Traditional English Christmas - Facts

By Author: Alana Raczynski
Total Articles: 2

England is famous for its Traditional Holiday and as a delivered and bred Englishman, My Christmas concerned family reunions, Christmas time Dinner and watching the Queens Visit Link Speech at 3pm.

Queens Christmas Speech

The Sovereign King George V appeared in the radio on Holiday Day 1932. This happened every year right up until 1957 when Princess Elizabeth II made an appearance on Television, Christmas Day time at 3pm. The Christmas Broadcast is an intrinsic part of Xmas Day festivities and it is broadcast UK and Commonwealth wide as well as in 2003, over 10 million viewers in Britain on your own, settled down to see the Broadcast on Christmas Day.

Xmas Tree

It is very popular in England, too, even though not the earliest of traditions, the Christmas tree may have originated in Germany. The first Christmas plant in England was the one Prince Albert, the spouse of Queen Victoria, positioned in their royal property in 1837. There are plenty of trees in public places at the same time, the most famous being the enormous one in Trafalgar Sq . which is given to great britain by Norway as a thank you for our aid during WW2.

Christmas time Cards

Christmas greeting cards are sent off tofriends and relatives, loved ones and business contacts at the begining of Dec. This was invented by us English and days back to 1840, and each year more than one billion Christmas cards are sent in Fantastic Britain - December is decidedly not the easiest month as a postman in Britain.

Advent Calender

The present day advent calendar consists of a carboard surround, generally decorated in some well-known culture or chocolate-related style which has been adjusted to search Christmassy, bearing at the very least 24 little entrance doors. Behind each doorway will be a moulded Xmas-related shape, and there may also be tiny picture on the inside of the entranceway or on the cardboard behind the chocolates. The chocolate will most likely sit in a plastic-type material tray, and may be protected by a layer of foil which is best slit wide open using a fingernail. Arrival calendar traditions are the 24th chocolate or door bearing the phrase 'Santa's Coming' or a depiction of a Nativity scene, and the person opening the work schedule guessing which Christmas time-related item will be depicted right behind each door.

Christmas Holly

It is going to be noted that here in England, a strong differentiation is made between the 'he holly' and the 'she holly', based on the mother nature of the leaves. The 'he holly' is characterized by prickly leaves while 'she Holly' is characterized by the smooth surface of the results in. The Holly, that is strongly linked with Christmas or rather Christmas time festival, has a medical history of its own. Though Christmas Holly history have their roots in Northern Europe, the sanctity of the Holly grow has a pagan starting point. The Holly vegetation is characterized by green leaves that are prickly in nature. It needs a mention here how the Druids adorned their heads with twigs of the Holly grow whenever they went to the forest.

The Holly Man

The Holly Man, the winter guise of the Green Gentleman (a character from pagan myths and folklore), decked in fantastic green garb and evergreen foliage, appears from the Stream Thames every January. The Green Man is thought to stand for fertility, passing away, life and rebirth. He brings mother nature and mankind collectively. The Green Person is usually depicted in carvings with leafy vines growing close to his body, from his face, nose, eyes, mouth and ears.

Mistletoe

We English don't stop at pine trees: holly and mistletoe are equally essential natural Christmas time decorations. Mistletoe's acceptance obviously has something connected to the custom of kissing the person with whom you stand under it - a tradition that allegedly dates back to Pagan Britain and old Roman times, when enemies who satisfied under it have been said to have to give up their rivalries.

Wassail

Wassail is an ale-based ingest seasoned with seasoning and honey. It was actually served from big bowls, often created from silver or pewter. Wassail comes from a well used English term 'waes hael' meaning to become well. In Saxon times the Lord of the Manor would shout this for the crowds and they really would drink an ale based drink. This tradition continued after a while as people would go from house to house with the Christmas and drink food. Some parts of the country especially in countryside areas still go 'a wassailing' in January - normally the 17th which was that old twelfth night. Although it's not named wassailing nowadays you'll also find that people in England will still go visiting neighbours for a glass of mulled wine (or anything else alcoholic) along with a mince pie. The Wassail bowl would be passed around with all the greeting, 'Wassail'. Wassailing has been associated with English language Christmas and New Year as far back as the 1400s. It was an easy method of passing on good wishes amid friends and family.

Holiday Carols

The earliest carol was designed in England in 1410. Sadly only a tiny fragment of it still exists. The carol was about Jesus and Mary meeting different people in Bethlehem. Most Carols from this time as well as the Elizabethan time are based on untrue accounts, very loosely in line with the Christmas story, in regards to the holy family and were seen as entertaining rather than religious songs. They were usually sung in homes instead of in churches! Travelling singers or Minstrels started singing these carols and the terms were changed for the local people anywhere they were traveling.

Probably the most famous carol service, is the service of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College in Cambridge, UK. This service occurs on Christmas Eve and is broadcast survive BBC Radio (and all over the world). In my home, we listen to it and it means Holiday has really started! ! The Service was first carried out in 1918 as a method of the college celebrating the end of the First World War. It is usually started with a individual choir boy performing a solo from the first verse of the Carol 'Once in Royal David's City'.

Boxing Day

Boxing Day officially commenced in England in the midst of the 19 century under the rule of Queen Victoria. Many children and adults do not know the true concept of Boxing Day and its reasons for celebrating, however. It was a day to thank the community for those their effort throughout the years. The maids, other and drivers support workers were thanked with gifts of clothing, money and food and other products. It is important to teach students how they can contribute to community and to understand not every families are able to look after their families at all times. The countries that celebrate Boxing Working day includes Great Britain, Melbourne and Canada Nz and other Commonwealth Places santasgrottolondon.co.uk/finding-us celebrate Boxing Day on December 26th.

Twelth Night - Twelve Days of Lamps and Christmas and Decorations

Twelfth Evening (5th January) occurs when all Christmas Lamps and Decorations needs to be removed so as to never bring bad luck upon the home. If decorations are not taken out on Twelfth Night time, they should stay up all year.

Nativity Play

Another eagerly awaited event in the run-as much as Christmas is the nativity play: each year thousands and thousands of school youngsters act out the tale from the Bible regarding the birth of Christ. They dress up as Mary, Joseph and Jesus the shepherds along with the three Wise Men - and occasionally children get to don donkey and ox costumes.

Pantomines

Pantomimes are cheerful music interpretations of vintage fairy tales that happen to be performed by professional or amateur actors - and the audience: masses participation is a big element of pantomime fun. Pantomimes became popular in England in the 1500s. There are Pre-Christian roots for the pantomime, most particularly the playing of men by women and the other way around. This probably stalks back to the pagan winter festivals, in which roles were reversed in plays: guys would play women; children, servants and masters would enjoy parents.

English Christmas Food

Christmas meal is very traditional and includes a variety of these: Sage, Poultry and Onion or Sausage or Chestnut Stuffing, Cranberry sauce, brussel sprouts, roast potato's, English mustard or Mint Sauce and for afters either: Mince pies, chocalate Yule Logs, iced fruit food, Christmas Pudding,Shortbread or Cheese and Crackers.

Christmas Crackers

The most original The english language Christmas tradition, nonetheless, is the Christmas cracker: the popular small papers tubes with tiny gifts inside were invented by a baker from London in the mid 19th century and have gone on to overcome the world. It is traditionally opened by two individuals who each take on one end from the cracker until it, well, cracks. Merry Christmas!

Father Xmas plus his Sleigh and Reindeers

Father Christmas (In Victorian England he was dressed in a Red Robe- unlike the made up american santa with pants etc.) was originally part of an old The english language midwinter festival, generally dressed in green, a sign of the returning spring. He was referred to as 'Sir Christmas', 'Old Father Christmas' or Old Winter'.

In this earliest form, Daddy Christmas was not the bringer of gifts for small children, nor did he come down the chimney. Knocking on entrance doors and feasting with families before transferring on to the next house, he simply wandered around from home to home.

The Ghost of Christmas Found in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (1843) is based on Father Christmas time. He is described as a big man with a red beard and fur-lined natural robe.

Images of Father Christmas (Santa Claus) dressed in reddish colored started appearing on Christmas cards within the late Victorian instances.

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