On 11 November480AD, Bishop Perpetuus of Tours introduced fasting, prayer and reflection as preparation for Christmas Day. This evolved into Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas. In Germany, the lighting of Advent candles was introduced into family homes in the early 19th Century but gradually expanded into churches. Evergreen wreaths, symbolising eternal life, were introduced at the same time.
In 1223, St. Francis of Assisi made the first Nativity scene in a cave by tethering an ox and ass inside, having people act as Mary and Joseph and placing a wax doll in a manger to represent Jesus. People flocked to see this and baby Jesus lying in a manger still symbolises his birth today.
In the Middle Ages, Advent included fasting and abstaining from rich food. Christmas Day would begin with an early Mass at Church with feasting and festivities lasting until Twelfth Night, including the ‘bean cake’, rich with fruit. The feast would depend on your wealth with grand feasts of peacocks, venison, wild boar, and capons amongst many other delicacies for the Lords of the Manor, goose and beef for some, with bacon and ham from a pig slaughtered in November which had been salted or smoked and for the poorest ‘umble pie’, a dish made from offal from the Lord’s venison mixed with other scraps of meat.
It was customary for the rich to give gifts, usually money, to the poor. A box would be left at the back of the Church. Money would be distributed to the needy on the day after Christmas Day, known as Boxing Day. Also on this day, servants of the wealthy would be given left over food of the great feast in a box; their boxing day gift.
Christmas trees and yule logs
In 1536, Martin Luther was inspired by stars twinkling above a forest of pine trees. He took a smaller tree home and decorated it with candles to remind his children that Jesus had come from the heavens of shining stars, and so the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree began.
The yule log was burned in Tudor times along with continued feasting and festivities. The Puritans abolished the Christmas feast and the public holiday because of its Catholic origins, so once more markets and shops were open on Christmas Day. However, celebrations returned with the Restoration. The Georgian wealthy enjoyed balls and parties and presents were exchanged on 6 December, St. Nicholas Day. As well as goose, venison and beef, turkey as a Christmas meat became popular, mainly for the wealthy. Greenery was brought into the home, even by the poorest, and in 1800, at Windsor Castle, Queen Charlotte decorated a yew tree with sweets, almonds, raisins, fruit and toys, instead of the traditional decorated German yew bough. The decorated tree became popular after the illustration of Prince Albert’s decorated pine tree surrounded by Queen Victoria and their children appeared in the Illustrated News in 1846. It became unlucky if decorations were not removed before 6 January.
Giving to the poor
The Industrial Revolution brought a rapid decline in rural working. Owners of industry needed workers to toil through the once Christmas period. Most people had no holidays, except Sundays from work, hence Scrooge being so reluctant to allow Bob Cratchit a Christmas Day holiday.
Although Scrooge would not give to the poor before he met the spirits, it was increasingly customary to do so. “On the 23rd December 1758, Rowland Burdon gave a large piece of beef and a 12d loaf to a great number of poor families.” [JW1] One of his relatives, John Burdon of Hardwicke gave “a handsome sum of money to be distributed among the poor of the parish of Kelloe to enable them to cheerfully celebrate the joyful nativity of our common Redeemer.”
Christmas puddings became popular, although expensive for many. Newspaper advertisements appeared in shops before Christmas for figs from Turkey, Muscatel raisins, currants, plums from France, Seville preserving oranges, candied peel, almonds and fresh spices. It is little wonder that the Cratchit children awaited the taste of the small pudding for such a large family. It would be the only such pudding that could be afforded throughout the year.
In workhouses, dignitaries came to watch the yearly feast enjoyed by inmates. In 1877, George Robert Sims, a campaigning journalist, published the poem Christmas Day in the Workhouse which included lines about the dignitaries who came;
“To smile and be condescending
Put pudding on paupers’ plates
To be hosts at the workhouse banquet
They’ve paid for – with the rates.”
Christmas crackers and carols
Christmas crackers were invented by Tom Smith, a confectioner in the 1840s. He put sugared almonds and a motto inside, but when he discovered how to make the cracker ‘snap’ they became so popular that he opened a cracker factory. In 1843, Sir Henry Cole, being busy, had cards made to send to his friends. Christmas cards were sold in shops and became popular with the introduction of the Penny Black in 1840. Carols became popular once more in Victorian times and some were written at this time, for example; O Come all Ye Faithful in 1843 and Once in Royal David’s City in 1848.
In Britain, Father Christmas was traditionally dressed in midwinter green. In the 17th Century, Dutch settlers had exported their traditional Sinterklass, based on St Nicholas, to America. Sinterklaas became Americanised into Santa Claus with eight reindeer, a reminder of Odin’s eight-legged horse Sleipnir. However, Rudolph came later. He was created in 1939 by Robert L. May in 1939 and the song Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer sung by Gene Autrey was the number one American hit song in 1949. Other number one hit songs have followed, the first UK Christmas Chart song in 1952 being Al Martino’s Here in My Heart and later Bob Geldorf’s 1984 hit Do They Know Its Christmas, which raised 8 million pounds for Famine Relief.
Monarch’s message, gifts and cakes
In 1932, the first Christmas message, written by Rudyard Kipling, was delivered on the wireless by George V. Queen Elizabeth II’s first live TV broadcast in 1957 was in a time when not everyone had televisions. There had been scarcities during the post war years. Tea, butter, sugar, cheese, margarine, cooking fat, bacon and meat were still rationed in 1952. Chickens were hard to come by. There were few fridges and no supermarkets. Decorations like paper chains to hang from ceilings were handmade. As there was no longer a blackout, carol singing could take place again in the streets. Children would go from door to door singing for pennies. Chapel choirs gathered, accompanied by an accordion player, and sang on street corners of colliery villages with people going outside to listen. Gifts, like sledges, doll’s houses, doll’s clothes, knitted jumpers, scarves and gloves for children were often handmade. Some presents, like bikes, were second hand. Pillowcases replaced stockings, but still at the bottom there were an apple, orange, nuts and often half a crown. Barbie arrived in 1959 and the hula hoop in 1958. Christmas celebrations included: stir-up Sunday with sixpences inside the pudding, making two cakes, one for Christmas and one for New Year, writing letters to Santa Claus, leaving him sherry and cake on Christmas Eve, family get-togethers, games like charades, board games like snakes and ladders and tiddly-winks, lots of Christmas cards and a midnight church service.
Today Christmas begins almost before Hallowe’en has ended with cards and decorations appearing in shops. Christmas markets are popular, the first one being in Lincoln in 1982. The Frankfurt Market in Birmingham was imported from Germany in 2001 where such markets had begun in the Middle Ages. As well as Christmas jumpers, there are lots of Christmas movies, now in bright technicolour like the jumpers. Shops have Christmas advertisements and window displays. Fenwick’s much awaited window display began in 1971. Votes are taken for the best mince pies. There are Christmas breaks in November with one day designated as Christmas Eve, one Christmas day and the third New Year’s Eve. Many choose holidays at this time including Twixmas, between Christmas and New Year. Children have more expensive presents, not second-hand bikes, handmade toys or gloves.
The flip side of commercialism
There are those who cannot afford much of the above. Food banks need extra donations at Christmas. Organisations like the Salvation Army collect toys for children. There are those who are homeless, so appeals for money from Crisis and others seek to give a little comfort for the needy. This is the flip side of commercialism. There is no wonderful ‘Dawn French Christmas Fairy’ to magic up a fantastic table of goodies for friends and family for a celebration. Many are alone and lonely. Fewer worshippers go to a Midnight service at church. Fewer cards are sent, as the seasons wishes are sent through technology, partly due to the custom becoming old-fashioned, as it is in Belgium, and also to the cost of postage. There is a surfeit of lights, indoors and outdoors, inflatable Santas, twinkling reindeer and wreaths on doors. Times have moved from pagan midwinter celebrations, through Christian remembrances of the birth of Jesus into what could become a commercial celebration.
Let us keep the spirits of what we remember as our Christmas pasts, enjoy this Christmas present but hold onto traditions for the Christmas celebrations yet to come.
Merry Christmas.
