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| Wassailers in Great Britain go door-to-door caroling and feasting on wassail, a kind of spiced ale served warm in the Christmas season. |
The first Christmas card is credited to England although there is a considerable disagreement as to the individual who should be recognized as its originator. Even the exact date is disputed, but the first card appeared between 1841 and 1845. According to the London Times which once attempted to settle the problem, credit should be given to John Calcott Horsely of the Royal Academy who was commissioned to produce a card for Sir Henry Cole, in order that Sir Henry might save himself the chore of writing a personal letter to each of his many friends.
It was a German immigrant who made Christmas cards popular in the United States. Louis Prang opened a small lithographing shop in Roxbury, Massachusetts, in 1874. He successfully worked out a process of making colored pictures for his cards and produced a series of simple floral designs which became immediately popular. Within a few years he was printing five million cards a year and had made Christmas card production his major operation.
The use of Christmas cards for tree decoration has also become popular in America. Small trees, decorated with cards, are now being provided by thoughtful people to hospitals and similar institutions to bring some of the Christmas spirit to those who must remain shut in during the holidays.
England is also noted for the food traditions it has brought to Christmas.
Henry VIII introduced the boar's head served with an apple in its mouth to the dinner menu. It was brought to the festive board in ceremonial style while minstrels and choristers joined in the presentation. The special significance attached to the boar, considered to be the most ferocious of animals, dates back to pre-Christian history when it was offered to the goddess Freya at the winter solstice.
Another ancient Christmas food of early English royalty was the peacock which was roasted whole and then redecked in its brilliant plumage. It was customary for the knights to take the "vow of the peacock" - by making their pledge of the year with their right hand on the peacock. Thus began the custom of making New Year's resolutions.
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| St. Albans Mummers slay dragons on Boxing Day. |
Roast beef is now the traditional English Christmas meat and it was another English monarch who gave the name to one of the most succulent roasts. This was Charles II who, in a humorous mood, surrounded by his admirers at Christmas dinner, compared his affection for them to his fondness for a loin of good beef. With his sword he touched the huge roast before him and parodying the ritual of knighting, proclaimed: "I knight thee Sir Loin." Thus we have our sirloin steaks today.
Another favored English dish for Christmas was the plum pudding which originally began as a dish called "frumenty" consisting of boiled wheat, which was strained and combined with milk and egg yolks. Gradually new ingredients were added to spice it up but it was not until 1670 that it became the culinary achievement known in recent times.
The story of the origin of plum pudding has often been told. An early English king, hunting the day before Christmas, became lost in a blizzard and was unable to return to his castle. One of the members of his party, acting as cook, attempted to make the best of the meager provisions he had by throwing everything into the pot and cooking it together. This involved the remains of a stag, previously killed, flour, apples, dried plums, eggs, ale, brandy, and sugar. Tying the mess in a bag, he boiled it into a pudding and thus was acquired another Christmas recipe. So, at least, runs the story!
Mince pies were first known as mutton pies and were thought of as edible symbols of the gifts of the Wise Men in that their spices represented the choicest products of the East. They were first baked to represent the manger, with crossed lines on the upper crust symbolizing the hayrack of the stable.
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| Mince pies are the favored treats to serve during Christmas for dessert. |
Although carol singing had its origin in several European countries in early times, it achieved a special popularity in the rural areas of England. Strolling groups of carolers, known as the "waits," moved through the village streets singing, and many of the carols still popular today were thus preserved.
Still another old English custom is that of presenting mystery plays at Christmas. These were given by actors known as "Mummers” because they were masked. As a rule they portrayed St. George slaying the dragon, or in pantomime they acted out the death of Nature by Winter and its subsequent renewal of life by Spring.
Such plays, and the masquerade costumes of the Mummers, have their origin in the Roman pagan celebration of the Saturnalia. The masquerade balls we still have in our country, and particularly the Mardi Gras celebrations, serve as a reminder that even our fun making has its roots deep in history.