England
by Curve
Since King Henry VIII broke the hold of the Catholic Church, and proclaimed himself head of the English church as well as state, we've not been a particularly religious country. When it comes to festive periods, the English draw more of their customs from Pagan origins than Christian ones.
Christmas in England starts to gear up with Advent Calendars on December 1st. The Advent Calendar is a poster or card that has 24 'doors'. Children open one door a day from December 1st to Christmas Eve on the 24th. Behind each door they'll find a picture, chocolate or small gift. Around the same the time as the Advent Calendars go up, so do the Christmas Trees. It was Martin Luther, the Father of the Protestant church, who first decorated a tree at Christmas. It was an idea that spread quickly throughout Europe and now most households bring in a fir tree and deck it out with lights, glass baubles and tinsel. Another popular indoor decoration is Mistletoe, a parasitic plant to be found in trees, which we hang in bunches and kiss under. Ancient Pagans knew the Christmas period as 'Yule' and danced around burning fires, wishing the winter away. Today, some households burn a scented Yule Log in the hearth over Christmas, while others use a symbolic Yule Log - a long, and very rich chocolate cake.
Christmas Eve is a day that English children get excited about, as they prepare for midnight and the time when Santa Claus is supposed to appear. There is a story that, one Christmas, Santa dropped some gold coins while trying to get down a chimney, and they were luckily caught in a stocking which was hung over the grate to dry. Since then, children have hung stockings out to be filled with presents when Santa arrives at midnight. Of course, all that present delivering gives Santa quite an appetite so the English leave him a plate of Mince Pies and a glass of sherry. What are Mince Pies you ask? Well, they are small pies made from a sweet pastry, and filled with 'mince', a mixture of apple, sultanas, currants, raisins, nuts, nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, brandy and suet (suet is the hard fat found around the kidneys of cows and sheep - although, these days, many people prefer to use a vegetable substitute).
When Christmas Day dawns, children can usually be found ripping open gifts while the adults of the house prepare the Christmas dinner. The English tend to eat a roasted Turkey for their celebratory lunch, although a roasted Goose was more common in days of old. Roasted potatoes, and green vegetables are served with the Turkey and it's traditional to have a jelly made from Cranberries and bread sauce, a wonderful sauce made by simmering a whole onion studded with cloves in a pan of hot milk, and then removing it and adding bread crumbs to the milk until the mixture is thick. After the savory course comes the Christmas Pudding. This is a very rich steamed pudding made with dried fruit and nuts and absolutely soaked with spirits - usually combinations of Brandy, Rum, Cider or Whiskey. Traditionally, the puddings are made about 6 months in advance and have silver coins or charms hidden in them. After a few hours steaming, the pudding is turned upside down on to a plate, decorated with Holly and then covered with hot Whiskey or Brandy which is set alight as the pudding is brought to the dining table. It is then served with Brandy Butter - a beaten up mixture of butter, sugar and yet more Brandy! (Yes, Christmas in England is a very alcoholic affair!).
Over the Christmas dinner, we tend to pull lots of crackers. Invented in 1847 by a London baker called Tom Smith, the cracker is a brightly decorated tube containing gifts, jokes and party hats. Each end of the cracker is grasped by a person and pulled until it comes apart with an explosive 'crack!', courtesy of a small strip of chemically lined card inside.
Christmas afternoon in England is usually accompanied by the sounds of groaning as people settle full stomachs in front of the television. At 3pm sharp the Queen makes her speech to the nation, summing up the year that has just passed and looking to the future.
The 26th December is known as Boxing Day in England. The odd name originates from days when the Church would open its alms boxes and distribute money to the poor. Boxing Day was traditionally the day that household servants got off, and they'd take parcels of their employers' Christmas Dinner leftovers home to feed the family. While the poor were feasting, the rich would be out fox hunting, and this is something that still continues in rural areas. Foxhunters turn out in red jackets (bizarrely known as 'pinks'), and drink hot mulled wine, or sherry before charging off on their horses over the countryside, with packs of hounds in search of the elusive fox. In modern times, many English families use Boxing Day to travel and see family who they didn't celebrate with the day before.
© Curve/Emma curve@dal.net 2002
