A TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS
The excitement of Christmas is inextricably linked to well-loved tradtions: decorating the tree with glittering baubles and colourful lights, hanging capacious stockings by a blazing log fire, and wrapping up warm for Midnight Mass in a snow-covered village church. But there are other, lesser-known customs that take place around this sceptred isle at Christmastide: some stretch back into the darkness of pre-Christian times; others are recent inventions that combine fun with charitable aims. What they all have in common however is spectacle, goodwill, and for those who practise them - simply the Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without them.
I am thrilled to share with you the following traditions from English Home Magazine.
THE MUMMERS
"Roast beef, plum pudding and mince pie - who likes that better than King William and I?" chant the Marshfield Mummers: the Old Time Paper Boys every Boxing Day, as they take to the streets to perform an age-old play complete with sword fights, violent death and hope-filled resurrection. They are part of the mummers' tradition, with roots in medieval times, where troupes of actors stage fold-plays featuring characters such as Father Beelzebub, good St. George, and the evil Turkish Knight.
The Marshfield Paper Boys, with their rich west-country accents, earned their name thanks to the elaborate costumes they make out of coloured paper. Farmer Dick Knight has performed with them for 60 years: "At one time, almost every village in England would have had mummers but Marshfield is probably the only one where that custome has never died."
WASSAIL
"Waes Hael", the Saxon for 'good health', was a midwinter drinking toast of sweet, spicy punch, shared in a communal cup that became known as the Wassail bowl. In early times, carol singers would 'wassail' door to door in return for gifts of money at Christmas and New Year. By the end of the 17th century, when cider-making had become a staple industry, the wassailing ceremony was also practised in orchards to guarantee a good harvest.
Stay tuned...more tomorrow...
In the hustle and bustle of today’s society, it often seems that etiquette has become a ‘thing of the past.’ However, tea parties offer the perfect opportunity to teach proper tea protocol not only to ladies ‘young in age,’ but also ladies ‘young at heart.’ The charming book entitled The Art of the Social Graces, by Bernadette Michelle Petrotta, is an excellent resource for your personal library. This compact, easy to read book includes detailed illustrations for table settings as well as helpful hints for entertaining at parties, whether small or large, informal or formal. Of special interest to tea lovers is the included section on Victorian Afternoon Tea where Petrotta shares “instructions on making the perfect pot of tea, illustrated tea settings, and dining etiquette for scones, savories, and petits fours.”
