Christmas in England
...th. This is probably the only truly modern tradition that we have. In 1922, Lord Reich, General Manager of the BBC, felt that the King, George V should use the powerful new medium of radio to speak to the nation as one family. Initially the King refused as he felt that radio was still too experimental to be used for a royal message. Lord Reich did not give up though, and asked the King again in 1932. By this time the BBC has begun its overseas service, and the King had the opportunity to talk to his subjects around the world. At 3:00pm on 25th December 1932, the King made the first broadcast live from Sandringham. Since then King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II have continued the tradition and in 1957 the broadcast moved to television. Over the years the format has changed from a formal speech delivered live, to a pre-recorded Christmas message, to the current more relaxed broadcasts. However, Christmas in England wouldn't be the same without the anticipation of opening the curtains on Christmas morning, in the hope of seeing a beautiful blanket of white snow covering everything in sight. We can but dream of our perfect white Christmas, until then "Merry Christmas to One and All!" Many English Christmas customs traveled to the United States with the English immigrants. Both countries share the hanging of stockings and mistletoe. People in both countries decorate with holly and ivy. While not as popular today, both the English and the Early Americans burned a Yule log,saving the remains for starting the next year's fire. There is no Santa Claus in England. Instead, children receive gifts from Father Christmas. At Christmas dinner, plum pudding is the dessert of choice. Coins are hidden in the pudding bringing good luck to those that find them. Actors known as Christmas mummers present plays during the Christmas season to the delight of persons both young and old. In some villages, churches "toll the Devil's knell" on Christmas Eve. The church bell is rung once for every year since Christ's birth; ending at midnight. The ringing is said to keep the Devil away from the village. The English celebrate Boxing Day on December 26. On this day they give gifts to persons in service jobs, such as shop clerks or maids. Christmas is Britain's most popular holiday and is characterised by traditions which date back hundreds of years. Many Christmas customs which originated in Britain have been adopted in the United States. The first ever Christmas card was posted in England in the 1840s, and the practice soon became an established part of the build-up to Christmas. Over a billion Christmas cards are now sent every year in the United Kingdom, many of them sold in aid of charities. Christmas decorations in general have even earlier origins. Holly, ivy and mistletoe are associated with rituals going back beyond the Dark Ages. (The custom of kissing beneath a sprig of mistletoe is derived from an ancient pagan tradition.) The Christmas tree was popularised by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who introduced one to the Royal Household in 1840. Since 1947, the country of Norway has presented Britain annually with a large Christmas tree which stands in Trafalgar Square in commemoration of Anglo-Norwegian cooperation during the Second World War. Popular among children at Christmas time are pantomimes: song and dance dramatisations of well-known fairy tales which encourage audience participation. Carols are often sung on Christmas Eve by groups of singers to their neighbours, and children hang a stocking on the fireplace or at the foot of their bed for Santa Claus (also named Father Christmas) to fill. Presents for the family are placed beneath the Christmas tree. Christmas Day sees the opening of presents and many families attend Christmas services at church. Christmas dinner consists traditionally of a roast turkey, goose or chicken with stuffing and roast potatoes. This is followed by mince pies and Christmas pudding flaming with brandy, which might contain coins or lucky charms for children. (The pudding is usually prepared weeks beforehand and is customarily stirred by each member of the family as a wish is made.) Later in the day, a Christmas cake may be served - a rich baked fruit cake with marzipan, icing and sugar frosting. The pulling of Christmas crackers often accompanies food on Christmas Day. Invented by a London baker in 1846, a cracker is a brightly coloured paper tube, twisted at both ends, which contains a party hat, riddle and toy or other trinket. When it is pulled by two people it gives out a crack as its contents are dispersed. Another traditional feature of Christmas afternoon is the Queen's Christmas Message to the nation, broadcast on radio and television. The day after Christmas is known in Britain as Boxing Day, which takes its name from a former custom of giving a Christmas Box - a gift of money or food inside a box - to the deliverymen and tradespeople who called regularly during the year. This tradition survives in the custom of tipping the milkman, postman, dustmen and other callers of good service at Christmas time. Of Special Note... MISTLETOE, considered sacred by the British Druids, was believed to have many miraculous powers. Among the Romans, it was symbol of peace, and, it was said that when enemies met under it, they discarded their arms and declared a truce. From this comes our custom of kissing under the mistletoe. England was the first country to use it during the Christmas season. CUSTOMS FROM ENGLAND WHAT MAKES AN ENGLISH CHRISTMAS? It appears that each person questioned thus will answer differently in fact. For me, it was the late night shopping and the electric atmosphere. I remembered the animated windows of my youth, Fairy Tales brought to life in each one. Delving back into childhood, it was the smells of minced pies, boiling puddings and the Meat cooking late on Christmas Eve. For Mrs Turner of Hereford it is the family getting together, the food and drink, her daughter likes the parties; others shrug and say 'Its just for the children'. Many still admit that it is a time for going to Church, even if they have been wanting throughout the year. Old Mr. Thomas from East End Park, Leeds, chuckled and said that he likes the excuse to go to the pantomime, and Santa Claus - 'Taking the Grandchildren, you know. But the Santa Grottos are nothing like they used to be. You could go on a Space Rocket to the Moon, or a Magic Sleigh Ride to Santa Land at Lewis' once'. This short survey has brought together all the elements of what the English public consider is an English Christmas, and here are a few short pieces about each, starting with a list of essential elements of Christmas gathered from a poll over over two thousand. · Food & Drink · Parties · Television and the Queens Speech · A Walk after Dinner · Midnight Mass & Carol Services · Children's activities (Pantomime & Santa) · Shopping in the dark, fairylit streets · Sending out cards · Ghost Stories and Murder parties · Getting in touch with old acquaintances and visiting people · Playing Games · Carol-singing, 'Sally' Army & Hot Chestnuts Man · Decorating · Getting the special double edition Radio Times and planning the seasonal viewing & recording! FATHER CHRISTMAS English Father Christmas became part of the greater European Santa Claus in the 1950's. But until then he was quite a different character. His origins were steeped in the Viking lore, brought by these people when they conquered Britain in the 8th - 9th centuries. To understand his origins, it is necessary to learn a little about the state of the country at that time.. Britain was a largely Saxon stronghold. Christianity came from two sides basically, the Celtic Church and the Roman Church. Although the Celtic Christians were brought in line with Roman practice from a decree at the Synod of Whitby in the 7th century, Christianity was still somewhat isolated from mainstream Europe. Many of the images in the Saxon churches were Byzantine in style not Roman. The Byzantine Church had already begun to split from the Church in Rome, creating Eastern and Western Christians. Roman iconography was quite different to that of the Eastern Church, and Celtic imagery was harking back to what the early Church considered 'pagan' imagery. Even after the Norman invasion in 1066, when the Normans effectively wiped out all the early imagery and replaced it with Roman style, still oaths were commonly sworn "By God and by Odin". Things changed only slowly. While St Nicholas was enjoying cult status throughout Europe, with customs developing from as early as the 9th century, he did not arrive in Britain until much later. The Saxons welcomed King Frost, or Father Time, or King Winter. He would be represented by someone, given a fine hat or crown to wear,, and brought to their firesides. They believed that by welcoming the Winter as a personage, or elemental deity, that element would be less harsh to them, not QUITE so cold, not QUITE so wet - just enough to feed the earth! The Vikings brought their god Odin. Odin was the father of the gods, and he had twelve characters. The character for December was sometimes known as Yalka or Jul and his month was known as Jultid. From this, we get Yuletide. During December the Vikings believed that Odin would come to earth on his eight legged horse, Sleipnir. He was disguised in a long blue hooded cloak, and he carried a satchel of bread and a staff. His companion was often a Raven or a Crow. (This description was also given for St Benedict, the founder of the great Benedictine Order of monks and nuns! It is likely that Benedicts description was at some early time, overlaid onto the image of Odin.) Odin was supposed to join groups around their fire, sitting in the background and listening in to hear if they were content or not. He would occasionally leave a gift of bread at a poor homestead. Here you can see already customs we associate with Father Christmas. The hooded figure, the secret visits, the leaving of a gift. With the Normans came St. Nicholas. Viking and Saxon deities mingled with a Christian element to create a saintly Parish Visitor - a sort of medieval social worker! In England in the Middle Ages, a parish would hire an actor, or often a cleric from another parish, to dress in disguise, and visit home...