Victorian Christmas Traditions
This year why not mix in a little of the ghost of Christmas past with your present celebrations?
While the leaves on the trees aren't even turning color yet, still, it's never too early to start thinking about Christmas. Will you host a party? Serve a dinner? Send cards or give gifts? Many of the things we do nowadays have their roots in the Victorian era. Nineteenth century merry makers actually did know how to party. Here are some Victorian Christmas traditions…
The Twelve Day Celebration
Since medieval times, the Twelve Day celebration has been a recognized holiday. It traditionally begins on Christmas Day, December 25th, and ends at midnight, Epiphany, January 5th. That's right, twelve whole days of partying.
Boxing Day
This holiday is celebrated the day after Christmas Day. Tradesmen and servants would receive gifts from their masters, employers, or customers. These gifts would be boxed up, hence the name Boxing Day. Plan ahead this year to give your post carrier or garbage man a small thank you gift.
The Yule Log
A Yule log was dragged in on Christmas Day and kept burning for twelve days (until Epiphany). The leftover charcoal was kept until the following Christmas to kindle the next year’s log. It was considered bad luck if the log went out during the twelve days.
Childermas
December 28th is known as Holy Innocents Day, or Childermas. It’s a day commemorating when King Herod ordered the murder of children beneath two years of age in an attempt to kill the baby Jesus. The Coventry Carol recounts the massacre from the eyes of a mourning mother whose child was killed and was a common song sung by itinerant carolers.
New Year’s Coin
No matter the age, it was a must that every person in Victorian England should have money in his or her pocket on New Year’s Day, even something as small as a half farthing (worth an eighth of a penny). To be without a coin meant risking poverty in the coming year.
Traveling Entertainers
During the Christmas season, entertainers traveled from manor to manor. The most common form of their performances was pantomime, which is still a popular form of entertainment today during holiday time.
Wassail
Originally, wassail was a greeting or a toast. Revelers would hold up a mug of spiced cider and shout, “Waes hael!” which means be hale or be well. The drink was often offered to visitors in a large wooden bowl. Eventually, the greeting fell by the wayside and wassail came to mean the drink instead of the toast. There are a lot of great traditional wassail recipes on the internet. Here is one of my favorites.
Whatever your traditions are, it's always fun to incorporate something new. Hopefully this gave you some ideas. And if you really want to get in the Christmas spirit early, here's your chance to win 1 of 12 signed copies of what's sure to become a Christmas classic, 12 Days at Bleakly Manor.