Philippines Poland Portugal Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sweden Taiwan Trinidad and Tobago UK USA Venezuela Vietnam Zambia Zimbabwe
The Goff’s Christmas Traditions
˝
by Bonnie Ramsburg I don’t remember when we started doing it. Probably after my brother was old enough to understand what was going on. But we would decorate our tree on or around my mom’s birthday, which is December 12th. And we don’t usually take it down until after the New Year starts. Our tree isn’t fancy; it’s been a fake one for more years than I can remember. And mom absolutely HAS to have thousands upon thousands of lights on it. We still put handmade ornaments on it from when my brother and I were kids. I’ve added new ornaments over the years, but they fit the scheme of our tree to perfection, which isn’t a set theme. It’s homey; it’s us and our likes and tastes. We don’t let fashion dictate what we should do; even though I’ve often thought about doing a tree in a certain color scheme and style, I just can’t bring myself to start from scratch with all new ornaments, and besides, we aren’t that kind of family. And we have a system for decorating it. Mom puts on the lights and garland; then my brother and I would put on the rest of the decorations. When we don’t have pets, mom would put icicles on after we were done. Ohhhh, and we cannot forget the “Special Ornaments.” My mom has a box of ornaments from her grandmother. For the longest time, mom was the only one that was allowed to put them on. Because of the reverence we all showed these ornaments, I thought they were priceless heirloom pieces. When my cat broke one, I thought for sure him and I both would be disowned. Then I found out they were from a Five and Dime store and I was floored! Yet they are still priceless heirloom pieces, because they are something that came from my great-grandmother. Then there’s Christmas morning! My parents wouldn’t let us come downstairs until after they had went down, turned all the Christmas lights on and made sure all the presents were under the tree; sometimes there were gifts that couldn’t be wrapped, so just in case any little nosey nellies decided to make a trip downstairs to see what Santa had brought, they would wait till Christmas morning to put those gifts out. I’m almost 100% positive that they waited until the first pot of coffee was made for my dad before they let us come down too. And who can forget Christmas Dinner? Oh my! We’d have turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits, dressing and some sort of vegetable (ALL of it homemade, just to make you jealous!), plus mom always made homemade pumpkin pie! We usually only had a meal like that one other time of the year and that was at Thanksgiving! I hope you enjoyed reading about The Goff Family Traditions. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! One of the two reasons the presents didn't get put out till morning
-53-
Christmas Recipes from around the world from WhyChristmas.com Click on the names of specific dishes to get their recipes Germany • Stollen: Stollen is a fruited yeast bread made in many parts of Germany. At Christmas time it is decorated with colourful candied fruits for the occasion. Holland • Christmas Tree Cookies / Pepernoot: These rich and decorative cookies are made to hang on the Christmas tree. They are coated with coloured coffee sugar crystals or iced and decorated with silver balls or sugar strands. • Kerstkrans (Dutch Christmas Ring): This is an attractive cake for the Christmas table, especially when a candle is put in the centre of the ring with some sprigs of holly and fir. Italy • Panettone: This is a sweet yeast cake that is a traditional part of Christmas in Italy, but it is served with coffee and for breakfast throughout the year in many regions. Panettone keeps well in an airtight container and can be reheated whole. (and I really like it spread with butter and jam!) Madagascar • Akoho sy voanio Chicken with Coconut and Rice: Chicken cooked in Coconut Milk, with some ginger and garlic • Akoho misy Sakamalao Chicken with Garlic and Ginger: If you like a lot of garlic and giner, you'll love this traditional Madagascan recipe! New Zealand • Pavlova: This is a light [meringue-based] pudding that can be eaten with fruit, cream or anything you like! -54-
Norway • Hole Cake: This is a flat rye bread with a hole cut in the centre, which will fit over the wooden rod in the centre of the Scandinavian bread boards made for ring crisp breads. South Africa • Malva Pudding / Lekker Pudding: A yummy Christmas Desert that's traditional in South Africa. UK • Christmas Cake • Christmas Pudding: A traditional Christmas Pudding Recipe. I like Ice Cream with my Christmas Pudding! • Mince Pies: These are nice hot or cold. A good traditional UK Christmas treat! • Tunis Cake: An alternative Christmas cake with a Madeira/Sponge base and covered in Chocolate! • Mincemeat: If you want to make your own or can't buy it in a jar! • Wassail: This is for adults! Good to warm you up on a cold winters night! Scotland • Shortbread: Nice to have with a cup of tea or coffee. • Historical Christmas Recipes - try them at your own risk! These are very old recipes and I take no responsibility for how they taste! • Two old Frumenty Recipes: The original 'Christmas Pudding'. • Plumm Pottage from 1707: The next step in a 'Christmas Pudding'. • Victorian Mince Pies: Made with real meat! • A Bowl of Snow: A pudding from 1594!
The History of Christmas Crackers from WhyChristmas.com Christmas crackers are a traditional Christmas favorite in the UK. They were first made in about 1845-1850 by a London sweet maker called Tom Smith. He had seen the French 'bon bon' sweets (almonds wrapped in pretty paper). He came back to London and tried selling sweets like that in England and also included a small motto or riddle in with the sweet. But they didn't sell very well. However, one night, while he was sitting in front of his log fire, he became very interested by the sparks and cracks coming from the fire. Suddenly, he thought what a fun idea it would be, if his sweets and toys could be opened with a crack when their fancy wrappers were pulled in half. Crackers were originally called 'cosaques' and were thought to be named after the 'Cossack' soldiers who had a reputation for riding on their horses and firing guns into the air! When Tom died, his expanding cracker business was taken over by his three sons, Tom, Walter and Henry. Walter introduced the hats into crackers and he also travelled around the world looking for new ideas for gifts to put in the crackers.
Cracker manufacturers also made large displays, such as horse drawn carriages and sleighs, for the big shops in London. The Christmas Crackers that are used today are short cardboard tubes wrapped in colourful paper. There is normally a Cracker next to each plate on the Christmas dinner table. When the crackers are pulled - with a bang! - a colourful party hat, a toy or gift and a festive joke falls out! The party hats look like crowns and it is thought that they symbolise the crowns that might have been worn by the Wise Men. Crackers are famous for their very bad jokes! Here are some bad Christmas themed Cracker jokes! The world's longest Christmas cracker measured 63.1m (207ft) long and 4m (13ft) in diameter and was made by the parents of children at Ley Hill School and Pre-School, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, UK on 20 December 2001. Now that would be one big bang! The biggest Christmas cracker pull was done by 1,478 people at an event organised by Honda Japan at Tochigi Proving Ground, Tochigi, Japan, on 18 October 2009.
The company built up a big range of 'themed' crackers. There were ones for bachelors and spinsters (single men and women), where the gifts were things like false teeth and wedding rings! There were also crackers for Suffragettes (women who campaigned to get women the vote), war heroes and even Charlie Chaplain! Crackers were also made for special occasions like Coronations. The British Royal Family still has special crackers made for them today! Very expensive crackers were made such as the 'Millionaire's Crackers' which contained a solid silver box with a piece of gold and silver jewelry inside it! -55-
The History of Christmas Carols from WhyChristmas.com Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago, but these were not Christmas Carols. They were pagan songs, sung at the Winter Solstice celebrations as people danced round stone circles (The word carol originally meant to dance to something). The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, usually taking place around the 22nd December. The word Carol actually means dance or a song of praise and joy! Carols used to be written and sung during all four seasons, but only the tradition of singing them at Christmas has really survived. Early Christians took over the pagan solstice celebrations for Christmas and gave people Christian songs to sing instead of pagan ones. In AD 129, a Roman Bishop said that a song called "Angel's Hymn" should be sung at a Christmas service in Rome. Another famous early Christmas Hymn was written in 760AD, by Comas of Jerusalem, for the Greek Orthodox Church. Soon after this many composers all over Europe started to write 'Christmas carols'. However, not many people liked them as they were all written and sung in Latin, a language that the normal people couldn't understand. By the time of the Middles Ages (the 1200s), most people had lost interest in celebrating Christmas altogether. This was changed by St. Francis of Assisi when, in 1223, he started his Nativity Plays in Italy. The people in the plays sang songs or 'canticles' that told the story during the plays. Sometimes, the choruses of these new carols were in Latin; but normally they were all in a language that the people watching the play could understand and join in! The new carols spread to France, Spain, Germany and other European countries. The earliest carol, like this, was written in 1410. Sadly only a very small fragment of it still exists. The carol was about Mary and Jesus meeting different people in Bethlehem. Most Carols from this time and the Elizabethan period are untrue stories, very loosely based on the Christmas story, about the holy family and were seen as entertaining rather than religious -56-
songs. They were usually sung in homes rather than in churches! Traveling singers or Minstrels started singing these carols and the words were changed for the local people wherever they were traveling. One carols that changed like this is 'I Saw Three Ships'. When Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans came to power in England in 1647, the celebration of Christmas and singing carols was stopped. However, the carols survived as people still sang them in secret. Carols remained mainly unsung until Victorian times, when two men called William Sandys and Davis Gilbert collected lots of old Christmas music from villages in England. Before carol singing in public became popular, there were sometimes official carol singers called 'Waits'. These were bands of people led by important local leaders (such as council leaders) who had the only power in the towns and villages to take money from the public (if others did this, they were sometimes charged as beggars!). They were called 'Waits' because they only sang on Christmas Eve (This was sometimes known as 'watchnight' or 'waitnight' because of the shepherds were watching their sheep when the angels appeared to them.), when the Christmas celebrations began. Also, at this time, many orchestras and choirs were being set up in the cities of England and people wanted Christmas songs to sing, so carols once again became popular. Many new carols, such as 'Good King Wenceslas', were also written in the Victorian period. New carols services were created and became popular, as did the custom of singing carols in the streets. Both of these customs are still popular today! One of the most popular types of Carols services are Carols by Candlelight services. At this service, the church is only lit by candlelight and it feels very Christmassy! Carols by Candlelight services are held in countries all over the world. The most famous type of Carol Service might be a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, where carols and Bible readings tell the Christmas Story.
Briefly from the Belfry A Short History of Christmas Bells by Caroll Marston, Bell Choir Director - from CBCCT.us Bells come in many sizes and shapes and apparently have been around almost from the beginning of mankind. We're told (by people who presume to know these things) that the earliest "bells" were probably gourds or nutshells which were struck on the side by a piece of wood. Bells made from metal have been traced back to the Bronze Age (circa 3000 B.C.). Bells have been used throughout the ages to tell the time, carry messages (remember the "recess" bell of bygone days) and warn of emergencies (fire trucks) or celebrations (church bells). Towers were constructed in the 1500 - 1600's so that the bells, when rung, could be heard over longer distances. "Carillons" are bell towers with several tuned bells and are usually played by a "ringer" from a keyboard and pedal board made of levers. Five or more bells were usually rung one after the other from the highest to lowest creating "peals". The English, we are told, developed their own method of ringing their tower bells called "change ringing". This was "mathematical" system instead of a "musical" system and used multiple ringers. They would alter the sequence of bells, thus the "change". Change ringing became popular in England in the mid-1600's. I guess tower ringers got tired of climbing all those stairs to practice because it wasn't too long before they developed a set of handbells so that they could rehearse at home or at the local pubs.. Suddenly, they realized that the "handbells" made nice music too, so forget those stairs....... the first bell choir was born. English handbells came to the United States in the early 1800's. The circus-guy, P.T. Barnum arranged for a touring handbell group in the 1840's. It took another 100 years before handbell ringing really became popular, expanding from churches to schools to community groups. Now, there are nation-wide organizations devoted to the promotion of handbell ringing, providing regional instruction for directors and ringers and entertainment and joy for those who come to listen.
-57-
One of the main reasons we have the custom of giving and receiving presents at Christmas, is to remind us of the presents given to Jesus by the Wise Men: Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh. • Frankincense was a perfume used in Jewish worship and, as a gift, it showed that people would worship Jesus. • Gold was associated with Kings and Christians believe that Jesus is the King of Kings. • Myrrh was a perfume that was put on dead bodies to make them smell nice and, as a gift, it showed that Jesus would suffer and die. Christmas itself is really about a big present that God gave the world about 2000 years ago - Jesus! One of the most famous Bible verses, John 3:16, says: 'God loved the world so much, that he gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him may not be lost but have eternal life.'. All over the world, families and friends give presents to each other. Most children around the world believe in a Christmas gift bringer. It's often St. Nicholas, Santa Claus or Father Christmas, but in Germany they believe that it is the Christkind, in Spain they believe it is the Wise Men and in Italy they believe it is an old lady called Befana.
presents for friends and family may be left under the Christmas Tree. In the UK, they are often opened on Christmas day morning with all the family together. The custom of hanging stockings comes from the story of St. Nicholas. Presents are opened on different days over the world as well. The earliest presents are opened is on St. Nicholas' Eve on December 5th when children in Holland of ten receive their presents. On St. Nicholas' Day (6th December) children in Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic and some other European countries open some of their presents. Children in the UK, USA and many other countries, such as Japan, open their presents on Christmas Day, December 25th. The latest presents are opened on January 6th (a month after the earliest). This is known as Epiphany and is mainly celebrated in Catholic countries such Spain and Mexico.
These presents are also left in different places! In most of Europe, the presents are left in shoes or boots put out by the children. In Italy, the UK and the USA presents are left in stockings, often left hanging by a fire place. In many countries,
Christmas Presents from WhyChristmas.com
-58-
One popular way of giving presents in groups such as clubs, school classes and workplaces is to have a 'Secret Santa'. This is where you pull the name of someone else in the group out of a hat (or other container!). You then buy a present for that person. When the presents are given out (often at a Christmas party) each person is given their present but they have no idea which person in the group bought it for them!
-59-
“The nutcracker sits under the holiday tree, a guardian of childhood stories. Feed him walnuts and he will crack open a tale...” ~Vera Nazarian
-60-
THE Christmas Ballet from NutcrackerBallet.net The Nutcracker Ballet is based on the story "The Nutcracker and the King of Mice" written by E.T.A. Hoffman. Although what is seen on the stage today is different in detail from the original story, the basic plot remains the same; The story of a young German girl who dreams of a Nutcracker Prince and a fierce battle against a Mouse King with seven heads. When Marius Petipa had the idea to choreograph the story into a ballet, it was actually based on a revision by Alexander Dumas, a well known French author. His version reflects more of what we have come to love as the Nutcracker Ballet.
The Fight Scene As the clock strikes midnight strange things begin to happen. Clara begins shrinking as her beautiful Christmas tree grows high above her. The toys around the tree come to life while the room fills with an army of mice, led by the fierce Mouse King. As the Nutcracker awakens, he leads his army of toy soldiers into battle with the mice. The Mouse King corners the Nutcracker and battles him one-on-one. The Nutcracker seems to be no match for the Mouse King. The Nutcracker and his army can go on no longer and are captured by the mice and their King. Clara makes a final daring charge throwing her slipper at the Mouse King, hitting him square on the head. The Mouse King drops to the floor and the mice run away, carrying off their leader's lifeless body.
The Party Scene It is Christmas Eve at the Stahlbaum house -- A large and grand house with the most beautiful tree imaginable. The Stahlbaums are hosting their annual Christmas party, welcoming the arrival of their family and friends. The children, Clara and Fritz, are dancing and playing as they welcome their friends too.
The Land of Snow The Nutcracker turns into a Prince and takes Clara on a journey to the Land of Snow, an enchanted forest wonderland where they are welcomed by dancing snowflakes.
The party grows festive with music and dance as godfather Drosselmeyer arrives. He is a skilled clock and toy maker and always full of surprises. Drosselmeyer draws everyone's attention as he presents two life-size dolls. They are the delight of the party, each taking a turn to dance. The children begin to open gifts when Drosselmeyer presents his to Clara and Fritz. Although his gift to Fritz is quite nice, he gives Clara a beautiful Nutcracker that becomes the hit of the party. Fritz becomes jealous and, having a bit more spunk than a boy should have, grabs the nutcracker from Clara and promptly breaks it. Clara is heartbroken looking on as Drosselmeyer quickly repairs the Nutcracker with a handkerchief he magically draws from the air. As the evening grows late, the guests depart and the Stahlbaum family retires for the evening. Clara, worried about her beloved Nutcracker, sneaks back to the tree to check on him, falling asleep with him in her arms.
• • •
The Land of Sweets The Prince escorts Clara to the Land of Sweets where they are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy. The Prince tells her about their daring battle with the army of mice and she rewards them with a celebration of dances. •The Spanish Dance • The Arabian Dance • The Russian Dance The Chinese Dance The Mirliton Dance The Waltz of Flowers
As a finale, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Cavalier dance a beautiful Pas De Deux. The Dream Ends Clara awakens from her dream and finds herself by her Christmas tree with her beloved Nutcracker.
-61-
Tchaikovsky’s classic makes its debut from Wikipedia The Nutcracker (Russian: Щелкунчик, Балет-феерия / Shchelkunchik, Balet-feyeriya; French: Casse-Noisette, balletféerie) is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (op. 71). The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg on Sunday, December 18, 1892, on a double-bill with Tchaikovsky's opera, Iolanta. Although the original production was not a success, the twenty-minute suite that Tchaikovsky extracted from the ballet was. However, the complete Nutcracker has enjoyed enormous popularity since the late 1960s and is now performed by countless ballet companies, primarily during the Christmas season, especially in the U.S. Major American ballet companies generate around 40 percent of their annual ticket revenues from performances of The Nutcracker. Tchaikovsky's score has become one of his most famous compositions, in particular the pieces featured in the suite.[5] Among other things, the score is noted for its use of the celesta, an instrument that the composer had already employed in his much lesser known symphonic ballad The Voyevoda.
The original production of The Nutcracker, 1892 -62-
Olga Preobrazhenskaya as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Nikolai Legat as Prince Coqueluche in the Grand pas de deux in the original production ofThe Nutcracker. Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, c. 1900
(Left to right) Lydia Rubtsova as Marianna, Stanislava Belinskaya as Clara and Vassily Stukolkin as Fritz, in the original production of The Nutcracker (Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, 1892). -63-
Ivan Vsevolozhsky's original costume sketch for The Nutcracker (1892)
Ivan Vsevolozhsky's original costume designs for Mother Gigogne and her Polichinelle children, 1892. -64-
Konstantin Ivanov's original sketches for the set of The Nutcracker (1892)
-65-
Click here for near ly 200 Nutcracker images in Siren School’s Der Nusskn acker photo album on Face book
-66-
Konstantin Ivanov's original sketch for the set of the Nutcracker 1892
-67-
Snow and Ice edited from WhyChristmas.com
Snow, Ice and Christmas often go together, although why it should is a bit strange! There is no snow or ice in the Christmas story told in the Bible. However, snow does fall in Israel. Bethlehem and Jerusalem are on a range of hills that go north to south between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan valley. The top of these hills are about 1600 ft (500 m) high. The hills often have very cold weather from November to April and snow can often fall. So, although the Bible story may not have snow in it, Jesus may well have seen some snow in his life! The reason that we think of Snow and Ice at Christmas is portably down to the Victorians! Although Christmas was taken over from the Pagan winter solstice festivals in Europe, it was the Victorians who gave us our 'traditional' Christmas in Europe and the USA. At the start of the Victorian era, (1837) Britain was in a mini ice age that was from about 1550 to 1850. During this time, in London, a winter fair was held on the frozen River Thames! One of the main reasons that the Victorians put Snow and Christmas together was the book 'A Christmas Carol' written in 1843 by Charles Dickens. When Dickens was a child, Britain had very heavy snow falls around Christmas, so when he wrote 'A Christmas Carol' he put lots of snow and ice in it! He also put snow at Christmas in some of his other books like 'The Pickwick Papers'. One of the other reasons that Snow and Ice became popular in Victorian times is because Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, came from Germany where it was colder and he was used to lots of snow and ice being around at Christmas. He made Christmas Trees popular in the UK as well as lots of other Christmas traditions. Christmas Cards also started in Victorian times with pictures of snow scenes becoming very popular. -68-
White Christmases
Another connection between snow and Christmas is the Song "White Christmas" It was first recorded, in 1942, by Bing Crosby and came from the film called 'Holiday Inn', set in the snowy countryside of Vermont, U.S.A in December (there is a 75% chance of it snowing on Christmas Day in Vermont!). Irving Berlin’s hit song took only 18 minutes to record and the original Bing Crosby version has sold at least 30 million copies. Until 1997, it was the top selling single of all time! Lots of people nowadays are interested to see if they will have a 'White Christmas'. For most people, a White Christmas means a complete covering of snow on the ground where they live, with some snow falling on Christmas Day. However, the British definition, used by the UK Meteorological Office (who say if it has been a White Christmas or not!), is that a single snow flake has been seen falling in the 24 hours of Christmas Day! This doesn't happen a lot in the UK!!! Statistics show that in the UK, we get an official White Christmas about every 4 or 5 years and have real snow at Christmas about 1 in 10 years (but often this is only in Scotland!). In the USA, a White Christmas can be some snow on the ground anywhere in the country! That normally happens because some states in the USA, like Vermont, are very cold in the winter and have lots of snow. But some states in the south of the USA don't have any snow at all and in places like Australia and New Zealand, where it is their summer in December, it's very rare to have snow at Christmas unless you're up in the mountains!
Snowmen
Some Snow & Ice Records
Snowmen were probably first made by people to scare away evil winter spirits. But now they are just a good excuse to have lots of fun in the snow! Probably the most famous snowman is 'Frosty the Snowman' who appears in a Christmas song of the same name. The song was written in 1950 by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins. It was recorded in 1953 by the American singer Perry Como and became very popular. A film called Frosty the Snowman was made in 1969 and told the story of a magical snowman who came to life and became best friends with a little girl.
The largest snowman in the world was made in Bethel, Maine, USA, in 2008. It was a snow woman called Olympia Snowe, named after a U.S. Senator representing Maine. Olympia Snowe was 122 ft 1 inch (37.21 m) tall. The previous record snowman also being to Bethel, Maine and was Angus the snowman who was 113 ft, 7.5in (35.5m) high.
In the UK there is a famous animated film called The Snowman (made in 1982) about a snowman who comes to life and takes a little boy flying of to see Father Christmas. The cartoon has a song in it called "We're Walking in the Air". It was made famous when it was released as a single in 1985 and sung by a choir boy called Aled Jones. Aled is now an adult and a popular television and radio presenter in the UK!
The thickest ice in the world in found in Antarctica. The thickest bit of ice that scientists have measured by using radio echo soundings was 2.97 miles (4.8km) thick! The most amount of snow to fall in 12 months was at a ski resort called Paradise on Mt Rainier, Washington state, USA. It fell between February 19th 1971 and February 18th 1972 and was a total of 1224 inches! That's 94ft (28.5m)! Perhaps it should be called Mt Snowier!
-69-
Snow and Ice Carving There are many Snow and Ice carving festivals held all over the world. In these festivals artists (and people who just like snow and ice) build large sculptures. Because you need lots of Ice and Snow to have a festival they are normally held in colder countries, like the Scandinavian countries, the northern states in the USA, Canada and some parts of Japan. Some places import Snow and Ice so they can have a festival! There is a large Ice carving festival held every year in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA where it is very cold during winter and lots of snow falls and Ice freezes.
-70-
In Labrador City, Newfoundland, Canada, they have lots of Snow and Ice festivals every year! There is one at Christmas, one in February for Valentines Day, and a Winter Carnival. For dozens of ice hotel and wintry images, see Siren School’s Chillin’ album on Facebook, and for ice sculptures, visit the Winter at Swan Lake album.
A Kiwi Christmas by Victoria Blake We hail from the land of the long white cloud, where we are proud and more than well endowed. With a Christmas bathed in sun, the season spent out loud We congregate on patios and decks, under sun umbrellas, with conversations that perplex You’ll find us in jandals, bikinis or shorts, the weather too hot for any other sort Our sunnies and shades allow us to reflect, the beer or cider usually flowing unchecked. This glorious land, filled by Hobbits, sausages and lashings of sand Allow families to gather round the barbeque, charcoal or gas All experiencing first hand, the relaxed Kiwi way Of welcoming dear old Saint Nick, in a place of magnificence, beauty and the driest of wit. Our fare is simple, chuck it on the barby mate – she’ll be right! We pass the day with swimming, swing ball and flying kites We snack; we gorge, recharge and relax, waiting to break open the Santa sacks Together we pull Christmas crackers, And laugh at the jokes they contain while we wear the silly paper hats Happy on this day to be fashion slackers We know nothing of white Christmases; they belong to different lands, But oh how we love our Christmas in the sand!
-71-
The Holly, Ivy & Christmas Plants from WhyChristmas.com Holly, Ivy and other greenery such as Mistletoe were originally used in preChristian times to help celebrate the Winter Solstice Festival and ward off evil spirits and to celebrate new growth. When Christianity came into Western Europe, some people wanted to keep the greenery, to give it Christian meanings but also to ban the use of it to decorate homes. The UK and Germany were the main countries to keep the use of the greenery as decorations. Here are the Christian meanings: Holly The prickly leaves represent the crown of thorns that Jesus wore when he was crucified. The berries are the drops of blood that were shed by Jesus because of the thorns. In Scandinavia it is known as the Christ Thorn. In pagan times, Holly was thought to be a male plant and Ivy a female plant. An old tradition from the Midlands of England says that whatever one was brought into the house first over winter, tells you whether the man or woman of the house would rule that year! But it was unlucky to bring either into a house before Christmas Eve. Ivy Ivy has to cling to something to support itself as it grows. This reminds us that we need to cling to God for support in our lives. In Germany, it is traditional that Ivy is only used outside and a piece tied to the outside of a Church was supposed to protect it from lightning! Laurel Laurel has been worn as a wreath on the head to symbolise success and victory for thousands of years. It symbolises the victory of God over the Devil. Rosemary Rosemary was connected with the Virgin Mary (because it was thought to be Mary's favourite plant) and people thought that it could protect you from evil spirits. It is also sometimes called the friendship plant and it was the most common garnish put on the boar's head that rich people -72-
ate at the main Christmas meal in the Middle ages! It is also known as the remembrance herb and was used at Christmas as this is the time that we remember the birth of Jesus. In the late 1700s a special Christmas Rosemary Service was started in Ripon Cathedral School where a red apple, with a sprig of Rosemary in the top of it, was sold by the school boys to the members of the congregation for 2p, 4p or 6p (depending on the size of apple!). Kissing Boughs or Kissing Bunches In the UK, before Christmas Trees became popular and dating back to the middle ages, another popular form of Christmas/mid winter decoration was the Kissing Bough or Bunch. These were made of five wooden hoops that made the shape of a ball (four hoops vertical to form the ball and then the fifth horizontal to go around the middle). The hoops were covered with Holly, Ivy, Rosemary, Bay, Fir or other evergreen plants. Inside the hoops were hung red apples (often hung from red ribbons) and a candle was either put inside the ball at the bottom or round the horizontal hoop. The bough was finished by hanging a large bunch of mistletoe from the bottom of the ball. (For a simpler bough you could also just have a horizontal hoop decorated and hung with apples and the mistletoe.) When should you take the greenery down? It is traditional to take down the decorations after Twelfth Night (5th January) on Epiphany (January 6th). But during the middle ages, greenery (including Mistletoe) was often left hanging up until Candlemas (when Christians celebrate Jesus going to the Jewish Temple as a baby) in early February! Mistletoe Mistletoe is a plant that grows on willow and apple trees (and in garden centres!). The tradition of hanging it in the house goes back to the times of the ancient Druids. It is supposed to possess mystical powers which bring good luck to the household and wards off evil spirits. It was also used as a sign of love and friendship in Norse mythology and that's where the custom of kissing under Mistletoe
comes from. When the first Christians came to Western Europe, some tried to ban the use of Mistletoe as a decoration in Churches, but many still continued to use it! York Minster Church in the UK used to hold a special Mistletoe Service in the winter, where wrong doers in the city of York could come and be pardoned. The custom of kissing under Mistletoe comes from England. The original custom was that a berry was picked from the sprig of Mistletoe before the person could be kissed and when all the berries had gone, there could be no more kissing! The name mistletoe comes from two Anglo Saxon words 'Mistel' (which means dung) and 'tan' (which means) twig or stick! Mistletoe was also hung on the old English decoration the Kissing Bough. Poinsettias Poinsettia plants are native to Central America, especially an area of southern Mexicoknown as 'Taxco del Alarcon' where they flower during the winter. The ancient Aztecs called them 'cuetlaxochitl'. The Aztecs had many uses for them including using the flowers (actually special types of leaves known as bracts rather than being flowers) to make a purple dye for clothes and cosmetics and the milky white sap was made into a medicine to treat fevers. (Today we call the sap latex!)
walked to the chapel, sadly, her cousin Pedro tried to cheer her up. 'Pepita', he said "I'm sure that even the smallest gift, given by someone who loves him will make Jesus Happy." Pepita didn't know what she could give, so she picked a small handful of weeds from the roadside and made them into a a small bouquet. She felt embarrassed because she could only give this small present to Jesus. As she walked through the chapel to the altar, she remembered what Pedro had said. She began to feel better, knelt down and put the bouquet at the bottom of the nativity scene. Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into bright red flowers, and everyone who saw them were sure they had seen a miracle. From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the 'Flores de Noche Buena', or 'Flowers of the Holy Night'. The shape of the poinsettia flower and leaves are sometimes thought as a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem which led the Wise Men to Jesus. The red colored leaves symbolize the blood of Christ. The white leaves represent his purity. The Poinsettia is also the national emblem of Madagascar.
The poinsettia was made widely known because of a man called Joel Roberts Poinsett (that's why we call them Poinsettia!). He was the first Ambassador from the USA to Mexico in 1825. Poinsett had some greenhouses on his plantations in South Carolina, and while visiting the Taco area in 1828, he became very interested in the plants. He immediately sent some of the plants back to South Carolina, where he began growing the plants and sending them to friends and botanical gardens. One of the friends he sent plants to was John Barroom of Philadelphia, who gave the plant to his friend, Robert Buist, a plants-man from Pennsylvania. Robert Buist was probably the first person to have sold the poinsettias under their botanical, or latin name, name 'Euphorbia pulcherrima' (it means, 'the most beautiful Euphorbia'). It is thought that they became known as Poinsettia in the mid 1830's when people found out who had first brought them to America from Mexico. There is an old Mexican legend about how Poinsettia's and Christmas come together, it goes like this: There was once a poor Mexican girl called Pepita who had no present to give the the baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve Services. As Pepita -73-
The History of the Yule Log The custom of burning the Yule Log goes back to, and before, medieval times. It was originally a Nordic tradition. Yule is the name of the old Winter Solstice festivals in Scandinavia and other parts of northern Europe, such as Germany. The Yule Log was originally an entire tree, that was carefully chosen and brought into the house with great ceremony. The largest end of the log would be placed into the fire hearth while the rest of the tree stuck out into the room! The log would be lit from the remains of the previous year's log which had been carefully stored away and slowly fed into the fire through the Twelve Days of Christmas. It was considered important that the re-lighting process was carried out by someone with clean hands. Nowadays, of course, most people have central heating so it is very difficult to burn a tree! In Provence (in France), it is traditional that the whole family helps to cut the log down and that a little bit is burnt each night. If any of the log is left after Twelfth Night, it is kept safe in the house until the next Christmas to protect against lightning! In some parts of Holland, this was also done, but the log had to be stored under a bed! In some eastern European countries, the log was cut down on Christmas Eve morning and lit that evening. In Cornwall (in the UK), the log is called 'The Mock'. The log is dried out and then the bark is taken off it before it comes into the house to be burnt. Also in the UK, barrel makers (or Coopers as barrel makers were traditionally called) gave their customers old logs that they could not use for making barrels for Yule logs. The custom of the Yule Log spread all over Europe and different kids of wood are used in different countries. In England, Oak is traditional; in Scotland, it is Birch; while in France, it's Cherry. Also, in France, the log is sprinkled with wine, before it is burnt, so that it smells nice when it is lit. In Devon and Somerset in the UK, some people have a very large bunch of Ash twigs instead of the log. This comes from a local legend that Joseph, Mary and Jesus were very cold when the shepherds found them on Christmas Night. So the shepherds got some bunches of twigs to burn to keep them warm. In some parts of Ireland, people have a large candle instead of a log and this is only lit on New Year's Eve and Twelfth Night. Different chemicals can be sprinkled on the log like wine to make the log burn with different coloured flames! 1. Potassium Nitrate = Violet 2. Barium Nitrate = Apple Green 3. Borax = Vivid Green 4. Copper Sulphate = Blue 5. Table Salt = Bright Yellow The ashes of Yule logs were meant to be very good for plants. This is true, because the ash from burnt wood contains a lot of 'potash', which helps plants flower. But if you throw the ashes out on Christmas day it was supposedly very unlucky! A Chocolate Yule Log or 'bûche de Noël' is now a popular Christmas desert or pudding. It's traditionally eaten in France and Belgium, where they are known as 'Kerststronk' in Flemish. They are made of a chocolate sponge roll layered with cream. The outside is covered with chocolate or chocolate icing and decorated to look like a bark-covered log. Some people like to add extra decorations such as marzipan mushrooms! -74-
Wassailing &
Mumming Wassailing is a very ancient custom that is
rarely done today. The word 'wassail' comes from the Anglo-Saxon phrase 'waes hael', which means 'good health'. Originally, the wassail was a drink made of mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and sugar. It was served from huge bowls, often made of silver or pewter. Jesus College, in Oxford University, has a Wassail bowl, that is covered with silver. It can hold 10 gallons of drink! Wassailing was traditionally done on New Year's Eve and Twelfth Night, but some rich people drank Wassail on all the 12 days of Christmas! The Wassail drink mixture was sometimes called 'Lamb's Wool', because of the pulp of the roasted apples looked all frothy and a bit like Lambs Wool! Here is a [traditional] recipe for wassail. One legend about how Wassailing was created, says that a beautiful Saxon maiden named Rowena presented Prince Vortigen with a bowl of wine while toasting him with the words 'waes hael'. Over the centuries, a great deal of ceremony developed around the custom of drinking wassail. The bowl was carried into a room with a great fanfare, a traditional carol about the drink was sung, and finally, the steaming hot beverage was served. From this it developed into a another way of saying Merry Christmas to each other! One of the most popular Wassailing Carols went like this: Here we come a-wassailing Among the leaves so green, Here we come a-wassailing, So fair to be seen: Love and joy come to you, And to you your wassail too, And God bless you and send you, A happy New Year, And God send you, A happy new year.
An easy mock Wassail recipe by Bea Gassman, from AllRecipes.com INGREDIENTS: • 2 quarts apple cider • 2 cups orange juice • 1/2 cup lemon juice • 12 whole cloves • 4 cinnamon sticks • 1 pinch ground ginger • 1 pinch ground nutmeg DIRECTIONS: In a slow-cooker or a large pot over low heat, combine apple cider, orange juice and lemon juice. Season with cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer. If using a slow cooker, allow to simmer all day. Serve hot. -75-
Mumming is also an ancient pagan custom that was an excuse for people to have a party at Christmas! It means 'making diversion in disguise'. The tradition was that men and women would swap clothes, put on masks and go visiting their neighbors, singing, dancing or putting on a play with a silly plot. The leader or narrator of the mummers was dressed as Father Christmas. The custom of Mumming might go back to Roman times, when people used to dress up for parties at New Year. It is thought that, in the UK, it was first done on St. Thomas's day or the shortest day of the year. Different types of entertainments were done in different parts of the UK In parts of Durham, Yorkshire and Devon a special sword dance was performed. There were also different names for mumming around the UK too. In Scotland it was known as 'Gusards' in Somerset, 'Mumping', in Warwickshire or 'Thomasing' and 'Corning' in Kent. In Medieval times, it had turned into an excuse for people to go begging round the houses and committing crimes. It became so bad that Henry VIII, made a law saying that anyone that caught mumming wearing a mask would be put in prison for three months! One poem that people said when mumming was:
Christmas is coming, the beef is getting fat, Please drop a penny in the old man’s hat.
Over the years, this was changed into a very similar poem that is said by some carol singers today: Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, Please put a penny in the old man’s hat. The early settlers from the UK took the custom of Mumming to Canada. It is known as Murmuring in Canada, but is banned in most places because people used it as an excuse for begging. Mumming is still done in parts of the UK, USA and Canada. -76-
Christmas Pudding Christmas (or Plum) Pudding is the traditional end to the British Christmas dinner. But what we think of as Christmas Pudding, is not what it was originally like! Christmas pudding originated as a 14th century porridge called 'frumenty' that was made of beef and mutton with raisins, currants, prunes, wines and spices. This would often be more like soup and was eaten as a fasting meal in preparation for the Christmas festivities. By 1595, frumenty was slowly changing into a plum pudding, having been thickened with eggs, breadcrumbs, dried fruit and given more flavour with the addition of beer and spirits. It became the customary Christmas dessert around 1650, but in 1664 the Puritans banned it as a bad custom. In 1714, King George I re-established it as part of the Christmas meal, having tasted and enjoyed Plum Pudding. By Victorian times, Christmas Puddings had changed into something similar to the ones that are eaten today. Over the years, many superstitions have surrounded Christmas Puddings. One superstition says that the pudding should be made with 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and His Disciples and that every member of the family should take turns to stir the pudding with a wooden spoon from east to west, in honour of the Wise Men. The Sunday before Advent Sunday (which is also the last Sunday in the Church Year), is sometimes know as 'Stirup Sunday'. This is because opening words of the Collect for the day (the main prayer) in the Book of Common Prayer of 1549 (used in Anglican Churches) says: "Stir-up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." Although Christmas Puddings are eaten at Christmas, some customs associated with the pudding are about Easter! The decorative sprig of holly on the top of the pudding is a reminder of Jesus' Crown of Thorns that he wore when he was killed. Brandy or another alcoholic drink is sometimes poured over the pudding and lit at the table to make a spectacular display.
-77-
In the Middle Ages, holly was also thought to bring good luck and to have healing powers. It was often planted near houses in the belief that it protected the inhabitants. During Victorian times, puddings in big and rich houses were often cooked in fancy moulds (like jelly ones). These were often in the shapes of towers or castles. Normal people just had puddings in the shape of balls. If the pudding was a bit heavy, they were called cannonballs! Putting a silver coin in the pudding is another age-old custom that is said to bring luck to the person that finds it. In the UK the coin traditionally used was a silver 'six pence'. The closest coin to that now is a five pence piece! The tradition seems to date back to the Twelfth Night Cake which was eaten during the festivities on the 'Twelfth Night' of Christmas (the official end of the Christmas celebrations). Originally a dried pea or bean was baked in the cake and whoever got it, was 'king or queen' for the night. There are records of this practice going back to the court of Edward II (early 1300s). The bean was also sometimes a silver ring or small crown. The first coins used were a Silver Farthing or penny. After WW1 it became a threepenny bit and then a sixpence. You might also get other items (sometimes called 'tokens' or 'favours') placed in the Christmas Pudding which also meant to have special meanings: 1. Bachelor's Button: If a single man found it, they would be a bachelor for the following year. 2. Spinster's/Old Maid's Thimble: If a single woman found it, they would be a bachelor for the following year. 3. A Ring: If a single person found this, it meant you will get married in the following year! It can also mean you will be rich for the following year Here's a simple recipe for Christmas Pudding.
HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS PUDDING CHARMS from Jewellery Enchantments In Victorian times, small silver charms, were placed within the Christmas Pudding. Each charm fortelling a piece of advice, luck, romance or fortune. Traditionally, these charms were a boot for travel, bell for good luck, an wish bone granting a wish, a thimble denoting spinsterhood, a ring for an impending marriage, a horseshoe for luck and -78-
a bachelor's button for luck. Silver sixpences and threepenny bits were also placed in the pudding, denoting good furtune. Traditional Christmas Pudding Charm sets are also available from our web site. Coins continued to be placed in puddings long after the little charms were lost, but after World War II coins were made of copper and brass alloys which reacted during the cooking process and soon the tradition of charms and coins in the Christmas Puddings became rare. We recommend the charms are inserted into the pudding just prior to serving and that attach ribbon to the charms will ensure that they are easily found and do not present a hazard to those eating the pudding. Inserting the charms; Take 2 meters of ribbon, cut into 24cm pieces, fold in half over the eye or ring on each charm. Then using a small knife, push the knife a short distance into the pudding, leaving the ribbon tails on the outside of the pudding. The charms will become coated in pudding as they are removed, but these charms are solid sterling silver, and simply washing them under a tap will return them to their former glory. The use of the ribbon will prevent accidental choking, clearly denoting where the charms are placed.
Traditional Recipe from BBC Good Food Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
85g self-raising flour
¾ tsp ground mixed spice
140g shredded suet
85g fresh white breadcrumbs
140g dark muscovado sugar
140g raisins
140g sultanas
140g currants
25g mixed candied peel, chopped
finely grated zest and juice of 1 small orange
finely grated zest and juice of 1 small lemon
25g glacé cherries, chopped (optional)
1 small carrot, grated
3 tbsp sweet stout (we used Mackeson)
2 tsp black treacle
brandy, to feed
Method 1. Stir the flour, spice, suet, breadcrumbs and sugar in a large bowl. Tip in the fruit, peel, cherries (if using) and carrot, then stir well to mix. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until thoroughly combined. 2. Spoon the mixture into a buttered 1.2 litre pudding bowl (with a buttered disc of greaseproof paper in the bottom) and press down well, leaving room for the pudding to rise a little during steaming. Cover with a circle of buttered greaseproof paper, then cover with pudding cloth or foil and tie securely with string. 3. Stand the bowl on an upturned saucer in a saucepan and half fill with boiling water. Cover tightly and steam for 8 hours, topping up the water as necessary. Leave to cool in the pan. 4. Remove the pudding from the pan and discard the cloth or foil and paper. Then cover with fresh greaseproof paper and cloth. Store your pudding in a cool, dry place until required - you can feed it with a few tablespoons of brandy once in a while. Before serving, steam again for 2-3 hours. -79-
Plum Crazy
-80-
Christmas Pudding PINATA CAKE a tasty alternative from LittleButtonDiaries.com
For this cake you will need: • Ingredients to make a basic sponge cake
Once the sponges have completely cooled, scoop out the middle sections, being careful not to reach the bottom of the sponge.
For the decoration: • Chocolate buttercream • White ready-to-roll icing • A small sprig of holly
Next, cram as many chocolate coins as you can into the hole, then repeat this with the other half of the cake. I took the wrapping off all of them bar one to keep the tradition of having a silver coin in your Christmas pudding.
For the filling: • Chocolate coins
Spread a layer of buttercream around the edge of the cake and place the other sweetfilled sponge on top.
Begin by making the sponge as per your recipe. I went for a basic vanilla sponge. You’re trying to achieve a cake in the shape of a ball, so to make the sponges curved, bake them in a hemisphere cake pan. While the sponges cool, make the dark chocolate buttercream. Cut the bottom off one of the sponges to give the cake a flat base. Then put a small amount of buttercream onto a board and place the cake on top. The buttercream ‘sticks’ the cake to the board, so it’s ready to assemble.
Spread the rest of the buttercream around the entire cake. Once the cake is covered with buttercream, place it in the fridge for 15 minutes to set. This makes it easier to spread a second layer and get a smoother finish. For the final decoration, roll out the white icing thinly (about 5mm thick) and cut a fluffy cloud shape (you want it to look like a snowy peak once it’s on top of the cake). Place the icing on top of the cake and smooth down. Finally, place of sprig of holly on top to finish.
-81-
Cookie-Rama! a holiday tradition from Kathleen Young
My daughters and I used to always have "COOKIERAMA!" Starting a few weeks before Christmas, each night we would make cookies, bake a dozen to eat and freeze the rest of the A few days before Christmas we would just bake and decorate cookies, fill plates, hitch up our pony, Bilbo Baggins, slap some sleigh bells on the cart (we lived in Arizona) then further annoyed him by attaching reindeer antlers before we delivered the goodies to our neighbors. It was exciting for the neighbors, less so for Bilbo.
-82-
dough.
Happy Holidays from The Intre pid Ladie s Adventur e Club and Tea Society
-83-
Hang with Care
The origins of Christmas Stockings from TheHistoryOfChristmas.com There was a kindly nobleman whose wife had died of an illness leaving the nobleman and his three daughters in despair. After losing all his money in useless and bad inventions the family had to move into a peasant's cottage, where the daughters did their own cooking, sewing and cleaning. When it came time for the daughters to marry, the father became even more depressed as his daughters could not marry without dowries, money and property given to the new husband's family. One night after the daughters had washed out their clothing they hung their stockings over the fireplace to dry. That night Saint Nicholas, knowing the despair of the father, stopped by the nobleman's house. -84-
Looking in the window Saint Nicholas saw that the family had gone to bed. He also noticed the daughters stockings. Inspiration struck Saint Nicholas and he took three small bags of gold from his pouch and threw them one by one down the chimney and they landed in the stockings. The next morning when the daughters awoke they found their stockings contained enough gold for them to get married. The nobleman was able to see his three daughters marry and he lived a long and happy life. This is where we received the tradition of hanging christmas stockings for kids. Children all over the world continue the tradition of hanging Christmas stockings. In some countries children have similar customs, in France the children place their shoes by the fireplace, a tradition dating back to when children wore wooden peasant shoes.
From Smithsonian Magazine
-85-
In Holland the children fill their shoes with hay and a carrot for the horse of Sintirklass. In Hungary children shine their shoes before putting them near the door or a window sill. Italian children leave their shoes out the night before Epiphany, January 5, for La Befana the good witch. And in Puerto Rico children put greens and flowers in small boxes and place them under their beds for the camels of the Three Kings. The first mention Christmas stockings being hung from or near a chimney were made only earlier this century by the illustrator, Thomas Nast, through his pictures and the writer, Clement Moore, in a story about a 'visit from St.Nick'. The story quickly caught on. "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there" Up until lately, it was traditional to receive small items like fruit, nuts and candy in your stocking, but these have been replaced in the last half-century by more expensive gifts in many homes.
-86-
The Christmas Pickle from WhyChristmas.com
The tradition of the Christmas Pickle has got to be one of the strangest modern Christmas customs in that no one is quite sure why it exists at all! In the 1880s Woolworth stores started selling glass ornaments imported from Germany and some were in the shape of various fruit and vegetables. It seems that pickles must have been among the selection! Around the same time it was claimed that the Christmas Pickle was a very old German tradition and that the pickle was the last ornament hung on the Christmas tree and then the first child to find the pickle got an extra present. However, this seems to be a total myth! Not many people in Germany have even heard of the Christmas Pickle! (Similarly in Russia virtually no one knows the supposedly Russian story of Babushka!) There are two other rather far-fetched stories linking the pickle to Christmas. One features a fighter in the American Civil War who was born in Bavaria (an area of what is now Germany). He was a prisoner, and starving, he begged a guard for one last pickle before he died. The guard took pity on him and gave a pickle to
him. The pickle gave him the mental and physical strength to live on! The other story is linked to St. Nicholas. It's a medieval tale of two Spanish boys traveling home from a boarding school for the holidays. When they stopped at an inn for the night, the evil innkeeper, killed the boys and put them in a pickle barrel. That evening, St. Nicholas stopped at the same inn, and found the boys in the barrel and miraculously bought them back to life! There is an old legend about St. Nicholas rescuing boys from a barrel but the barrel was originally holding meat for pies not pickles! So it's most likely that an ornament salesmen, with a lot of spare pickles to sell, invented the legend of the Christmas Pickle! The American city of Berrien Springs, MI (also known as the Christmas Pickle Capital of the World) has an annual pickle festival held during the early part of December.
-87-
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas & Happy Healthy Holidays
-88-
with love from the San Diego Sea Jewels & Bohemian Belles
This time of year, we start to think of traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. The one tradition while I was growing up that was followed every year was banana bread for breakfast while opening presents. My mother would make banana bread every year. On Christmas morning, she would wake up (sometimes even before my brother and I!) and go to the kitchen. She would cut the loaf in half, slice, and then butter the pieces. When I moved away and got married, I kept the tradition going, but with my own twist. When my son was still young, I added homemade chocolate chip scones to the menu. Then, as he grew older, we added tea. Pretty soon we had a modified English Christmas Tea Breakfast. We keep this tradition even now that he is in college. I hope he has fond memories of those Christmas mornings. Kimberley Thomson Morris
-89-
Hanukkah The Jewish Festival of Lights from WhyChristmas.com Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights and it remembers the rededication of the second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. This happened in the 160s BC (before Jesus was born). (Hanukkah is the Jewish word for 'dedication'.) Hanukkah last for eight days and starts on the 25th of Kivlev, the month in the Jewish calendar that occurs at about the same time as December. Because the Jewish calendar is lunar (it uses the moon for its dates), Kivlev can happen from late November to late December. In 2014, Hanukkah is from in the evening of Tuesday, 16th December until the evening of Wednesday, 24th December. During Hanukkah, on each of the eight nights, a candle is lit in a special menorah (candelabra) called a 'hanukkiyah'. There is a special ninth candle called the 'shammash' or servant candle which is used to light the other candles. The shammash is often in the center of the other candles and has a higher position. On the first night one candle is lit, on the second night, two are lit until all are lit on the eighth and final night of the festival. Traditionally they are lit from left to right. A special blessing, thanking God, is said before or after lighting the candles and a special Jewish hymn is often sung. The menorah is put in the front window of houses so people passing can -90-
see the lights and remember the story of Hanukkah. Most Jewish family and households have a special menorah and celebrate Hanukkah. Hanukkah is also a time for giving and receiving presents and gifts are often given on each night. Lots of games are played during the time of Hanukkah. The most popular is 'dreidel' (Yiddish) or 'sivivon' (Hebrew). It's a four sided top with a Hebrew letter on each side. The four letter are the first letter of the phrase 'Nes Gadol Hayah Sham' which means 'A great miracle happened there' (in Israel, 'there' is changed to 'here' so it's 'Nes Gadol Hayah Po'). Player put a coin, nut or chocolate coin in a pot and the top is spun. In the letter 'nun' ( )נcome up nothing happens, if it's 'gimel' ( )גthe player wins the pot, if it's 'hay' ( )הyou win half the pot and if it's 'shin' (for 'there' )ש or 'pe' (for 'here' )פyou have to put another item into the pot and the next person has a spin! Food fried in oil is traditionally eaten during Hanukkah. Favourites are 'latkes' - potato pancakes and 'sufganiyot' - deep friend doughnuts that are then filled with jam/jelly and sprinkled with sugar. The Story behind Hanukkah About 200 BC Israel was a state in the Seleucid Empire (an empire ruled under Greek law) and under the overall charge of the King of Syria. However, they could follow their own religion and its practises. In 171
BC, There was a new King called Antiochus IV, who also called himself Antiochus Epiphanes which means 'Antiochus the visible god'. Antiochus wanted all the empire to follow Greek ways of life and the Greek religion with all its gods. Some of the Jews wanted to be more Greek, but most wanted to stay Jewish. The brother of the Jewish high priest wanted to be more Greek, so he bribed Antiochus so he would be come the new High Priest instead of his brother and then he had his brother killed! Three years later another man bribed Antiochus even more to let him become the High Priest! To pay his bribe he stole some of the objects made of gold that were used in the Jewish Temple. On his way home from having to retreat from a battle, Antiochus stopped in Jerusalem and he let out all his anger on the city and the Jewish people. He ordered houses to be burned down and tens of thousands of Jews were killed or put into slavery. Antiochus then went to attack the Jewish Temple, the most important building in Israel to Jews. The Syrian soldiers took all the treasures out of the temple and on 15 Kivlev 168 BC Antiochus put up a status of the Greek god Zeus in the centre of the Jewish Temple (but it had the face of Antiochus!). Then on 25 Kivlev he desecrated the most holy place in the temple and destroyed the Jewish holy scrolls. Antiochus then banned practising the Jewish faith & religion (if you were found out you and all your family were killed) and made the Temple into a shrine to Zeus. There were many Jews killed for their faith. Soon afterwards a Jewish rebellion started. It began when a 'former' Jewish Priest, called Mattathias, was forced to make an offering to Zeus in his village. He refused to do so and killed a Syrian Soldier! Mattathias's sons joined him and killed the other soldiers in the village. Mattathias was an old man and died soon after this, but his son Judah then took charge of the freedom fighters. Judah's nickname was 'Maccabee' which come from the
Hebrew word for hammer. He and his troops lived in caves and fought an undercover war for three years. They then met the Syrians in open battle and defeated them. When they got back to Jerusalem, the Temple was in ruins and the statue of Zeus/Antiochus was still standing. They cleaned the Temple. They rebuilt the Jewish alter and on 25 Kivlev 165 BC, exactly three years after the statue was put up, the alter and Temple was rededicated to God. There are several theories about why Hanukkah is celebrated over eight nights. One legend says that when Judah and his followers went into the Temple there was only enough oil to burn for one night, but that it burned for eight nights. Another story says that they found eight iron spears and put candles of them and used them for lighting in the Temple. Hanukkah and Christmas The dates of Hanukkah and Christmas might well be associated because 25 Kivlev was when the Temple was rededicated and the early Church chose December 25th because they took over the birthday of Greek god Zeus/Roman god Jupiter.
-91-
Kwanzaa from WhyChristmas.com Kwanzaa is a seven day festival that celebrates African and African American culture and history. Kwanzaa takes place from 26th December to 1st January. The name Kwanzaa comes from the phrase 'matunda ya kwanza' which means 'first fruits' in the Swahili language (an Eastern African language spoken in countries including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe). Kwanzaa is mostly celebrated in the USA. During Kwanzaa a special candle holder called a kinara is used. A kinara hold seven candles, three red ones on the left, three green ones on the right with a black candle in the centre. Each night during Kwanzaa a candle is lit. The black, centre, candle is lit first and the it alternates between the red and green candles stating with the ones on the outside and moving inwards. This is quite similar to the lighting of the menorah in the Jewish Festival of Lights, Hanukkah.
-92-
The seven days and candles in Kwanzaa represent the seven principles of Kwannzaa (Nguzo Saba): • Umoja: Unity - Unity of the family, community, nation and race • Kujichagulia: Self-Determination - Being responsible for your own conduct and behaviour • Ujima: Collective work and responsibility - Working to Help each other and in the community • Ujamaa: Cooperative economics - Working to build shops and businesses • Nia: Purpose - Remembering and restoring African and African American cultures, customs and history • Kuumba: Creativity - Using creating and your imagination to make communities better • Imani: Faith - Believing in people, families, leaders, teachers and the righteousness of the African American struggle There are also seven symbols used in Kwanzaa. The seven items of often set on a Zwanzaa table, with the kinara, in the house:
• Mkeka: The Mat - A woven mat made of fabric, raffia, or paper. The other symbols are placed on the Mkeka. It symbolises experiences and foundations. • Kikombe cha Umoja: The Unity Cup - Represents family and community. It is filled with water, fruit juice or wine. A little is poured out to remember the ancestors. The cup is share between people and each person takes a sip. • Mazao: The Crops - Fruit and vegetables from the harvest. These normally includes bananas, mangoes, peaches, plantains, oranges, or other favourites! They are shared out. • Kinara: The Candleholder - It represents the days, and principles of Kwanzaa • Mishumaa Saba: The Seven Candles - are placed in the kinara. Black, red and green are the colours of the Bendera (African Flag) • Muhindi: The Corn - There is one ear of corn of each child in the family. If there are no children in the family, then one ear is used to represent the children in the community. It represents the future and the Navtive Americans. • Zawadi: Gifts - Gifts given to children during Kwanzaa are normally educational, such as a book, dvd or game.
• There's also a gift reminding them of their African heritage. There are also sometimes two extra symbols: • Bendera: A flag with three horizontal stripes of black, red and green • Nguzo Saba Poster: A poster of the seven principles of Kwanzaa There's also a special greeting used during Kwanzaa in Swahili. It's 'Habari gani' and the reply is the principle for that day. (Umoja on the first day, Kujichagulia on the second and so on.) The Kwanzaa festival was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966. Dr. Karenga wanted a way bring African Americans together and remember their black culture. Harvest or 'first fruit' festivals are celebrated all over Africa. These were celebrations when people would come together and celebrate and give thanks for the good things in their lives and communities. From these festivals he created Kwanzaa. -93-
Boxing Day - the Day after Christmas! from BritishFood.About.com What is Boxing Day? Arguments come thick and fast as to why and I hope, like me, you find the answers below interesting. But first off I must say; it has nothing to do with the sport of boxing. It starts of course with our greed here in Britain and Ireland for a longer holiday; it’s not enough for us to have Christmas Day celebrations we have added on another day called Boxing Day. The day is a national holiday and one to spend with family and friends and eating up the leftovers. Its origins however, are steeped in history and tradition. Why is it Called Boxing Day? Arguments abound on the origins of the name Boxing Day, all of the answers here are relevant, so maybe it is all of them. • A ‘Christmas Box’ in Britain is a name for a Christmas present. • Boxing Day was a day off for servants and when they received a ‘Christmas Box’ from the master. The servants would also go home to give ‘Christmas Boxes’ to their families. • A box to collect money for the poor was placed in Churches on Christmas day then opened the next day. • Great sailing ships when setting sail would have a sealed box containing money on board for good luck.If the voyage were a success the box was given to a priest, opened at Christmas and the contents given to the poor. When is Boxing Day? Boxing Day is the 26th December and is a national holiday in the UK and Ireland. Activities on Boxing Day Boxing Day is a time to spend with family or friends, usually those not seen on Christmas Day itself. In recent times the day has become synonymous with sport. Horse racing is particularly popular with meets all over the country. Many top football teams also play on Boxing Day. Boxing Day is also a time when the -94-
British show their true eccentricity taking part in all kinds of silly activities like swimming the English Channel - not the warmest place on December 26th - fun runs and charity events. Until 2004, Boxing Day hunts were a traditional part of Boxing Day but the ban on fox hunting has put an end to the hunt in its traditional sense. Hunters will still gather dressed resplendently in red hunting coats to the sound of the hunting horn but it is now forbidden in law to chase the fox with dogs, so the dogs now follow artificially laid trails. Another ‘sport’ to emerge in recent years is shopping. Sadly what was once a day of relaxation and family time sees the start of the sales. Sales used to start in January post-New Year but the desire to grab a bargain and for shops to off-load stock means many now start on Boxing Day. Boxing Day in Ireland In Ireland, Boxing Day is known as "St Stephen's Day" and is famous for its "Wren Boys". St Stephen was killed, purportedly stoned to death, for believing in Jesus. In Ireland the Wren Boys would go out and stone Wrens to death then with blackened faces, carry their catch around the town knocking at doors and asking for money. This barbaric act has now stopped but the Wrens Boys will still dress up and parade around time though, but collecting money for charity. Food and Drink on Boxing Day With guests often popping in for a snack and quick drink, the food and drink on Boxing Day is more relaxed than Christmas Day. Lunch will usually be a buffet or leftovers from Christmas lunch. Baked Ham is a popular Boxing Day meat and of course, Mince Pies with Brandy Butter or a slice of Christmas Cake are almost obligatory.
-95-
The 12 Days of Christmas from WhyChristmas.com The 12 Days of Christmas are now most famous as a song about someone receiving lots of presents from their 'true love'. However, to get to the song there had to be the days to start with! The 12 Days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and last until the evening of the 5th January - also known as Twelfth Night. The 12 Days have been celebrated in Europe since before the middle ages and were a time of celebration. The 12 Days each traditionally celebrate a feast day for a saint and/ or have different celebrations: 1. Day 1 (25th December): Christmas Day - celebrating the Birth of Jesus 2. Day 2 (26th December also known as Boxing Day): St Stephen’s Day. He was the first Christian martyr (someone who dies for their faith). It's also the day when the Christmas Carol 'Good King Wenceslas' takes place. 3. Day 3 (27th December): St John the Apostle (One of Jesus's Disciples and friends) 4. Day 4 (28th December): The Feast of the Holy Innocents - when people remember the baby boys which King Herod killed when he was trying to find and kill the Baby Jesus. 5. Day 5 (29th December): St Thomas Becket. He was Archbishop of Canterbury in the 12th century and was murdered on 29th December 1170 for challenging the King’s authority over Church. 6. Day 6 (30th December): St Egwin of Worcester. 7. Day 7 (31st December): New Years Eve (known as Hogmanay in Scotland). Pope Sylvester I is traditionally celebrated on this day. He was one of the earliest popes (in the 4th Century). In many central and eastern European countries New Years Eve is still sometimes called 'Silvester'. In the UK, New Years Eve was a traditional day for ‘games’ and sporting competitions. Archery was a very popular sport and during the middle ages it was the law that it had to be practised by all men between ages 17-60 on Sunday after Church! This was so the King had lots of very good archers ready in case he need to go to war! 8. Day 8 (1st January): 1st January - Mary, the Mother of Jesus 9. Day 9 (2nd January): St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, two important 4th century Christians. 10. Day 10 (3rd January): Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. This remembers when Jesus was officially 'named' in the Jewish Temple. It's celebrated by different churches on a wide number of different dates! 11. Day 11 (4th January): St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint, who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the past it also celebrated the feast of Saint Simon Stylites (who lives on a small platform on the top of a pillar for 37 years!). 12. Day 12 (5th January also known as Epiphany Eve): St. John Neumann who was the first Bishop in America. He lived in the 19th century.
-96-
In England, between 1558 and 1829, it was not legal for Catholics to practice their kind of Christianity in public or private. Being a Catholic was treated as a bad crime. If you even owned a Catholic Bible, you could be put in prison! Catholics were stopped from worshipping because King Henry VIII fell out with the Catholic Church and started his own 'Protestant' Church (what is now the Church of England). There were many people who were still Catholics and they worshipped in secret. 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' was written in England at the beginning of this time. Some people think that it was written to help children learn about their Catholic religion. In the carol, the days are supposed to represent special symbols and have hidden meanings, because it was illegal to have anything in writing that would indicate that you were a Catholic. But there's no evidence that this is true and it seems most likely just to be a folk song and that the meanings were added at a later date! Also, all the symbols can be used by Protestants and other Christians! There was another song called 'A New Dial', written in 1625, which gave religious meanings to the 12 Days of Christmas, but not so people could practise their faith is secret. If you'd like to know more about this, please go to the 12 Days of Christmas page on snopes.com The song begins, On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... The 'true love' was meant to represent God, the true love of the world. The 'me' in the carol is the Christian man or woman who receives these presents. The meanings given to the 12 Days are: 1. The 'partridge in a pear tree' is Jesus who died on the cross. In ancient times a partridge was often used as mythological symbol of a divine, sacred king. 2. The 'two turtle doves' are the Old and New Testaments of the Bible - another gift from God. Doves also symbolise peace.
3. The 'three French hens' are faith, hope and love - the three gifts of the Holy Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 13). The French hens can also represent God the Father, His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 4. The 'four calling birds' are the four Gospels in the New Testament of the Bible. 5. The 'five golden rings' are the first five books of the Bible also called the Pentateuch, the Books of Moses or the Torah. 6. Thix geese a-laying' are the six days of creation. 7. The 'seven swans a swimming' are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4:10-11) 8. The 'eight maids a milking' are the eight beatitudes, Jesus' teachings on happiness. (See Matthew 5:3-10) 9. The 'nine ladies dancing' are nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. (See Galatians 5:22) 10. The 'ten lords a-leaping' are the Ten Commandments in the Bible. (See Exodus 20) 11. The 'eleven pipers piping' are the eleven faithful disciples of Jesus. 12. The 'twelve drummers drumming' were the twelve points of the Apostles' Creed. How many gifts are there in total in the 12 Days of Christmas? If you were receive all the presents in the song, you'd get 364! -97-
Twelfth Night goes back to the Roman celebrations of Saturnalia. In later times, from about the Georgian period onwards, to make the Twelfth Night 'gentile', two tokens were put in the cake (one for a man and one for a women) and whoever found them became the the 'King' and 'Queen' of the Twelfth Night party. In English Cathedrals during the middle ages there was the custom of the 'Boy Bishop' where a boy from the Cathedral or monastery school was elected as a Bishop on 6th December (St Nicholas Day) and had the authority of a Bishop (except to perform Mass) until 28th December. King Henry VIII banned the practise in 1542 although it came back briefly under Mary I in 1552 but Elizabeth I finally stopped it during her reign. During Twelfth Night it was traditional for different types of pipes to be played, especially bagpipes. Lots of games were played including ones with eggs. These included tossing an egg between two people moving further apart during each throw - drop it and you lose and passing an egg around on spoons. Another popular game was 'snapdragon' where you picked raisins or other dried fruit out of a tray of flaming brandy! Twelfth Night was a big time of celebration with people holding large parties. During these parties, often the roles in society were reversed with the servants being served by the rich people. This dated back to medieval and Tudor times when Twelfth Night marked the end of 'winter' which had started on 31st October with All Hallows Eve (Halloween). At the start of Twelfth Night the Twelfth Night cake was eaten. This was a rich cake made with eggs and butter, fruit, nuts and spices. The modern Italian Panettone is the cake we currently have that's most like the old Twelfth Night cake. A dried pea or bean was cooked in the cake. Whoever found it was the Lord (or Lady) of Misrule for night. The Lord of Misrule led the celebrations and was dressed like a King (or Queen). This tradition -98-
The first monday after Christmas feast has finished was known as ‘Plough Monday’ as this was when farming work would all begin again! In many parts of the UK, people also went Wassailing on Twelfth Night. Twelfth Night is also known as Epiphany Eve. In many countries it's traditional to put the figures of the Wise Men/Three Kings into the Nativity Scene on Epiphany Eve ready to celebrate Epiphany on the 6th January. It's also traditional to take your Christmas decorations down following Twelfth Night. Twelfth Night is also the name of a famous play written by William Shakespeare. It's thought it was written in 1601/1602 and was first performed at Candlemas in 1602, although it wasn't published until 1623.
Epiphany, the Feasts of The Three Kings Epiphany is celebrated 12 days after Christmas on 6th January (or January 19th for some Orthodox Church who have Christmas on 7th January) and is the time when Christians remember the Wise Men (also sometimes called the Three Kings) who visited Jesus. Epiphany is also when some Churches remember when Jesus was Baptised, when he was about 30, and started to teach people about God. Epiphany means 'revelation' and both the visit of the Wise Men and his Baptism are important times when Jesus was 'revealed' to be very important. Some Churches celebrate use Epiphany to celebrate and remember both the visit of the Wise Men and Jesus's Baptism! Epiphany is mainly celebrated by Catholics and Orthodox Christians. It's a big and important festival in Spain, where it's also known as 'The festival of the three Magic Kings' - 'Fiesta de Los tres Reyes Mages', and is when Spanish and some other Catholic children receive their presents - as they are delivered by the Three Kings! In Spain on Epiphany morning you might go to the local bakers and buy a special cake/pastry called a 'Roscón' (meaning a ring shaped roll). They are normally filled with cream or chocolate and is decorated with a paper crown. These are normally a figure of a king (if you find that you can wear the crown) and a dried bean (if you find that you're meant to pay for the cake!). In Catalonia it's known as a Tortell or Gâteau des Rois and is stuffed with marzipan. In France you might eat a 'Galette des Rois', a type of flat almond cake. It has a toy crown cooked inside it and is decorated on top with a gold paper crown. There are similar traditions in Mexico where Epiphany is known as 'El Dia de los Reyes' (the day of The Three Kings). It's traditional to eat a special cake called 'Rosca de Reyes' (Three Kings Cake). A figure of Baby Jesus is hidden inside the cake. Whoever has the baby Jesus in their piece of cake is the 'Godparent' of Jesus for that year.
-99-
In Italy, some children also get their presents on Epiphany. But they believe that an old lady called 'Befana' brings them. Children put stockings up by the fireplace for Befana to fill. In Austria, at Epiphany, some people write a special sign in chalk over their front door. It's a reminder of the Wise Men that visited the baby Jesus. It's made from the year split in two with initials of the names that are sometimes given to 'the three wise men', Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, in the middle. So 2014 would be: 20*C*M*B*14. The sign is meant to protect the house for the coming year. Some parts of Germany also have the tradition of marking over doors. The 'Four Hills' Ski Jumping Tournament also finishes on 6th January in Bischofshofen, Austria. At Epiphany in Belgium, children dress up as the three wise men and go from door to door to sing songs and people give them money or sweets, kind of like Trick or Treating on Halloween. Children in Poland also go out sining on Epiphany. In Ireland, Epiphany is also called 'Nollaig na mBean' or Women's Christmas. Traditionally the women get the day off and men do the housework and cooking! It is becoming more popular and many Irish women now get together on the Sunday nearest Epiphany and have tea and cakes! In the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (which celebrates Christmas on 7th January), twelve days after Christmas, on 19th January, the three day celebration of Ethiopians Timkat starts. This celebrates Jesus's baptism. Epiphany Eve (also known as Twelfth Night) marks the end of the traditional Christmas celebrations and is the time when you were meant to take Christmas decorations down - although some people leave them up until Candlemas.
-100-
ADDITIONAL TRADITIONS & RESOURCES from WhyChristmas.com
Christmas Candles There are many different reasons why candles are associated with Christmas, although no one knows when they first became connected! They were used during ancient winter solstice celebrations a way of remembering that spring would soon come. One of the earliest records of candles being used at Christmas is from the middle ages, where a large candle was used to represent the star of Bethlehem. Jesus is sometimes called 'the Light of the World' by Christians. This might have started the custom of the Advent Crown and Advent Candles. Candles are also used during Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of light which is also celebrated during winter. During the eight nights of Hanukkah, a candle is lit in a special menorah (candelabra) called a 'hanukkiyah'. Candles are also used in the modern winter festival Kwanzaa, where a special candle holder called a kinara, that holds seven candles is used. Perhaps the most famous use of candles at Christmas are Carols by Candlelight Services. These are services when the church is only lit by candles. Candles were also originally used to decorate Christmas Trees, until safer electric lights were invented! In some parts of Ireland, it was traditional to have a Yule candle instead of a Yule Log. In Southern India, Christians often put small oil burning clay lamps on the flat roofs of their homes to celebrate Christmas. Christians in China use paper lanterns to decorate their Christmas trees. Candles are also used as part of the St. Lucia's or St. Lucy's day celebrations in Sweden. Chrismons and Chrismon Patterns Chrismons are Christmas decorations with Christian symbols on them. They help Christians to remember that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus's birthday. They are often used on Christmas Trees in Churches and Christians homes. They were first made by Frances Kipps Spencer at the Ascension Lutheran Church in Danville, Virginia, USA. She also thought of the word, Chrismon, which is a combination of Christ and monogram (meaning symbol). The idea quickly spread to other churches. It is traditional that Christian groups can make their own Chrismons with their favourite symbols on. Each year a 20ft (6 metre) Christmas Tree is decorated in the Ascension Lutheran Church, as Mrs Spencer intended, and visitors come and the hear the story of Jesus explained through her original Chrismons and a few gifts from around the world. Chrismons are traditionally coloured white and gold. White is the liturgical (or Church) colour for Christmas and symbolises that Jesus was pure and perfect. Gold symbolises His Majesty and Glory. Chrismons can be made from nearly anything, but paper and embroidered ones are the most widely used. Below are some symbols that are common Chrismons and what they represent to Christians. Click on a Chrismon to open a larger version which you can use as a patten to make Chrismons. The Cross symbolises that Christians believe Jesus Christ died for everyone on a Cross. The History of Christingles The idea of Christingles came from a Moravian Church in Germany in 1747. The minister, John de Watteville, gave children at the service a lighted candle with a red ribbon around it. This represented Jesus being the light of the world and the final prayer of that first service was "Lord Jesus, kindle a flame in these children’s hearts, that theirs like Thine become". The custom went around the world with the church.
Missionaries brought the Moravian Church to England in the 1700s. In Moravian churches, the Christingle Service is usually held on the Sunday before Christmas or on Christmas Eve. Over the years the symbolism of the Christingle grew into what's known as a Christingle today. Here's what the different parts of the Christingle represent: 1. The orange is round like the world. 2. The candle stands tall and straight and gives light in the dark like the love of God. 3. The red ribbon goes all around the 'world' and is a symbol of the blood Jesus shed when he died for us. 4. The four sticks point in all directions and symbolise North, South, East and West - they also represent the four seasons. 5. The fruit and nuts (or sometimes sweets!) represent the fruits of the earth, nurtured by the sunshine and the rain. You can find out more about the first Christingle service on The Moravian Church British Province's website. The word Christingle could have come from several sources. It might be an 'English' version of 'Christkindl' (meaning little Christ child), the present bringer is some parts of Germany and other European countries, who represents the baby Jesus. It could be a the putting together of the words Christmas and ingle. Ingle is an old Scots word for fire and so that would make it mean the 'Christ Light'. As Christingles originally came from Germany, the first theory is more likely. Christingles were made popular in the England by The Children’s Society (one of the earliest children's charities in the UK and it has strong connections with the Church of England). The first Christingle service held in the Church of England was in 1968. The idea came from John Pensom who was also known as "Mr Christingle"! People didn't think the service would work as making the Christingles would be too complicated - but they were wrong! The custom has spread through to all kinds of churches and is one of the most common and popular Christmas services in the UK, especially among children. Christingles services still normally raise money for children's charities. There's a New Year's Day tradition in Wales which dates back to the middle ages called Calennig. Children would go round houses, singing songs and rhymes and wishing people good luck for the new year. They hope to get some money and treats in return! Some adults would go Calennig very early in the morning/night on January 1st and sing very loudly! It has similarities to Carol Singing and Wassailing. People would often carry a Calennig apple - an apple on a tripod of twigs or sticks (so it can stand up) and decorated with nuts, cloves and greenery. This has sometimes been associated with Christingles although they're not related at all! Calennig means 'New year celebration or gift/ first day of the month'. Calennig can also now mean the big New Years celebrations held in Welsh cities like Cardiff. -101-
The Tradition of the Jesse Tree Jesse Trees are a very old Christmas Tradition and first started in medieval times. They are used to help tell the story of the Bible from creation to the Christmas Story. The name comes from Jesse who was the Father of the great Jewish King David. A branch is a sign of new life and new beginnings. Jesus was a decedent of King David and Christians believe that Jesus is this new branch. The first Jesse trees were large carvings, tapestries or even stained glass windows put in Churches that helped illiterate people (people who can't read or write) to learn about the bible from creation to the Christmas Story. But now Jesse Trees are used as a kind ofAdvent Calendar. You can use a normal Christmas tree or a banner in the shape of a tree. Each day through advent (or sometimes just on the four Sundays of advent) a special decoration or ornament (similar to a Chrismon), that tells a story from the Bible, is hung on the tree. There are very many different stories and symbols you can use. I've listed 25 stories and symbols that I especially like!
A Super Nova A super nova happens when a star explodes at the end of its life. There was a very bright super nova in 5BC. But it wasn't in the right part of the sky and, like comets, super novas normally meant the end of something, not the beginning! A super nova might have become popular after the great astronomer Johannes Kepler saw one in 1604!
What was the Star of Bethlehem and what did the wise men or Magi actually see?!
Dancing Planets! This is where things seem to start making more sense and there are three good theories using conjunctions (when two or more items in the sky line up to look like one) of planets and other objects in the night sky. Although planets normally move across the sky, they can 'stop' in the sky. This is know as retrograde movement and happens because the earth goes around the sun quicker than the outer plants, so we sort 'over take' them for a bit and it looks like they either stop or actually go backwards for up to about 100 days! There's an excellent free astronomy program called 'stellarium' which displays the sky like a planetarium. I've used this to make the images below (click to see larger images). I viewed the stars from Baghdad, so seeing what the Magi would have done! (If you use the program, 7BC is actually '-6' in astronomical time! Astronomical year numbering is a bit confusing, there's an extra year '0'!)
The wise men or Magi came from an area which is now in either Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia or the Yemen (then known as Persia, Arabia and Sheba). They're often called the 'Three Kings', but the Bible doesn't say how many there were, or that they were even kings! They became three because of the gifts the brought with them.
Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces This theory has been made very popular by Prof David Hughes who lectures in astronomy at Sheffield University in the UK. It was originally written about by the Astronomer Johannes Kepler in 1603, but fell out of favor when Keppler had some rather unusual ideas later in his life!
They were indeed 'wise men'. The Magi were 'Magupati', a title given to priests in a sect of the ancient persian religions such as Zoroastrianism. Today we'd called them astrologers. Back then astronomy and astrology were part of the same overall studies (and 'science') and went hand in hand with each other. The magi would have followed the patterns of the stars religiously. They would have also probably been very rich and held high esteem in their own society and by people who weren't from their country or religion. Find out more about the Magi in the Christmas Story.
The constellation of Pisces (the Fishes) had a special meaning in ancient Persian astronomy and astrology. It was the sign of Israel and of Kings. Jupiter was the Royal planet and Saturn represented old rulers. So a new 'star' being made of Jupiter and Saturn in this constellation could have meant a great deal! There was a 'triple conjunction' of Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces in 7BC (-6). First in May, looking East from Persia/Babylon; then in September/ October, looking West over Jerusalem/Bethlehem from Persia/Babylon; and finally in December, looking South directly over Bethlehem if you were in Jerusalem! There's also records in ancient writings from Babylon that the Magi, of that time, knew about the triple conjunction.
The Star of Bethlehem
They had seen an unusual new star in the sky, and knew that it told of the birth of a special King in Israel. But what did they see? The Bible says they 'saw it in the east' and then when they were in Jerusalem that it 'went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was'. A very accurate translation of 'saw it in the east' is 'in the first light of dawn', so not just in the East, but early in the morning. And when the Magi were in Jerusalem it would have been in the south, over Bethlehem. We also know that it must have been a sign for something very new and unusual; that it signified (in their astrology) there was a new King in Israel and that it was worth travelling to find him! It would have also had to happen over a period of time, from when the Magi were in Persia to when they've travelled to Israel and met with King Herod. It also had to happen before King Herod died! Most people think Herod died in 4BC. So knowing the astrology and signs that the Magi understood, people have tried to find the star. Here are a few of the explanations: Comets Comets streaking across the sky have been seen as signs of forthcoming events for thousands of years. The big problem with a comet is that they are nearly always seen as the sign of a death of a King or something else bad happening. They never signify a birth or the start of something good! Comets can look they've stopped somewhere or 'stand', but they don't stay around for very long. The idea of a Comet might well have become popular when the Italian Renaissance painter Giotto di Bondone painted the Nativity (in about 1305) showing a star that looked like a comet. But the world's most famous comet, Haley's comet, had recently passed by the earth, so he was probably just painting that!
-102-
Jupiter and Moon in Aries This theory was made by Dr Michael Molmar, a very experienced astronomer from New York, USA. Dr Molnar collects coins and other historical objects with astronomical and astrological connections. He found, and purchased, a Roman coin from about 6AD that had the symbol of Aries the Ram on it, looking back at a bright star. In Roman astrology (which the Magi would have also known) Aries is the symbol of Israel. Dr Molnar has found a new 'star' made of Jupiter and the moon in Aries. Jupiter was the Ruler planet in Roman astrology (as in Persian astrology) and the moon meant births (especially of new kings). It happened at dawn, in the east, on 17th April 6BC (-5) and was very unusual. It's what's called an 'occultation' which is a special kind of eclipse which involves the earth, moon, sun and a planet. Because it was dawn, the glare of the sun would have made it quite hard to see, but the Magi would have known it was happening because they had studied the sky so well! Jupiter and the Star Regulus Fairly recently, there has been a new theory by a lawyer from Texas. Rick Larson has done a lot of research and found a new and pretty convincing contender! He looked at old manuscripts and found that the date of Herod's death might have been copied incorrectly and could well have been in 1BC not 4BC! This gives us another three years to look for stars! Mr Larson found that there was a triple conjunction of Jupiter and the star Regulus (which is in the constellation of Leo the Lion), followed by
a conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in Leo ninth months later. And then six months after that Jupiter 'stops' (goes into retrograde) in Virgo. It starts in September 3BC (-2) with the first meeting of Jupiter and Regulus (looking East). Regulus is the brightest star in Leo and thought to be very special. The country/nation of Israel is often referred to as the 'Lion of Judah' so this meeting would have been important. Then nine months (the time of a pregnancy) later in June 2BC (-1) Jupiter and Venus (the planet of mothers) meet in Leo (in the West over Israel) and would have been a very bright 'star' indeed! Then on 25th December 2BC if you were in Jerusalem looking south, towards Bethlehem, Jupiter would be 'standing' in Virgo the constellation of the Virgin (Mary being a virgin)! You can read lots more about Rick Larson's theory on the Bethlehem Star website. Something Supernatural Some people also think that the star might have been something created by God, especially to guide the Wise men and that there isn't a scientific explanation. As a Christian, I believe God could have done this. However, I think the star was probably a conjunction of planets, or something similar, that God planned into creation to mark the birth of Jesus, His son! Nativity Plays & Cribs Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The word nativity comes from the latin word 'natal' which means birth (and is also where we get the word 'native' from). It is traditional in the UK for Primary (Elementary) schools to perform Nativity Play for the parents and local people associated with the school. The Nativity Play recreates the scene of Jesus' Birth, in the stable and tells of how Mary and Joseph were visited by the Shepherds and Wise Men. The parts of Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds and the Wise Men are played by children. If the school is attached to a Church, the play often takes place in the Church. Sunday Schools in Churches also sometimes put on Nativity Plays. In the past, live animals including an ox and donkey and other farm animals (but not pigs) were used in the plays. Sometimes they still are, but it is now more common for children to dress up as the animals in costumes or to have animal props. The first Nativity Play was not performed by Children in the UK, but in a cave by Monks in Italy! St. Francis of Assisi and his followers acted in the first play in 1223 to remind the local population that Jesus was born for them, as he was born into a poor family like theirs and not to a rich family. St. Francis told the part of each character in the story himself using wooden figures in the play. After a couple of years, the play had become so popular that real people played the parts of the characters in the story. Songs were sung by the people taking part and they became what we call Christmas carols today! Now cribs are used in Churches all over the world and even in some homes (we have a wooden one in my house) to remind people of the story. Sometimes religious pictures and statues are called icons. Some Catholic and Orthodox Christianse have icons of Mary and the baby Jesus in their homes. In some countries such as Italy and Malta, and many South American countries, the crib is the most important Christmas decoration. The city of Naples, in Italy, has used cribs to decorate houses and Churches since the 1020s! That's even before St. Francis of Assisi put on his play. Naples is also the home to the worlds largest nativity crib scene. It's in the 'Museo Nazionale di S. Martino' and has 162 people, 80 animals, angels, and about 450 other smaller objects. Find out more about Nativity cribs in Naples in Italy. Nativity Scenes called 'Pessebres' are popular in the Catalonia region of Spain. Cribs also have a long tradition and importance in Malta, where they are called 'Presepju'. There's a special society that keep the tradition alive. Find out more about Nativity cribs in Malta.
Pantomime Pantomime (or 'Panto' for short!) is a traditional British Christmas play and a chance for people to go to the theatre. But it really came from very un-British traditions, nothing to do with Christmas whatever! It is now primarily a children's entertainment show, in the theatre, based on traditional children's stories Fairy Stories such as Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. But pantomime really began as an entertainment for adults. It can be traced back to the ancient Roman 'Saturnalia' midwinter feast, at which everything was supposed to be turned upside-down. Men dressed up as women and women as men. Just like the Pantomime Dames (Men comically dressed up as women) and principal boys (young women dressed up as boys, normally the leading role) of the modern day panto. Pantomime first came to Britain in the 18th century from the 'commedia dell'arte', the Italian tradition of improvised theatre. The stories of the commedia dell'arte had many 'stock' characters in them such as clowns and jesters and a 'baddie'. Traditional plots got mixed up with fairy stories, folk tales, or tales from the Arabian Nights stories, and gradually evolved into the dozen or so familiar stories of the panto repertoire that are still used today. The traditional figures from the commedia dell'arte gradually disappeared, and pantomimes became more as we know them today; they also became an expected part of our Christmas festivities, traditionally starting on Boxing Day (or often before Christmas now so more people can see them!). In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, pantomimes were changed quite a lot by the popularity of the music-hall entertainments. The stars of the day, comedians and music hall artistes, sometimes changed the plot an awful lot, just so they could do their own normal routines! Nowadays pop stars and television personalities continue this tradition, all turning up in panto, but the stories are not often changed too much. Pantomime is now a popular family entertainment. The audience has to work almost as hard as the performers, whether it be joining in the songs, assisting in conjuring tricks, booing the villain and warning the hero with 'He's behind you!' or cheering them on! Christmas Fun, Games & Activities There are lots of fun Christmas things to do including Christmas Activities, Games and things to make and eat! • Online Advent Calendar (opens big) • Decorate an Online Christmas Tree • Build an Online Nativity Scene • Make a Magi (build your own Wise Men!) • Christmas Cracker Jokes (they're bad!) • Christmas Karaoke (on another site) • Watch it Snow all Year! (on another site) • Email Santa • Christmas Pictures to Download and Color-in • Color-in Nativity Scene • Christmas Recipes • Spot the Differences • Christmas Word Searches • Christmas Crossword • Christmas Quiz • Christmas Memory • Christmas Sortable Puzzle • Site Visitor Map (where the site has been seen) • Christmas Browser Themes • Christmas Wallpapers
-103-
Happy Yuletide with warm wishes from Joy & the LVS Magpies
