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What did Christmas look like in the Regency era?
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Well, it was really quite different.
Prince Albert brought the whole tree into our Christmas a little later on, during the Victorian era, funnily enough.
Back in 1644(ish), the meany that was Oliver Cromwell and his Puritans banned Christmas in England (*boo hiss*).
But King Charles II claimed the throne, and the 1660s saw celebrations return.
The Georgians enjoyed Christmas, and then the Regency peeps.
In 1843, A Christmas Carol was published by Charles Dickens, bless him everyone, and its popularity sky-rocketed.
But we're talking about the Regency (1811-1820)...
We've already seen they were rather fond of merrymaking. So, it's not a huge surprise to hear that the social elite used Christmas as an excuse to party.
Picture the scene; a roaring fire, candles, greenery, the smell of spices...
Christmastide began on 6th December (St Nicholas Day), and didn't finish until 6th January (Twelfth Night) - yep, that's a whole month of Christmas!
There's many varying opinions on gift-giving, but general consensus seems to be that (rich) friends gave each other small gifts on St Nicholas Day. It certainly doesn't seem to have been a widespread thing.
The gentry retreated to their country estates for winter (before the roads became impassable).
Balls and parties would be held on the run-up to Christmas Day.
Children (boys) came home from boarding school. Relatives would flock together.
Social interaction was the key focus, charity included.
Mumpers, were widows. The Napoleonic Wars ensured there were plenty of these. And the Corn Laws only hurt them more. So many hungry, poor women! On 21st December (the Feast of St Thomas), these unfortunates went begging with bowls. They could be granted donations of cooked wheat, coins or food. They would give sprigs of holly or mistletoe in return, to bestow good luck to their benefactors.
Christmas Eve was the day to select the Yule Log. The largest log one could find. The would form the main centrepiece for their festivities.
Presumably, the servants rather than the nobles, wrapped the yule log in hazel twigs and dragged the blasted thing all the way to the house.
It was considered good luck to be the first to sit on the log. Goodness knows why, you'd be mostly likely to get all the insects crawl onto you, I'd imagine, but hey, that's what they thought.
The family would keep the last piece of charcoal from the previous year's yule log, and use that to light the fire of the new one. Isn't that rather lovely?
In front of the now roaring fire, the family would drink wassail and perhaps even play games, such as Puss in the Corner or an acrostic. Girls may even divine their true love at this time.
What's wassail? Oh, it's a beautiful thing. Basically, it's mulled cider. Hot, spicy yumminess.
Want a recipe? Here's one.
Other decorations, depending on whereabouts you lived, could include evergreen branches, holly, ivy, mistletoe, hawthorn, rosemary and Christmas rose (hellebore).
Kissing balls were a thing. Made of a mixture of the above, and perhaps dried oranges, apples, spices, ribbons and/or candles.
Christmas Eve may also find mummers at your door, not to be confused with the above mumpers. Mummers were travelling actors who dressed as outlandishly as possible; gilt/spangled caps and ribbons adorned their outfits. They'd go door-to-door asking if they were wanted. The master of the house may (or may not) grant them permission to enter their home. If permitted, they'd perform short plays and sing. They would expect a reward in coin and perhaps a little wassail.
There are some accounts of family gifting on Christmas Eve. Almanacs were popular for girls of age. Perhaps clothes or bookmarks. The very rich would possibly extend to jewellery or perfume.
Christmas Day was about church. It was a national holiday.
The whole family would go to church in the morning. Carols would not have been sung, generally. There may have been parts of Wales where they sang "Deck the Halls" or "Here We Come A-Wassailing". But it was the Victorians again who popularised carols.
This would be the only time friends would really wish each other a, "Merry Christmas."
I rather like this quote:
“I
wish you a cheerful and at times even a Merry Christmas.” ~ Jane Austen
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| Photo taken by TL Clark at No.1 The Crescent, Bath |
After their religious service, they would go home to a feast.
Wild boar went extinct in England around 1185, so the "boar's head" was more likely to be a pig btw.
There may be turkey or goose. But the gentry were fond of venison for their lunch; Bambi!!! 😱
What we've come to see as traditional veg, such as Brussels sprouts, potatoes, carrots, squash would be served with the meat, as well as stuffing - hoorah!
An absolute must was Christmas (plum) pudding. Something we Brits still insist upon today 😋 Plenty of dried fruit, a bit of flour and suet, steamed until there's nothing but rich, dark, spicy gooeyness. Don't forget to set fire to it first - yes, really!
Marchpane was also popular (aka marzipan). Gingerbread was welcomed too.
Mince pies (or slices of a larger Twelfth Night pie) were eaten each day of Christmastide for good luck. And yes, their mincemeat did actually contain meat (ours doesn't today). Ingredients could include: beef, suet, sugar, raisins, lemons, spices, orange peel, goose, tongue, fowl, eggs, apples and brandy.
I think snoozing in front of the fire would be a dead-cert after all that. But, gentle games are mentioned.
Then we come to
Boxing Day.
St Stephen's Day to the Regency folk. Masters would give their staff Christmas boxes.
Charity was in abundance today. The rich would give to the poor.
And then go fox hunting!
Celebrations would continue up until
Twelfth Night (5th January) - oh look, another party!
More wassail would be served. Maybe a game of snapdragon or blind man's bluff - ooh err! Masks and playacting could be involved. Perhaps a trip to the theatre for a pantomime.
And then it'd all be over. Decorations would come down, and they'd revert to...well, ordinary partying! lol
My own short story, centred around a Regency Christmas, is included in the charity anthology,
Kissing and Other Scandalous Pastimes.
ALL proceeds are going to breast cancer research. It's priced at just £/$2.99.
And, of course, there's always my full-length novel,
Regency Love ;-)
Other websites featuring a Regency Christmas:
Thank you for reading.
If it's appropriate at the time of reading, Merry Christmas to you 😘🎅🎄
Always in love and light,
TL
