Dec. 25.]

CHRISTMAS DAY.

St. Chrysostom informs us that, in the primitive times, Christmas and Epiphany were celebrated at one and the same feast (Homil. in Diem Nativ. D. N. J. Christi, Opera, edit. Monfaucon, tom. iii.), probably from a belief that the rising of the star in the East and the birth of Christ were simultaneous. The separation took place at the Council of Nice, A.D. 325. The Armenians, however, continued to make but one feast of the two as late as the thirteenth century. The learned have long been divided upon the precise day of the Nativity. Some have fixed it at the Passover; others, amongst whom was Archbishop Usher, at the feast of Tabernacles; and it has been observed that, if others were watching their flocks when it occurred in the field by night, it would hardly have happened in the depth of winter. Be this as it may, the 25th of December has been the day most generally fixed upon from the earliest ages of the Church. Sir Isaac Newton, in his Commentary on the Prophecies of Daniel (Part I. chap. ii. p. 144), has a chapter, “Of the Times of the Birth and Passion of our Saviour,” in which he accounts for the choice of the 25th of December, the winter solstice, by showing that not only the feast of the Nativity, but most others, were originally fixed at cardinal points of the year; and that the first Christian calendar having been so arranged by mathematicians at pleasure, without any ground in tradition, the Christians afterwards took up with what they found in the calendars: so long as a fixed time of commemoration was solemnly appointed they were content.—See Baronii Apparatus ad Annales Ecclesiasticos, fol. LucÆ, 1740, p. 475 et seq.; Bingham’s Antiquities of the Christian Church, lib. xx. cap. 4; a curious tract entitled, The Feast of Feasts, or ‘The Celebration of the Sacred Nativity of our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, grounded upon the Scriptures and confirmed by the Practice of the Christian Church in all Ages;’ see also Knight’s English CyclopÆdia, 1859, vol. ii. p. 882.

The name given, says a correspondent of Book of Days, (vol. ii. p. 745) by the ancient Goths and Saxons to the festival of the winter solstice was Jul or Yule, the latter term forming to the present day the designation in the Scottish dialect of Christmas, and preserved also in the phrase of the “yule log.” Perhaps the etymology of no term has excited greater discussions among antiquaries. Some maintain it to be derived from the Greek ????? or ??????, the name of a hymn in honour of Ceres, others say it comes from the Latin jubilum, signifying a time of rejoicing, or from its being a festival in honour of Julius CÆsar; whilst some also explain its meaning as synonymous with ol or oel, which in the ancient Gothic language denotes a feast, and also the favourite liquor used on such occasions whence our word ale. A much more probable derivation, however, of the term in question is from the Gothic giul or hiul, the origin of the modern word wheel, and bearing the same significance. According to this very probable explanation, the yule festival received its name from its being the turning-point of the year, or the period at which the fiery orb of day made a revolution in his annual circuit and entered on his northern journey. A confirmation of this view is afforded by the circumstance that, in the old clog almanacs, a wheel is the device employed for marking the season of yule-tide.

The season of the Nativity is now no longer marked by that hospitality which characterized its observance among our forefathers. At present Christmas meetings are chiefly confined to family parties. The wassail-bowl, the yule-clog, and the lord of misrule, with a long train of sports and customs which formerly prevailed at this season are forgotten, even Christmas carols are nearly gone by; and the decking of churches, and occasionally of houses, with holly and other evergreens, forms now almost the only indication that this great festival is at hand.—Knight’s English CyclopÆdia, 1859, vol. ii. p. 882.

Christmas, says PÈre Cyprian (quoted by Agnes Strickland, Lives of the Queens of England, 1865, vol. iv. pp. 320, 321), was always observed in this country, especially at the King’s palaces, with greater ceremony than in any other realm in Europe. Among other ancient ceremonies, he tells us how a branch of the Glastonbury thorn used to be brought up in procession, and presented in great pomp to the King and Queen of England on Christmas morning.

Under the Commonwealth.

—In the Diary of John Evelyn (1859, vol. i. p. 297), under the date of the 25th of December, occurs the following:—

“Christmas Day. No sermon anywhere, no church being permitted to be open, so observed it at home.”

Again, under the same date in 1654 (p. 341), the statement is renewed:

“Christmas Day. No churches or public assembly. I was fain to pass the devotions of that Blessed Day with my family at home.”

Alluding to the observance of Christmas Day in 1657, the same writer says:—

“I went to London with my wife to celebrate Christmas Day, Mr. Gunning preaching in Exeter Chapel, on Micah, vii. 2. Sermon ended; as he was giving us the Holy Sacrament the chapel was surrounded with soldiers, and all the communicants and assembly surprised and kept prisoners by them, some in the house, others carried away. It fell to my share to be confined to a room in the house, where yet I was permitted to dine with the master of it, the Countess of Dorset, Lady Hatton, and some others of quality who invited me. In the afternoon came Colonel Whalley, Goffe, and others from Whitehall to examine us one by one; some they committed to the Marshal, some to prison. When I came before them they took my name and abode, examined me why, contrary to the ordinance made that none should any longer observe the superstitious time of the Nativity (as esteemed by them), I durst offend, and particularly be at Common Prayers, which they told me was but the mass in English, and particularly pray for Charles Stuart, for which we had no Scripture. I told them we did not pray for Charles Stuart, but for all Christian kings, princes, and governors. They replied, in so doing we prayed for the king of Spain too, who was their enemy and a Papist; with other frivolous and ensnaring questions and much threatening, and, finding no colour to detain me, they dismissed me with much pity of my ignorance. These were men of high flight and above ordinances, and spake spiteful things of our Lord’s Nativity. As we went up to receive the sacrament the miscreants held their muskets against us, as if they would have shot us at the altar, but yet suffering us to finish the office of communion, as perhaps not having instructions what to do in case they found us in that action; so I got home late the next day, blessed be God!”

In a tract entitled Round about our Coal-Fire, is the following account of the manner in which Christmas was observed in days gone by:—An English gentleman at the opening of the great day, i.e., on Christmas Day in the morning, had all his tenants and neighbours enter his hall by daybreak. The strong beer was broached, and the black-jacks went plentifully about with toast, sugar, nutmeg, and good Cheshire cheese. The hackin (the great sausage) must be boiled by daybreak, or else two young men must take the maiden (i.e., the cook) by the arms, and run her round the market-place till she is ashamed of her laziness. In Christmas holidays, the tables were all spread from the first to the last; the sirloins of beef, the minced pies, the plum-porridge, the capons, turkeys, geese, and plum-puddings, were all brought upon the board. Every one eat heartily, and was welcome, which gave rise to the proverb, “Merry in the hall when beards wag all.”—Brand, Pop. Antiq. 1849, vol. i. p. 531.

Boar’s Head.

—Aubrey, in a MS. dated 1678, says: “Before the last civil wars, in gentlemen’s houses at Christmas, the first diet that was brought to table was a boar’s head with a lemon in his mouth.”

Christmas Book.

—A book in which people were accustomed to keep an account of the Christmas presents they received.—Nares’ Glossary (Halliwell and Wright), 1857, vol. i. p. 11.

Bustard.

—The bustard, says Timbs (Something for Everybody, 1861, p. 148), has almost disappeared; but within memory it might be seen in the Christmas larders of large inns.

Christmas Candles.

—Those were candles of an uncommon size, and the name has descended to the small candles which children light up at this season. Hampson (Med. Ævi Kalend. vol. i. p. 109), alluding to the custom, says, in some places candles are made of a particular kind, because the candle that is lighted on Christmas Day must be so large as to burn from the time of its ignition to the close of the day, otherwise it will portend evil to the family for the ensuing year. The poor were wont to present the rich with wax tapers, and yule candles are still in the north of Scotland given by merchants to their customers. At one time children at the village schools in Lancashire were required to bring each a mould candle before the parting or separation for the Christmas holidays.

Christmas Carols.

—The Christmas carol (said to be derived from cantare to sing, and rola, an interjection of joy) is of very ancient date. Bishop Taylor observes that the ‘Gloria in Excelsis,’ the well-known hymn sung by the angels to the shepherds at our Lord’s Nativity, was the earliest Christmas carol. In the early ages of the Church bishops were accustomed to sing these sacred canticles among their clergy. The oldest printed collections in England are those of Wynkyn de Worde, 1521, and of Kele soon after. Warton, in his History of English Poetry, notices a licence granted in 1562 to John Tysdale for printing “Certayne goodly carowles to be songe to the glory of God;” and again, “Crestenmas carowles auctorisshed by my lord of London.” See N. & Q. 4th S. vol. x. p. 485. In the sixteenth century the popularity of carol-singing occasioned the publication of a duodecimo volume, published in 1642, entitled, “Psalmes or Songs of Sion, turned into the language, and set to the tunes of a strange land. By W(illiam) S(layter), intended for Christmas carols, and fitted to divers of the most noted and common but solemne tunes, everywhere in this land familiarly used and knowne.”—See AthenÆum, December 20th, 1856; Sandy’s Christmas Carols, 1833.

Decorations.

—Tradition, says Phillips in his Sylva Florifera (1823, vol. i. p. 281), asserts that the first Christian church in Britain was built of boughs, and that this plan was adopted as more likely to attract the notice of the people because the heathens built their temples in that manner, probably to imitate the temples of Saturn which were always under the oak. The great feast of Saturn was held in December, and as the oaks of this country were then without leaves, the priests obliged the people to bring in boughs and sprigs of evergreens; and Christians, on the 20th of the same month, did likewise, from whence originated the present custom of placing holly and other evergreens in our churches and houses to show the arrival of the feast of Christmas. The name of holly is a corruption of the word holy, as Dr. Turner, our earliest writer on plants, calls it Holy and Holy tree. It has a great variety of names in Germany, amongst which is Christdorn; in Danish it is also called Christorn; and in Swedish Christtorn, amongst other appellations.

A correspondent of Book of Days, speaking of this custom (vol. ii., p. 753), says the decking of churches, houses, and shops with evergreens at Christmas springs from a period far anterior to the revelation of Christianity, and seems proximately to be derived from the custom prevalent during the Saturnalia of the inhabitants of Rome, ornamenting their temples and dwellings with green boughs.

The favourite plants for church decoration at Christmas are holly, bay, rosemary, and laurel. Ivy is rather objectionable, from its associations, having anciently been sacred to Bacchus. Cypress seems inappropriate from its funereal relations. One plant, in special, is excluded—the mistletoe. Ibid. p. 753.

Game Pies.

—These were formerly made at the season of Christmas. In the books of the Salters’ Company, London, is the following—

“Receipt. Fit to make a moost choyce paaste of gamys to be eten at ye Feste of Chrystmasse” (17th Richard II A.D. 1394). A pie so made by the company’s cook in 1836 was found excellent. It consisted of a pheasant, hare, and a capon; two partridges, two pigeons, and two rabbits; all boned and put into paste in the shape of a bird, with the livers and hearts, two mutton kidneys, forced meats, and egg-balls, seasoning, spice, catsup and pickled mushrooms, filled up with gravy made from the various bones.—See Timbs’ Something for Everybody, 1861, p. 148.

Mince Pies.

—These were popular under the name of “mutton pies” so early as 1596: Book of Days, vol. ii. p. 755. They were also known as Shred and Christmas pies. Thus, in Sheppard’s Epigrams (1651, p. 121), we find the following:—

“No matter for plomb-porridge or Shrid pies;” and Herrick, alluding to the custom of setting a watch upon the pies the night before Christmas, says:

Brand (Pop. Antiq. 1849, vol. i. p. 527), quoting from an old tract, printed about the time of Elizabeth, or James I., says they were also called Minched pies.

Selden, in his Table Talk, tells us that mince pies were baked in a coffin-shaped crust, intended to represent the cratch or manger wherein the infant Jesus was laid. This statement may be regarded, however, as improbable, as in old English cookery books the crust of a pie is generally called “the coffin.”

Minced pies, says Timbs (Something for Everybody, 1861, p. 149), were derived from the paste images and sweetmeats given to the Fathers of the Vatican at Rome on Christmas Eve. Eating minced pies at Christmas was formerly a test of orthodoxy against recusants.

Mistletoe.

—At what period mistletoe came to be recognised as a Christmas evergreen, is not by any means certain. We have Christmas carols in praise of holly and ivy of even earlier date than the fifteenth century, but allusion to mistletoe can scarcely be found for two centuries later, or before the time of Herrick. Coles, too, in his Knowledge of Plants, 1656, says of mistletoe, “it is carried many miles to set up in houses about Christmas-time, when it is adorned with a white glistening berry.” In the tract, Round about our Coal-Fire, published early in the last century, we are told the rooms were embowered with holly, ivy, cypress, bays, laurel, and mistletoe. Brand (Pop. Antiq., 1849, vol. i. p. 523) thinks that mistletoe was never put in churches among evergreens but by mistake or ignorance; for, says he, it was the heathenish, or profane plant, as having been of such distinction in the pagan rites of druidism, and it had its place therefore assigned it in kitchens, where it was hung in great state.—See Timbs’ Things Not Generally Known, 1856, pp. 159-160.

Lord of Misrule.

—His office was to preside over the festivities of Christmas, and his duties consisted in directing the various revels of the season. In some great families, and occasionally at Court, he was also called the Abbot of Misrule, corresponding with the French AbbÉ de Liesse, a word which implies merriment. Stow, in his Survey of London, alluding to this whimsical custom says:—“In the feast of Christmas there was in the king’s house, wheresoever he lodged, a Lord of Misrule, or master of merry disports, and the like, had ye in the house of every nobleman of honour, or good worship, were he spiritual or temporal. The Mayor of London, and either of the sheriffs, had their several lords of misrule, ever contending, without quarrel or offence, who should make the rarest pastime to delight the beholders, these lords beginning their rule at Allhallowed Eve, continued the same till the morrow after the Feast of the Purification, commonly called Candlemas Day, in which space there were fine and subtle disguisings, masks, and mummeries, with playing at cards for counters, nayles, and points, in every house, more for pastimes than for game.”

Leland (Collectanea de Rebus Anglicis, 1770, vol. iii., Append. p. 256), speaking of the year 4 Henry VII., 1489, says:—“This Christmas I saw no disguisings, and but right few playes; but there was an Abbot of Misrule that made much sport, and did right well his office.” It appears that large sums of money were expended by this king upon these masquerades and sports, as the following extracts from his “Privy Purse Expenses” will show:—

“Dec. 24 (1491). To Ringley, Lorde of Mysrewle, upon a preste, 5l.

“Oct. 24 (1492). To Ringley, Abbot of Mysreule, 5l.

“Jan. 2 (1494). For playing of the Mourice daunce, 2l.

“Jan. 15 (1494). To Walter Alwyn, in full payment for the disguising made at Christenmas, 14l. 3s. 4d.

“March 3 (1490). To Jacques Haulte, in full payment for the disguising at Christenmas, 32l. 18s. 6¹/₂d.

“Jan. 2 (1503). To the Abbot of Misrule, in rewarde, 61. 13s. 4d.

“Feb. 12 (1503). To Lewis Adams, that made disguysings, 10l.”

The Lord or Abbot of Misrule at Court, says Hampson, (Med. Ævi Kalend. vol. i. p. 117) was usually a writer of interludes and plays, and the office was not unfrequently held by a poet of some reputation. Such, for example, was George Ferrers, “in whose pastimes Edward the Sixth,” we are told by Warton, “had great delight.” There can be no doubt, however, that scandalous abuses often resulted from the exuberant licence assumed by the lord of misrule and his satellites, and consequently we find their proceedings denounced in no measured terms by Prynne, and other zealous puritans.—See Book of Days, vol. ii. p. 742.

Stubbes, a morose puritan in the days of Elizabeth, denominates the lord of misrule “a grand captaine of mischiefe,” and has preserved a minute description of all his wild doings in the country, of which the following is a summary. He says that the lord of misrule on being selected, takes twenty to sixty others, “lyke hymself,” to act as his guard, who are decorated with ribbands and scarfs and bells on their legs. Thus, all things set in order, they have their hobby-horses, their dragons, and other antiques, together with the gaudie pipers and thunderyng drummers, and strike up the devill’s dance withal. So they march to the church, invading it, even though service be performing, with such a confused noyse that no man can hear his own voice. Then they adjourn to the churchyard, where booths are set up, and the rest of the day spent in dancing and drinking. The followers of “My Lord” go about to collect money for this, giving in return “badges and cognizances” to wear in the hat: and do not scruple to insult, or even duck, such as will not contribute. But, adds Stubbes, another sort of fantasticall fooles are well pleased to bring all sorts of food and drink to furnish out the feast.—See Disraeli, Curiosities of Literature, 1858, vol. ii. p. 262; and Strutt’s Sports and Pastimes of the People of England, p. 254.

Mummers.

—These were amusements derived from the Saturnalia, and so called from the Danish Mumme, or Dutch Momme, disguise in a mask. Christmas was the grand scene of mumming, and some mummers were disguised like bears, others like unicorns, bringing presents. Those who could not procure masks rubbed their faces with soot, or painted them. In the Christmas mummeries the chief aim was to surprise by the oddity of the masques and singularity and splendour of the dresses. Everything was out of nature and propriety. They were often attended with an exhibition of gorgeous machinery.—Fosbroke’s EncylopÆdia of Antiquities, 1840, p. 669; see Strutt’s Sports and Pastimes, 1801, pp. 124, 189, 190; also N. & Q. 2nd S. vol. x. pp. 464, 465, vol. xi. p. 271, vol. xii. p. 407; 3rd S. vol. i. p. 66, vol. iv. p. 486.

Pantomime.

—The Christmas pantomime or harlequinade is, in its present shape, essentially a British entertainment, and was first introduced into this country by a dancing master of Shrewsbury named Weaver in 1702. One of his pantomimes, entitled The Loves of Mars and Venus, met with great success. The arrival, in the year 1717, in London of a troupe of French pantomimists with performing dogs, gave an impetus to this kind of drama, which was further developed in 1758 by the arrival of the Grimaldi family, the head of which was a posture-master and dentist. Under the auspices of this family the art of producing pantomimes was greatly cultivated, and the entertainment much relished. Joseph Grimaldi, the son of the dentist, was clever at inventing tricks and devising machinery, and Mother Goose, and others of his harlequinades, had an extended run. At that time the wit of the clown was the great feature, but, by-and-by, as good clowns became scarce, other adjuncts were supplied, such as panoramas or dioramic views; and now the chief reliance of the manager is on scenic effects, large sums of money being lavished on the mise en scÈne. This is particularly the case as regards the transformation scene—i.e., the scene where the characters are changed into clown, harlequin, &c., as much as 1000l. being frequently spent on this one effort. In London alone a sum of 40,000l. is annually expended at Christmas time on pantomimes. The King of the Peacocks, a pantomime produced at the London Lyceum Theatre during the management of Madame Vestris, cost upwards of £3000. Even provincial theatres, such as those of Manchester or Edinburgh, consider it right to go to considerable expense in the production of their Christmas pantomime.—Chambers’ EncyclopÆdia, 1874, vol. vii. p. 237; see Disraeli’s Curiosities of Literature, 1858, pp. 116-130; N. & Q. 4th S. vol. v. pp. 193-95.

Plum-Porridge.

—This, says Misson, was a “sort of soup with plumbs, which is not at all inferior to the pye.” Dr. Rimbault says, was not this the same as plum-pudding? Pudding was formerly used in the sense of stuffing or force-meat, as we now say black-puddings. Porridge, on the other hand, was used in the sense of our pudding. Thus Shakspeare talks of “porridge after meat,” meaning pudding after meat.—N. & Q. 2nd S. vol. xii. p. 489.

Snapdragon.

—A very favourite pastime at this season. Although so prevalent in England, it is almost unknown in Scotland.—See Book of Days, vol. ii. p. 738.

A writer in the Pantalogia (1813, vol. x.) thus describes this sport:—It is a kind of play, in which brandy is set on fire, and raisins thrown into it, which those who are unused to the sport are afraid to take out, but which may be safely snatched by a quick motion and put blazing into the mouth, which being closed, the fire is at once extinguished. A correspondent of N. & Q. (2nd S. vol. vii. p. 277) suggests as a derivation the German schnapps, spirit, and drache, dragon, and that it is equivalent to spirit-fire. The game has also been called flap- and slap-dragon at different times. Shakspeare, for example, in the second part of Henry IV. act ii. sc. 4, makes Falstaff answer:

And in Love’s Labours Lost, act v. sc. 1:

See also the Tatler, No. 85.

Christmas Sports.

—Among the various games and sports of an olden Christmas, says Dr. Rimbault, were card-playing, chess, and draughts, jack-pudding in the hall; fiddlers and musicians, who were regaled with a black-jack of beer and a Christmas pie; also singing the wassail, scrambling for nuts, cakes, and apples; dancing round standards decorated with evergreens in the streets; the famous old hobby-horse, hunting owls and squirrels, the fool plough, hot cockles, and the game of hoodman-blind.—N. & Q. 2nd S. vol. xii. p. 489.

Christmas Tree.

—Various suggestions have been made as to the origin of the Christmas tree. Mr. Timbs, in his Something for Everybody (1861, p. 127), suggests its being traceable to the ancient Egyptians and their palm-tree, which produces a branch every month, and therefore held to be emblematical of the year. The Germans may be said to claim it as peculiar to themselves, as being indicative of their attachment to Christianity; they identify it with the apostolic labours of St. Maternus, one of the earliest, if not the very first, of the preachers of the Gospel among them. They have a legend of his sleeping under a fir-tree, and of a miracle that occurred on that occasion. Mr. MacCabe (N. & Q. 3rd S. vol. viii. p. 489), however, thinks the Christmas tree is traceable to the Roman Saturnalia, and was not improbably first imported into Germany with the conquering legions of Drusus. The Christmas tree, such as we now see it, with its pendent toys and mannikins, is distinctly portrayed in a single line of Virgil (Georg. ii. 389):

Consult Smith’s Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1849, 2nd ed. p. 846, in verb. “oscillum”), where there is given an engraving “from an ancient gem (Maffei, Gem. Ant. iii. 64) representing a tree with four oscilla hung upon its branches.” Any one looking into that valuable work will see at once that it is an exact picture of a Christmas tree.

A correspondent of Book of Days (vol. ii. p. 787) says, within the last twenty years, and apparently since the marriage of Queen Victoria with Prince Albert, previous to which time it was almost unknown in this country, the Christmas tree has been introduced into England with the greatest success.

The Vessel-Cup.

—There is a very pretty custom, now nearly obsolete, of bearing the “vessel,” or, more properly the wassail-cup, at Christmas. This consists of a box containing two dolls, dressed up to represent the Virgin and the Infant Christ, decorated with ribbons and surrounded by flowers and apples; the box has usually a glass lid, is covered over by a white napkin, and carried from door to door on the arms of a woman; on the top, or in the box, a china bason is placed, and the bearer on reaching a house, uncovered the box and sung the carol known as the “Seven Joys of the Virgin.”

The carrying of the “vessel-cup” is a fortuitous speculation, as it is considered so unlucky to send any one away unrequited, that few can be found whose temerity is so great as to deter them from giving some halfpence to the singer.

In Yorkshire, formerly, only one image used to be carried about—that of the Saviour, which was placed in a box surrounded by evergreens, and such flowers as could be procured at the season. The party to whose house the figure was carried were at liberty to take from the decorations of the image a leaf or a flower, which was carefully preserved and regarded as a sovereign remedy for the toothache.—Jour. of Arch. Assoc. 1853, vol. viii. p. 38; Book of Days, 1864, vol. ii. p. 725; Brand, Pop. Antiq. vol. i. p. 454.

Turkey.

—The turkey has graced the Christmas table from the date of its introduction into England, about the year 1524. Tusser mentions the bird as forming part of the Christmas fare in 1587:

Waits.

—Musicians who play by night for two or three weeks before Christmas, terminating their performances generally on Christmas Eve. It is uncertain, says a correspondent of Book of Days (vol ii. p. 742), whether the term Waits denoted originally musical instruments, a particular kind of music, or the persons who played under certain special circumstances. There is evidence in support of all these views. At one time the name of waits was given to minstrels attached to the king’s court, whose duty it was to guard the streets at night and proclaim the hour, something in the same manner as the watchmen were wont to do in London before the establishment of the metropolitan police. Down to the year 1820, perhaps later, says the same writer (p. 743), the waits had a certain degree of official recognition in the cities of London and Westminster. In London, the post was purchased; in Westminster, it was an appointment under the control of the high constable and the court of burgesses. A police inquiry about Christmas time in that year brought the matter in a singular way under public notice. Mr. Clay had been the official leader of the waits for Westminster, and, on his death, Mr. Monro obtained the post. Having employed a number of persons in different parts of the city and liberties of Westminster to serenade the inhabitants, trusting to their liberality at Christmas as a remuneration, he was surprised to find that other persons were, unauthorized, assuming the right of playing at night, and making applications to the inhabitants for Christmas boxes. Sir R. Baker, the police magistrate, promised to aid Mr. Munro in the assertion of his claims, and the result, in several cases, showed that there really was this “vested right” to charm the ears of the citizens with nocturnal music. At present, however, there is nothing to prevent any number of such itinerant minstrels from plying their midnight calling. See two interesting articles on the subject by Mr. Chappell in N. & Q. 3rd S. vol. vi. pp. 489, 509.

Yule-clog or Yule-log.

—This was generally lighted on Christmas Eve, and was, says Soane, as large as the hearth would admit of, or the means of the rejoicers could supply; and, in some of the northern counties of England, so long as the log lasted, the servants were entitled to ale at their meals. At one time custom prescribed that it should be lighted with a brand of the last year’s block, which had been carefully put by and preserved for that purpose, as we find it recorded by Herrick:

It is also requisite that the maidens who blow a fire, should come to the task with clean hands:

Berkshire.

At Cumnor the parishioners, who paid vicarial tithes, claimed a custom of being entertained at the vicarage, on the afternoon of Christmas Day, with four bushels of malt brewed into ale and beer, two bushels of wheat made into bread, and half a hundred weight of cheese. The remainder was given to the poor the next morning after divine service.—Lysons’ Magna Britannia, 1813, vol. i. pt. ii. p. 271.

Buckinghamshire.

By the will of John Popple, dated the 12th of March, 1830, 4l. yearly is to be paid unto the vicar, churchwardens, and overseers of the poor of the parish of Burnham, to provide for the poor people who should be residing in the poorhouse, a dinner, with a proper quantity of good ale and likewise with tobacco and snuff.—Old English Customs and Charities, 1842, p. 4.

Up to about 1813, a bull and boar, a sack of wheat, and a sack of malt were given away to the poor by the lord of the manor of Prince’s Risborough about six o’clock every Christmas morning. This practice was then discontinued, and for about five or six years after the discontinuance, beef and mutton were distributed to the poor about Christmas in lieu of the above articles.—Ibid. p. 66.

The following extract is taken from the Gent. Mag. (1753, vol. xxiii. p. 49):—At Quainton, above two thousand people went, with lanterns and candles, to view a blackthorn in that neighbourhood, and which was remembered to be a slip from the famous Glastonbury thorn, and that it always budded on the 24th, was full blown the next day, and went all off at night. The people finding no appearance of a bud, it was agreed by all that December 25th (New Style) could not be the right Christmas Day, and accordingly refused going to church, and treating their friends on that day as usual. At length the affair became so serious, that the ministers of the neighbouring villages, in order to appease them, thought it prudent to give notice that the Old Christmas Day should be kept holy as before.

This famous hawthorn was supposed to be sprung from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea, who having fixed it in the ground with his own hand on Christmas Day, it took root immediately, put forth leaves, and the next day was covered with milk-white blossoms.[92]—See Hearne’s History and Antiquities of Glastonbury, 1722.

Cambridgeshire.

At Clare Hall, in Cambridge, a collar of brawn is always provided for the Fellows’ table on Christmas Day, which comes up every day during the twelve days and then makes another and last appearance on Candlemas Day. A sprig of ivy with berries is stuck in the centre of the top; the berries are first dipped in flour, probably to represent the hoar frost.—Time’s Telescope, 1863, p. 338.

Cornwall.

Hitchins, in his History of Cornwall (1824, vol. i. p. 718), gives the following account of the Christmas plays, which at one time were performed in this county at Christmas. He says, the lads who engage in these theatrical representations appear fantastically dressed, decorated with ribbons and painted paper, with wooden swords, and all the equipage necessary to support the several characters they assume. To entertain their auditors, they learn to repeat a barbarous jargon, in the form of a drama, which has been handed down from distant generations. War and love are the general topics, and St. George and the Dragon are always the most prominent characters. Interludes, expostulations, debate, battle, and death, are sure to find a place among the mimicry; but a physician who is always at hand immediately restores the dead to life. It is generally understood that these Christmas plays derived their origin from the ancient crusades, and hence the feats of chivalry and the romantic extravagance of knight-errantry that are still preserved in all the varied pretensions and exploits.—See Every Day Book, 1827, vol. ii. p. 122.

It was customary at one time in Cornwall on the last Thursday that was one clear week before Christmas Day, which was anciently called jeu-nhydn, or White Thursday, for the tinners to claim a holiday, because, according to tradition, on this day black tin or ore was first melted or turned into white tin or metal in these parts.—Hitchins, History of Cornwall, 1824, vol. i. p. 725.

Cumberland.

In this county, and in all the great towns in the North of England, about a week before Christmas, what are called Honey-Fairs are held, in which dancing forms the leading amusement.—Time’s Telescope, 1824, p. 297.

Derbyshire.

Christmas festivities are well observed in Derbyshire; mummers or guisers go from house to house, and perform a play of St. George. They are dressed up in character and decorated with ribbands, tinsel, and other finery, and on being admitted into the house commence their performance by St. George announcing himself by beginning his oration:

A champion is soon found in the person of Slasher, who accepts the challenge. St. George then replies in a neat speech, when they sing, shake hands, and fight with their wooden swords, and Slasher is slain. The King then enters, saying:—“I am the King of England, the greatest man alive,” and after walking round the dead body, calls for, “Sir Guy, one of the chiefest men in the world’s wonder,” who shows his wonderful courage and prowess in calling for a doctor. The doctor, on making his appearance, gives a long and quaint account of his birth, parentage, education, and travels, whilst perambulating around the fallen Slasher, and ends his oration by saying:

The dead man is thus cured, and having received the advice of, “Rise, Jack, and fight again, the play is ended.”—Jour. of the Arch. Assoc. 1852, vol. vii. p. 206.

Dorsetshire.

It appears that in some parts of this county the mummers still go round at Christmas-tide, performing a species of play.—See N. & Q. 5th S. vol. ii. p. 505.

Essex.

On Christmas day at Hornchurch the lessee of the tithes, which belong to New College, Oxford, supplies, says Hone, (Every Day Book, 1827, vol. ii. p. 1649), a boar’s head dressed and garnished with bayleaves, &c. In the afternoon it is carried in procession into the mill-field adjoining the churchyard, where it is wrestled for and afterwards feasted upon at one of the public-houses by the rustic conqueror and his friends with all the merriment peculiar to the season.

The following appeared in the Daily News of January 5th, 1852:—By ancient charter or usage in Hornchurch a boar’s head is wrestled for in a field adjoining the church, a boar, the property of the parish, having been slaughtered for the purpose. The boar’s head, elevated on a pole and decorated with ribbons, was brought into the ring where the competitors entered, and the prize was awarded.—See Morant, History of Essex, 1768, vol. i. p. 74.

Gloucestershire.

It was formerly the custom of the city of Gloucester to present to the Sovereign at Christmas a lamprey-pie with a raised crust. The custom is of great antiquity, and as Henry I., of lamprey-loving celebrity, frequently held his Court during Christmas at Gloucester, it may have originated in his time. In 1530 the Prior of Lanthony at Gloucester sent “cheese, carp, and baked lampreys” to Henry VIII. at Windsor, for which the bearer received twenty shillings.—Tighe and Davis, Annals of Windsor, p. 562.

During the Commonwealth it appears from the following entry in the corporation minutes that the pie was sent to the members for the city:—

“Item.—Paid to Thomas Suffield, cook, for lamprey-pies sent to our Parliament men, £08 00s. 00d.”

In 1752 it appears to have been the custom to present a lamprey-pie to the Prince of Wales, as appears by Mr. Jesse’s book, George Selwyn and his Contemporaries (vol. i. p. 153), where is printed the following letter from Mr. Alderman Harris to George Selwyn, then M.P. for Gloucester:—

Herefordshire.

In this county, and also in Worcestershire, it is considered very unlucky for new shoes or tanned leather to be received into the house during the Christmas week or on New Year’s Day.—See N. & Q. 5th S. vol. iii. p. 7.

Kent.

At one time the festivities of Christmas were commenced at Ramsgate by a curious musical procession. The following account is taken from Busby’s Concert Room and Orchestra Anecdotes (1825, vol. i. p. 73):—

A party of young people procure the head of a dead horse, which is affixed to a pole about four feet in length, a string is tied to the lower jaw, a horsecloth is then attached to the whole, under which one of the party gets, and by frequently pulling the string keeps up a loud snapping noise, and is accompanied by the rest of the party grotesquely habited and ringing hand-bells. They thus proceed from house to house, sounding their bells and singing carols and songs. They are commonly gratified with beer and cake, or perhaps with money. This is provincially called a hodening; and the figure above described a “hoden,” or wooden horse.

This curious ceremony is also observed in the Isle of Thanet on Christmas Eve, and is supposed to be an ancient relic of a festival ordained to commemorate our Saxon ancestors’ landing in that island.

Lancashire.

The following description of primitive manners in the houses of the gentry at Christmas is extracted by Baines (Hist. of Lancashire, vol. iii. p. 294) from a family manuscript of the Cunliffes, of Wycoller, in Lancashire, and refers to an age antecedent to the wars of the Parliament:—“At Wycoller-Hall the family usually kept open house the twelve days at Christmas. Their entertainment was a large hall of curious ashler wood, a long table, plenty of furmerty, like new milk, in a morning, made of husked wheat boiled, roasted beef with fat goose and a pudding, with plenty of good beer for dinner. A roundabout fire-place, surrounded with stone benches, where the young folks sat and cracked nuts, and diverted themselves; and in this manner the sons and daughters got matching without going much from home.”—See Med. Ævi Kalend. vol. i. p. 91.

Isle of Man.

Train, in his History of the Isle of Man (1845, vol. ii. p. 127), says:—The Christmas festival is introduced by young persons perambulating the various towns and villages in the evenings, fantastically dressed, and armed with swords, calling as they proceed, “Who wants to see the White Boys act?” When their services are engaged they, like the Scotch guisards or Quhite boys of Yule, perform a rude drama, in which St. George, Prince Valentine, King of Egypt, Sambo, and the Doctor are the dramatis personÆ.

It was customary in the Isle of Man for every family that could afford it to have a brewing called Jough-ny-nollick, i.e., Christmas drink, prepared for the festivities of the season. On such occasions one brewing-kettle generally served a whole neighbourhood, which gave rise to the monk’s proverb, “To go about like a brewing-pan.”—Ibid. p. 127.

Middlesex.

Malcolm, in his Anecdotes of the Manners and Customs of London (1811, p. 259), speaking of Christmas Day, says:—“It was a day of grand difference in the judgment of some, and in the City of London some opened their shops, but to stop mutinying they were shut up again; yet do very few understand what the difference is that is now embraced in the judgments of those who desire the reformation from Popish innovation, but to give such further satisfaction herein, it is the opinion of these that it is a day wherein it is very fit for the people of God to congregate in the church to hear the Word of God preached, but not a holiday or such a day as is of absolute necessity to be kept holy; it is a day wherein it is no sin for a man to follow his calling, and he must not by a Popish innovation adore the day.”

Inns of Court.—There were anciently great doings in the halls of the Inns of Court at Christmas. At the Inner Temple early in the morning the gentlemen of the Inn went to church, and after the service they repaired into the hall to breakfast with brawn, mustard, and malmsey. At the first course at dinner was “served in, a fair and large Bore’s head upon a silver platter, with minstralsye.”—Dugdale’s Orig. Jurid.

A correspondent of N. & Q. (5th S. vol. ii. p. 507), alluding to the time-honoured custom of the Boar’s Head Feast at St. John’s Gate, Clerkenwell, says the boar’s head is still served up at Queen’s College, Oxford (see p. 477), but I do not think it can be more enjoyable than the Christmas custom used to be at Clerkenwell, with the hall strewn with rushes, the gigantic yule-log drawn in by the sons of the host (the late proprietor), with the accompanying announcement, by bugles, and the bringing in of the boar’s head, the “cook dressed all in white,” singing the good old carol (printed by Wynkyn, de Worde, 1521), copies of which being in the hands of the guests, who joined in the chorus, rendering the whole scene so pleasant as never to be forgotten. The loving cup was never omitted, and of course wassail was duly brought in, “y^e Lorde of Mysrewle doing his duty ‘passing well.’” The following is an exact copy of the carol:

Subjoined is a copy of the invitation the late host and his predecessor used to issue, which is a curious production:

[Here is an illustration of the north side of the Gate.]

“Samuel Wickens, ye Grande Mayester of ye Priorye of Sainte John, Greetinge welle hys ryght trustye and welle beloved friends, dothe herebye summon them to hys councill to be holden in y^e Greate Halle of y^e Priorye, aforesaide, on y^e ninthe daye of Ianuarie, anno Domini, one thousande eighte hundrede and seventie-three, to adjudycate on y^e qualitie of hys viandes: that is to saye, roaste beefe and plumbe puddynge, and with a cordialle greetinge in y^e wassaile boule and y^e lovynge cuppe, perpetuate to alle tyme and to tyme oute of mynde a ryghte goodlye and lastynge fellowshipe. Ye Boare’s heade will be broughte into ye halle, and y^e chante will be sange, at sixe of the clocke, at which tyme y^e Feast will begine.”

Norfolk.

At Yarmouth before the Reformation it was a custom for the prior and monks, and afterwards for the dean and chapter, or the farmer of their parsonage, to provide a breakfast for the inhabitants of the town every year on Christmas Day, which custom continued till the 21st of Elizabeth, when, on account of a grievous plague which carried off two thousand of the inhabitants in one year, and on consideration of the ruinous condition of the parsonage-house, it was agreed that Thomas Osborne, who was then farmer of the parsonage, should pay 5l. a year to the churchwardens for the use of the town in lieu of the said breakfast. After the plague had ceased, the breakfast was resumed and continued as usual, till the reign of James I., when William Gostlynge, then farmer, absolutely refused to provide it or to pay an equivalent composition, upon which the town preferred a complaint to the dean and chapter, who promised not to countenance him in such a non-conformity to the terms of the lease by which he held of them. Finally, Mr. Gostlynge was obliged to sign an agreement, whereby he engaged to pay yearly to the town in lieu of the breakfast, 10l., which was distributed to poor fishermen, &c., and 5l. for his default, in before refusing to provide the breakfast. This continued till the making of a new agreement, between the corporation and Mr. Gostlynge, of a grant of nomination and appointment of preachers and ministers in the town, since which it seems that both breakfast and composition shared the fate of all human institutions and sank into oblivion.—Parkin, History of Great Yarmouth, 1776, p. 330.

Northamptonshire.

Cole, in his History of Weston Favell (1827, p. 60), says Christmas Day is ushered in by the ringing of the bells of the church, precisely at twelve o’clock, called the midnight peal, till which time many of the inhabitants sit round the jovial fire, whence at twelve o’clock they emerge into the midnight air to listen to the peals of the bells of the neighbouring churches.

Northumberland.

In Alnwick a custom existed of giving sweetmeats to children at Christmas time, called Yule Babies, in commemoration of our Saviour’s nativity.—History of Alnwick, 1822, p. 262.

Nottinghamshire.

The inhabitants of North Clifton were formerly ferry free. In consequence, the ferryman and his dog were indulged with a dinner each at the vicar’s at Christmas. The ferryman also on that day received of the inhabitants a prime loaf of bread.—N. & Q. 5th S. vol. ii. p. 509.

Near Raleigh there is a valley said to have been caused by an earthquake several hundred years ago, which swallowed up a whole village, together with the church. Formerly, it was the custom of the people to assemble in this valley every Christmas Day morning to listen to the ringing of the bells of the church beneath them. This, it was positively stated, might be heard by placing the ear to the ground and hearkening attentively. As late as 1827 it was usual on this morning for old men and women to tell their children and young friends to go to the valley, stoop down, and hear the bells ring merrily. The villagers heard the ringing of the bells of a neighbouring church, the sound of which was communicated by the surface of the ground. A similar belief exists, or did a short time ago, at Preston, in Lancashire.—Ibid. p. 509.

Oxfordshire.

In the buttery of St. John’s College, Oxford, an ancient candle socket of stone still remains, ornamented with the figure of the Holy Lamb. It was formerly used to burn the Christmas candle in, on the high table at supper during the twelve nights of this festival.—Brand, Pop. Antiq. 1849, vol. i. p. 467.

It was formerly a custom for the butcher of Merton College, about Christmas time, to invite the scholars to a treat at his house, when he used to provide a bull for the steward to knock down with his own hands, whence this treat was called The Kill-Bull.—Pointer, Oxoniensis Academia, 1749, p. 23.

The following account of the ancient custom of bringing in a boar’s head at Queen’s College, Oxford, is taken from a MS., in the Bodleian Library, quoted in the Antiquary (1873, vol. iii. p. 47):—

There is a custom at Queen’s College to serve up every year a boar’s head, provided by the manciple against Christmas Day. This boar’s head being boyl’d or roasted, is laid in a great charger, covered with a garland of bays or laurell as broad at bottom as the brims of the chargers. When the first course is served up in the refectory on Christmas Day, in the said college, the manciple brings the said boar’s head from the kitchen up to the high table, accompanied with one of the tabarders (i.e., the scholars), who lays his hand on the charger. The tabarder sings a song, and when he comes to the chorus all the scholars that are in the refectory joyn together and sing it:

According to Mr. Wade (Walks in Oxford, 1817, vol. i. p. 128) the usage is in commemoration of an act of valour performed by a student of the college, who, while walking in the neighbouring forest of Shotover, and reading Aristotle, was suddenly attacked by a wild boar. The furious beast came open-mouthed upon the youth, who, however, very courageously, and with a happy presence of mind, rammed in the volume, and crying GrÆcum est, fairly choked the savage.

In an audit-book of Trinity College for the year 1559, Warton found a disbursement “pro prandio Principis natalicii.” A Christmas prince, or Lord of Misrule, he adds, corresponding to the Imperator at Cambridge, was a common temporary magistrate in the colleges of Oxford.—See Brand’s Pop. Antiq. 1849, vol. i. p. 498; The Antiquary, 1873, vol. iii. p. 53; Wood, in his AthenÆ Oxonienses, alludes to the Christmas prince at St. John’s and Merton Colleges.

Mummings at Christmas are common in Oxfordshire. At Islip some of the mummers wear masks, others, who cannot get masks, black their faces and dress themselves up with haybands tied round their arms and bodies. The smaller boys black their faces, and go about singing—

Dr. Lee, in N. & Q. (5th S. vol. ii. pp. 503-505), has given a curious old miracle play, the text of which he says was taken down by himself from the lips of one of the performers in 1853.

Aubrey informs us that in several parts of Oxfordshire it was the custom for the maidservant to ask the man for ivy to decorate the house, and if he refused or neglected to fetch in a supply the maids stole a pair of his breeches, and nailed them up to the gate in the yard or highway. A similar usage prevailed in other places, when the refusal to comply with such a request incurred the penalty of being debarred from the well-known privilege of the mistletoe.—See Book of Days, vol. ii. p. 753.

Scilly Isles.

Troutbeck, in his State of the Scilly Isles (1796, p. 172), gives the following account of how Christmas was celebrated in his time. The young people, he says, exercise a sort of gallantry among themselves, which they call goose-dancing, when the maidens are dressed up for young men and the young men for maidens. In the day time they dance about the streets in masquerade, vieing with each other who can appear the most uncouth. In the evenings they visit their neighbours in companies, where they dance and make their jokes upon what has happened in the islands. By this sort of sport according to yearly custom and toleration, there is a spirit of wit and drollery kept up among the people. The maidens, who are sometimes dressed up for sea captains and other officers, display their alluring graces to the ladies, who are young men equipped for that purpose; and the ladies exert their talents to them in courtly addresses, their hangers are sometimes drawn, &c., after which, and other pieces of drollery, the scene shifts to music and dancing, which being over they are treated with liquor and then go to the next house of entertainment.

They have a custom also of singing carols at church on Christmas Day, to which the congregation make contributions by dropping money into a hat carried about the church when the performance is over.—Heath’s Account of the Scilly Isles, p. 125.

Somersetshire.

At West Hatch the reeve or bailiff to the manor provided at the lord’s expense a feast on Christmas Day, and distributed to each householder a loaf of bread, a pound and a half of beef, and the like quantity of pork, undressed, and the same evening treated them with a supper.—Collinson, History of County of Somerset, 1791, vol. ii. p. 186.

The following lines are sung at the Christmas mummings in this county:

Staffordshire.

In Shaw’s History of Staffordshire (1798-1801) is mentioned a custom formerly prevalent in the parish of Great Barr, for the rector on every Christmas Day to give to each person, great and small, of his parish that came to his house, so much bread, beef, mustard, and vinegar as they could eat. Latterly, however, money was given instead.

Plot, in his Natural History of Staffordshire (1686, p. 434), gives the following account of a jocular custom celebrated in olden times at Bromley Abbots. He says:—Within memory, at Abbots or Pagets Bromley, they had a sort of sport which they celebrated at Christmas (on New Year and Twelfth Day) called the Hobby-horse Dance from a person who carried the image of a horse between his legs, made of thin boards, and in his hands a bow and arrow which, passing through a hole in the bow and stopping upon a shoulder it had in it, he made a snapping noise as he drew it to and fro, keeping time with the musick; with this man danced six others, carrying on their shoulders as many reindeer heads, three of them painted white, with three red, with the arms of the chief families (viz., of Paget, Bagot, and Wells), to whom the revenues of the town chiefly belonged, depicted on the palms of them, with which they danced the hays and other country dances. To this hobby-horse dance there also belonged a pot, which was kept by turns by four or five of the chief of the town, whom they called reeves, who provided cake and ale to put into this pot; all people who had any kindness for the good intent of the institution of the sport, giving pence a piece for themselves and their families, and so foreigners too that came to see it, with which money (the charge of the cakes and ale being defrayed) they not only repaired their church, but kept the poor too, which charges are not now perhaps so cheerfully borne.

There is an ancient payment made by the chamberlain of the corporation of Stafford, of an annual sum of money, generally six shillings, at Christmas, for the purchasing of plums, to be distributed among the inhabitants of certain old houses in the liberty of Forebridge.

The origin of this payment is ascribed by general reputation to the bounty of some individual who heard from some poor children a complaint on Christmas Day that they had no plums for a pudding; and it is reported that he counted the houses then in the place, and made provision for the supply of a pound of plums for each house. The money received is laid out in plums, which are divided into equal quantities, and made up into parcels, one for each of the houses, fifteen or sixteen in number, entitled by the established usage to receive a portion, without reference to the circumstances of the inhabitants.—Old English Customs and Charities, p. 5.

Suffolk.

Brand (Pop. Antiq. 1849, vol. i. p. 489) alludes to a custom practised in the neighbourhood of Bury St. Edmunds among the young men, of hunting owls and squirrels on Christmas Day.

In 1358, at Hawstead, the customary tenants paid their lord at Christmas a small rent, called offering silver. Eleven of them paid in all xviij^d. In 1386 the Christmas offerings made by the master for his domestics amounted to xiiij^d. for seven servants.—Cullum, History of Hawstead, 1813, pp. 13-14.

Westmoreland.

At Kendal, if a man be found at work in Christmas week his fellow-tradesmen lay violent hands on him, and carry him on a pole to the ale-house, where he is to treat them.—Southey’s Common Place Book, 1851, 4th series, p. 354.

Worcestershire.

At Bewdley it was the custom for the bellman to go round on Christmas morning, ringing his bell in several parts of the town, and singing the following doggerel, first saying, “Good morning, masters and mistresses all, I wish you all a merry Christmas”:

At Yardley such of the poor as are excluded from partaking of certain doles on account of receiving regular weekly relief, are allowed one shilling each out of a general charity fund at Christmas, under the name of plum-pudding money, to the extent of about 4l.—Edwards, Old English Customs and Charities, p. 23.

Yorkshire.

Blount tells us that, in Yorkshire and other northern parts, after sermon or service on Christmas Day, the people will, even in the churches, cry “Ule! Ule!” as a token of rejoicing; and the common sort run about the streets singing:

One never-failing remnant of the olden time observed in this county, says Soane (Curiosities of Literature), was the cheese, which had been especially made and preserved for the season. It was produced with much ceremony by every rustic dame, who, before she allowed it to be tasted, took a sharp knife and scored upon it rude resemblances to the cross. To this were added the mighty wassail bowl brimming with lamb’s-wool, and furmity made of barley-meal, which last was also an essential of the breakfast-table.

Between Christmas Day and the New Year it is customary in the North Riding of Yorkshire to give every visitor a slice of “pepper cake” (a spiced gingerbread cake) and cheese and a glass of gin.

In the North Riding of Yorkshire it is also the custom for the parishioners, after receiving the Sacrament on Christmas Day, to go from church directly to the ale-house, and there drink together as a testimony of charity and friendship.—Aubrey, MS. quoted in Time’s Telescope, 1826, p. 293.

At Filey, on Christmas morning before break of day, there existed formerly the greatest uproar, by numbers of boys going round from house to house, rapping at every door, and roaring out, “I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year,” which words were vociferated again and again till the family awoke and admitted the clamorous visitor; who, if he were the first,[94] was treated with money or cheese and gingerbread, which were also distributed, but less liberally, to subsequent visitors. No persons (boys excepted) ever presumed to go out of doors till the threshold had been consecrated by the entrance of a male. Females had no part in this matter, and if a damsel, lovely as an angel, entered first, her fair form was viewed with horror as an image of death.—Cole, Antiquities of Filey, 1828, p. 137.

At Huddersfield the children carry about a “wessel-bob,” or large bunch of evergreens hung with oranges and apples, and coloured ribbons, singing the following carol:

Some years ago it was the custom in Leeds, and the neighbourhood, for children to go from house to house singing and carrying what they called a “wesley-bob.” This they kept veiled in a cloth till they came to a house door, when they uncovered it.

The wesley-bob was made of holly and evergreens, like a bower, inside were placed a couple of dolls, adorned with ribbons, and the whole affair was borne upon a stick. Whilst the wesley-bob was being displayed, a song or ditty was sung.

At Aberford, near Leeds, two dolls are carried about in boxes in a similar way, and such an affair here is called a wesley-box.—N. & Q. 3rd S. vol. vi. p. 494.

At Ripon, on Christmas Day, says a correspondent of the Gent. Mag. (1790, vol. lx. p. 719), the singing boys come into the church with large baskets full of red apples, with a sprig of rosemary stuck in each, which they present to all the congregation, and generally have a return made them of 2d., 4d., or 6d., according to the quality of the lady or gentleman.

The sword or morisco dance used to be practised at Richmond, during the Christmas holidays, by young men dressed in shirts ornamented with ribbons folded into roses, having swords, or wood cut in the form of that weapon. They exhibited various feats of activity, attended by an old fiddler, by Bessy in the grotesque habit of an old woman, and by the fool almost covered with skins, a hairy cap on his head, and the tail of a fox hanging from his head. These led the festive throng, and diverted the crowd with their droll antic buffoonery. The office of one of these characters was to go about rattling a box, and soliciting money from door to door to defray the expenses of a feast and a dance in the evening.—History of Richmond, 1814, p. 296.

In Sheffield, a male must be the first to enter a house on the morning of both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day; but there is no distinction as to complexion or colour of hair. In the houses of the more opulent manufacturers, these first admissions are often accorded to choirs of work-people, who, as “waits,” proceed at an early hour and sing before the houses of their employers and friends Christmas carols and hymns, always commencing with that beautiful composition:

On expressing their good wishes to the inmates, they are generally rewarded with something warm and occasionally with a pecuniary present.

Among the class called “respectable,” but not manufacturers, a previous arrangement is often made; that a boy, the son of a friend, shall come and be first admitted, receiving for his good wishes a Christmas-box of sixpence or a shilling. The houses of the artisans and poor are successively besieged by a host of gamins, who, soon after midnight, spread themselves over the town, shouting at the doors, and through keyholes, as follows:

The same house will not admit a second boy. One is sufficient to protect it from any ill-luck that might otherwise happen. A penny is the usual gratuity for this service.—N. & Q. 3rd S. vol. v. p. 395.

WALES.

A custom prevails in Wales of carrying about at Christmas time a horse’s skull dressed up with ribbons, and supported on a pole by a man who is concealed under a large white cloth. There is a contrivance for opening and shutting the jaws, and the figure pursues and bites everybody it can lay hold of, and does not release them except on payment of a fine. It is generally accompanied by some men dressed up in a grotesque manner, who, on reaching a house, sing some extempore verses requesting admittance, and are in turn answered by those within, until one party or the other is at a loss for a reply. The Welsh are undoubtedly a practical people, and these verses often display a good deal of cleverness. This horse’s head is called Mari Lwyd, which I have heard translated “Grey mare.” Lwyd certainly is grey, but Mari is not a mare in Welsh.[95]—N. & Q. 1st S. vol. i. p. 173.

Upon Christmas Day, about three o’clock in the morning, the Welsh in many parts used to assemble in church, and after prayers and a sermon, continue there singing psalms and hymns with great devotion, till it was daylight; and if, through age or infirmity, any were disabled from attending, they never failed having prayers at home, and carols on our Saviour’s nativity. This act of devotion was called Pulgen, or the crowning of the cock. It was a general belief among the superstitious that instantly—

During Christmas time, the cock was supposed to exert his power throughout the night, from which no doubt originated the Welsh word “Pulgen” as applied to this custom.—Bingley’s Tour Round North Wales, 1800, vol. ii. p. 226.

At Tenby it was customary at 4 o’clock on Christmas morning for the young men of the town to escort the rector with lighted torches from his residence to church.—Mason’s Tales and Traditions of Tenby, 1858, p. 4.

Sometimes also before or after Christmas Day the fishermen of Tenby dressed up one of their number whom they called the “Lord Mayor of Pennyless Cone,” with a covering of evergreens and a mask over his face; they would then carry him about, seated on a chair, with flags flying, and a couple of violins playing before him. Before every house the “Lord Mayor” would address the occupants, wishing them a merry Christmas and a happy new year. If his good wishes were responded to with money his followers gave three cheers, the masquer would himself return thanks, and the crowd again cheered.—Ibid. p. 5.

SCOTLAND.

In some parts of Scotland, he who first opens the door on Yule Day expects to prosper more than any other member of the family during the future year because, as the vulgar express it, “He lets in yule.” On opening the door, it is customary with some to place in the doorway a table or chair covered with a clean cloth; and, according to their own language, to “set on it bread and cheese to yule.” Early in the morning, as soon as any one of the family gets out of bed, a new besom is set behind the outer door, the design being to “let in yule.” These superstitions, in which yule is not only personified, but treated as a deity, are evidently of heathen origin. It is common also to have a table covered in the house, from morning until evening, with bread and drink upon it, that every one who calls may take a portion, and it is considered particularly inauspicious if any one comes into a house and leaves it without doing so. Whatever number of persons call on this day, all must partake of the good cheer.—Med. Ævi Kalend. vol. i. p. 48; see Jamieson, Etymol. Dict., Art. Yule.

Any servant who is supposed to have a due regard to the interests of the family, and is not at the same time emancipated from the yoke of superstition, is careful to go early to the well on Christmas morning to draw water, pull the corn out of the sack, and also to bring kale from the kitchen garden. This is intended to insure prosperity to the family (Ibid. p. 99). It is in fact the same as the Usque Cashrichd, which was noticed among the superstitious customs of the first of January.—See p. 17.

The doings of the guisards (that is, masquers), says Chambers (Pop. Rhymes, 1870, p. 169), form a conspicuous feature in the New Year proceedings throughout Scotland. The evenings on which these personages are understood to be privileged to appear, are those of Christmas, Hogmanay, New Year’s Day, and Handsel Monday. Dressed up in quaint and fantastic attire, they sing a selection of songs which have been practised by them some weeks before. There were important doings, however, one of a theatrical character. There is one rude and grotesque drama (called Galatian) which they are accustomed to perform on each of the four above-mentioned nights, and which in various fragments or versions exists in every part of Lowland Scotland. The performers, who are never less than three, but sometimes as many as six, having dressed themselves, proceed in a band from house to house, generally contenting themselves with the kitchen for an arena, whither in mansions, presided over by the spirit of good humour, the whole family will resort to witness the scene of mirth.—See Chambers’ Pop. Rhymes, p. 170.

Angus-shire.

At Christmas and the New Year, the opulent burghers begin to feast with their friends, and go a round of visits, which takes up the space of many weeks. Upon such occasions the gravest is expected to be merry, and to join in a cheerful song.—Sinclair, Stat. Acc. of Scotland, 1793, vol. v. p. 48.

Forfarshire.

From the same authority we learn that, in the parish of Kirkden, on Christmas Day, the servant is free from his master, and goes about visiting his friends and acquaintances. The poorest man must have beef or mutton on the table, and what they call a dinner with their friends. They amuse themselves with various diversions, particularly with shooting for prizes, called here wad-shooting, and many do but little business all the Christmas week.—Ibid. vol. ii. p. 509.

Aberdeenshire.

Christmas morn is welcomed at St. Fergus by liberal libations of drinking-sowins, or, as they are called by the old people, knotting-sowins; and by the gathering of friends and neighbours around the social hearth. That the humblest householder in the parish may have his Christmas cakes, a distribution of meal, the gift of a benevolent individual, is annually made by the kirk-session on Christmas Day, to the poor on the roll.—Stat. Acc. of Scotland, 1845, vol. xii. p. 198.

In certain parts also of the county of Aberdeen, the custom of not working during the three days of Christmas (Old Style) is still kept up. Straw, termed “yule straw,” is gathered beforehand, and everything needed for food and fuel prepared in a similar way, so that the festival may be kept in peace.—N. & Q. 3rd S. vol. ii. p. 483.

Banffshire.

In the account of Keith, given in the Stat. Acc. of Scotland (1793, vol. v. p. 428), the inhabitants are said to have no pastimes or holidays except dancing on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Fuller, in his History of Berwick upon Tweed (1799, p. 446), alluding to the customs of that place, says, there are four men called town waits, who belong to the borough. Their business is to walk before the mayor, recorder, and justices, playing on violins, all the way to and from church on Christmas Day, the day of the election of a mayor, and November the 5th. They also are obliged to attend these gentlemen at their four public dinners.

The Highlands.

As soon as the brightening glow of the eastern sky warns the anxious housemaid of the approach of Christmas Day, she rises, full of anxiety, at the prospect of her morning labours. The meal, which was steeped in the sowans-bowie a fortnight ago to make the Prechdacdan sour or sour scones, is the first object of her attention. The gridiron is put on the fire, and the sour scones are soon followed by hard cakes, soft cakes, buttered cakes, bannocks, and pannich perm. The baking being once over, the sowans pot succeeds the gridiron, full of new sowans, which are to be given to the family, agreeably to custom, this day in their beds. The sowans are boiled into the consistence of molasses, when the lagan-le-vrich or yeast-bread, to distinguish it from boiled sowans, is ready. It is then poured into as many bickers as there are individuals to partake of it, and presently served to the whole, both old and young. As soon as each despatches his bicker, he jumps out of bed—the elder branches to examine the ominous signs of the day, and the younger to enter on its amusements. Flocking to the swing, a favourite amusement on this occasion, the youngest of the family gets the first “shouder,” and the next oldest to him in regular succession. In order to add more to the spirit of the exercise, it is a common practice with the person in the swing and the person appointed to swing him to enter into a very warm and humorous altercation. As the swinged person approaches the swinger, he exclaims, “Ei mi tu chal,” “I’ll eat your kail.” To this the swinger replies, with a violent shove, “Cha ni u mu chal,” “You shan’t eat my kail.” These threats and repulses are sometimes carried to such a height as to break down or capsize the threatener, which generally puts an end to the quarrel.

As the day advances those minor amusements are terminated at the report of the gun or the rattle of the ball clubs—the gun inviting the marksman to the “kiavamuchd,” or prize shooting, and the latter to “Luchd-vouil,” or the ball combatants—both the principal sports of the day. Tired at length of the active amusements of the field, they exchange them for the substantial entertainment of the table. Groaning under the “Sonsy-haggis” and many other savoury dainties unseen for twelve months before, the relish communicated to the company by the appearance of the festive board is more easily conceived than described. The dinner once despatched, the flowing bowl succeeds and the sparkling glass flies to and fro like a weaver’s shuttle. The rest of the day is spent in dancing and games.—Grant, Popular Superstitions of the Highlands.

Orkney.

A writer in the Stat. Acc. of Scotland (1845, vol. xv. p. 127), speaking of Westray, says:—One custom in this parish and common to Orkney at large, is that of allowing the servants four or five days’ liberty at Christmas to enjoy themselves, only the most necessary part of domestic work, with due attention to the bestial on the farm, is done on these days. The master of the house has also to keep up a well-furnished table for all his servants at this season.

IRELAND.

At Culdaff, previous to Christmas, it is customary with the labouring classes to raffle for mutton, when a sufficient number can subscribe to defray the cost of a sheep. During the Christmas holidays they amuse themselves with a game of kamman, which consists in impelling a wooden ball with a crooked stick to a given point, while an adversary endeavours to drive it in a contrary direction.—Mason, Stat. Acc. of Ireland, 1814, vol. ii. p. 160.