BinB News | BinB Events Town Sites | Ascot | Bracknell | Henley | Maidenhead | Marlow | Newbury | Slough | Reading | Windsor | Wokingham
Christmas Traditions |
|||
Did you make your Christmas puddings on Sunday October 27 -"Stir Sunday", the last after Trinity? You should have done – that’s the traditional time to do the mixing and cooking. Sadly this is one Christmas custom that’s gradually slipped into obscurity, but there’s plenty of others that are alive and well. Let’s take a closer look…
Christmas Cards It is generally agreed that the custom of sending a Christmas greeting in the form of a card began in Britain in 1840 when the first 'Penny Post' public postal deliveries began. Hard to imagine today, but the postal service was the 19th century's communication revolution – a bit like email is for us now. As printing methods and rail transport improved, so did the volume of Christmas cards produced. Boxing Day The term refers to a custom which began in the Middle Ages around 800 years ago: churches would open their 'alms boxe' (boxes in which people had placed gifts of money) and distribute the contents to the poor people in the neighbourhood on the day after Christmas. The tradition continues today - small gifts are often given to delivery workers such as postal staff and children who deliver newspapers. Mistletoe and Holly The Druids used mistletoe to celebrate the coming of winter and would often use it to decorate their homes. They also believed the plant possessed special healing powers. Scandinavians also believed mistletoe was a symbol of peace and harmony, associated with their goddess of love, Frigga (which probably explains the custom of kissing under the mistletoe). The early church banned mistletoe in Christmas celebrations because of its pagan origins, instead suggesting holly as a suitable choice of Christmas greenery. Christmas Tree The Christmas Tree was not widely adopted in Britain until the 1800s although it originated in Germany in the 16th century where fir trees were decorated with roses, apples, and colored paper. Protestant reformer Martin Luther is thought to be the first to light a Christmas tree with candles in an effort to duplicate the starlight shining through the branches of a small fir tree outside his home. www.businessinberkshire.co.uk/christmasinberkshire
|
