The Twelve Days of Christmas Folklore & History: The Ninth Day

Well, this is the last day of my holiday – which means this will be the last post in The Twelve Days of Christmas Folklore & History Blog series to be put up on the blog first. So remember to sign up to the Wee Mailing List to receive the final days of this Blog series – which will be released in a Newsletter on the 26th of December.

Let’s push on.

On the last day of my Christmas Holidays my employer gave to me…one hell of a Christmas Party!

The Twelfth Night was an old Christian Holiday marking the end of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Interestingly it’s actually on January 5th depending on the time of counting. Well, I found it’s interesting- since I don’t usually associate January with anything Christmas related.

In 567 A.D to fix an “administrative problem” with matching their Roman Calendar with the lunar calendars used in various regions of their Empire, The Council of Tours declared “The Twelve Days of Christmas” a sacred time, establishing the tradition of “Advent fasting” to usher in the feast.

While there are many traditions associated with this medieval rager – not least among which was the custom of going from house-to-house singing, often referred to as wassailing (wait a minute, we’ve heard that name before) – I think my favourite would have to be the Twelfth Night Cake. Which is – as you might expect – a cake, but hidden inside this confectionery hides one bean and one pea. And whom so ever finds the bean shall be king for the night; and whoever finds the pea shall be queen.

Again, if I’m getting any of this wrong please tell me down below in the comments.

As I write this I realise that I’m probably not doing this wickedly fun festival justice. I mean this is only a short blog post, it’s not like I’ve got a novel’s worth of space…oooh idea. Are you into the Twelfth Night? The Twelve Days of Christmas? Good. Then go read The Mermaid and the Bear by Ailish Sinclair. Not only will you find multiple chapters detailing this fascinating tradition, but romance, humour and perhaps even a witch trial or two. Which is always fun, for the reader anyway – maybe less so for the characters.

If you’ve enjoyed this Christmas Folklore / tradition titbit, why not Follow the Wee blog if you haven’t already. And remember to check me out on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, Tumblr, TikTok, Kofi and Facebook. Until Next time Wee Readers, have a very bonny day and a very merry Holiday season.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Folklore & History: The Eighth Day

On the Eighth Day of my Christmas Holidays my Employer gave to me…eight dead birds with stuffing up their butts.

As far as we can look back human societies have been celebrating their winter festivals with midwinter feasts. They would have looked slightly different to the roast turkey and stuffing pictured above – heck I’m vegan so mine doesn’t even look like that – but the feeling would have been the same.

Archaeological finds have shown that feasts were conducted during celebrations of the pagan midwinter solstice. With the main meats being pork and beef – which would either be cooked over a spit or chopped up and used in winter stews. Alongside the meat would be seasonal fruits like crabapples or berries, different from us and yet not at all.

From the Romans with their Saturnalia, to the Monks of the Middle Ages with their special spices and roasted fish – humans have been using food to eat away at our winter worried from the very start.

Jump to Tudor times and things are looking down right decedent at our Christmas tables. Or at least the tables of the wealthy. Not only is this the arrival of the Turkey into England , – in 1523 – we also have things like blackbirds, badgers and swans filling the feasts of Henry VIII. Not to mention the mince meat pies, which back then were the size of a baby’s cradle.

Come the Georgian period, the Brussel Sprout makes its first appearance- at least on the British plate.

By Victorian times, this midwinter feast has become a smaller more intimate affair. With trimmings like roasted parsnips and potatoes, along with a cooked goose making it’s way onto even the most humble of plates.

And come to today where we celebrate this midwinter feast in anyway we so choose – nut roasts, KFC, Chinese Food – it really doesn’t matter. Just so long as you’re stuffing yourself silly, you’re continuing this wonderful tradition. Oh, I promised myself I wouldn’t cry.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Folklore & History: The Seventh Day

On the seventh day of my Christmas Holidays my employer gave to me…seven Yule logs burning in an open fire.

Dating back to at least the medieval ages – the tradition of the “Yule Log” involves a specially chosen log (off times a whole tree) being placed in the family hearth; to feed the fire throughout “The 12 Days of Christmas”. (But more about that later.)

Afterwards the remains of the log would be placed under the bed for luck and protection against threats of lightning and fire itself. Some people even believed that by counting the sparks off the log, they could read their future.

Some say the tradition is Nordic in origin; and indeed “Yule” was a winter festival celebrated in Scandinavia, and many other parts of Northern Europe, in particular Germany and England.

The first written mention of the practice dates back to 1648, where it is referred to as a “Christmas Log” in a poetry collection by Robert Herrick.

As for my myself I was always more familiar with the term in regards to Chocolate Yule Logs.

We had the most delicious vegan log one year. You never know, might have one this year as well.

As usual if I’ve gotten anything wrong, please mention it down below in the comments. It’s why I have them.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Folklore &History: The Sixth Day

On the Sith Day of my Christmas holiday my employer gave to me….oh my god what’s that!

Okay so, I said I was going to talk about some folklore on this folklore Christmas blog series, so let’s talk about some Folklore. Just…just don’t look into his eyes and everything should be okay.

Appearing in the visage of a monstrous goat man in the Central and Eastern Alpine Folklore – Krampus was said to join Saint Nicolas in visiting houses on December 5^th. While Good old St. Nick would give presents like oranges and chocolate to the good kids, Krampus would punish the bad ones by hitting them with birch sticks.

Which is certainly not nice, but it’s a bit of a leap from that to…well…we’ve all seen the film.

You haven’t?

Oh you should, it’s really good.

And since I can’t seem to stop myself let’s end on a bit of history.

While people have theorised that the myth of Krampus has pre-Cristian roots, particularly in traditional Alpine traditions – what with the celebrations involving him dating back to at least the 6^th or 7^th century – there is no written sources of him until the end of the 16^th century.

Like always if I’ve left anything out or gotten something wrong, mention it down below in the comments. It’s why I have them.

Twelves Days of Christmas Folklore & History: The Fifth Day

On the Fifth Day of my Christmas Holidays my employer gave to me…Five Carol Singers!

Christmas Carols as a tradition can be traced as far back as 4^th century Rome, where they were grim hymns sung all in Latin. In the 9^th and 10 century, European monasteries made Christmas “sequences” and “prose” into rhythmic stanzas.

However recognizable English Christmas carols wouldn’t appear – at least in a recorded way – until 1426 when Chaplain John Awdlay listed twenty-five “carols of cristemas” in one of his works. Songs undoubtedly already made popular by groups calling themselves ‘wassailers’ who went from house to house singing the hymns. In fact, many carols originated from communal songs sung during all kinds of celebrations, and not just Christmas.

Flash forward to the 19^th century where the publication of the first “Christmas music books” suddenly expanded the popularity of carols beyond all previous expectations.

So if you’re bugged at your door this Christmas by people in Victorian garbs singing ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’, you can blame it on the Romans. Hmm…most of this has been just plain history not much Folklore, oh well there’s always tomorrow.

Twelve Days of Christmas Folklore & History: The Fourth Day

On the fourth day of my Christmas holidays my employer gave to me…4 popping crackers at a party.

In 1847 Tom smith invented the Christmas Cracker, intending for them to be an evolution of his already popular bon-bon sweet. However, after hearing the crackle of a log, he put on the fire, Smith was inspired to make the paper cracker go off with a bang! The sweet inside was eventually replaced with a toy or present.

A memorial fountain was erected in honor of Tom Smith and his family in Finsbury Square, London.

And interesting fact about Christmas Crackers in the present, they’re explicitly prohibited from being brought on any commercial flights in and to the United States. Britain is apparently a little more lenient, and it depends on what airline you use.

Twelve Days of Christmas Folklore & History: The Third Day

On the third day of my Christmas holiday my employer gave to me…Three Countdown Chocolates to Christmas Revelry. Remember to sign up to the Wee Mailing List to receive the final days of the Blog series.

The word advent is from the Latin word for ‘coming’; and the period of Advent was originally for converts to Christianity to prepare for their baptism. However now it’s a countdown for my favourite day of the year.

The first printed Advent Calendar was created by Gerhard Lang in early 20^th century, but because of a cardboard shortage in the 1930s he had to shut down production.

Interesting fact, during WWII the Nazis produced their own advent calendar which was basically just a pamphlet with pictures of swastikas and tanks being blown up. History is depressing.

Post WWII Richard Sellmer created his own winter themed – no swastikas or tanks in this one thank you – calendar and began selling them on mass.

And eventually the art of the Advent calendar hit it’s highest peak with the emergence of the first Chocolate advent Calendar in 1958.

Twelve Days of Christmas Folklore & History: The Second Day

On the second day of my Christmas Holiday my employer gave to me… two glowing branch evergreen trees. Remember to sign up to the Wee Mailing List to receive the final days of the Blog series.

Many cultures from at least as far back as Ancient Egypt and Rome – if not probably far before them as well – have seen the evergreen as something special and sacred and took them into their homes. Many cultures believed they could keep away such things as witches, ghosts, evil spirits and even illness. Celtic Druids would decorate their temples with evergreen boughs to symbolise everlasting life. However, Christmas trees as we would recognise them first began in Germany, with the tradition of candlelit evergreen furs which were brought to America in the 1800s. And made popular on the world stage in 1846 by Queen Victorian and her husband prince Albert.

Because it’s always Queen Victoria.

Twelve Days of Christmas Folklore & History: The First Day

What Ho wee readers, and a Merry December month to you all. If you’ve been following my blog for some time, you may be aware that for the last year alongside my writing and blogging, I have been working as a Housekeeper in a Weatherspoon’s hotel. And by extension if you know this you may be aware of just how tired this has left me – in that I never shut up about it, even if it has absolutely nothing to do with the topic I’m currently discussing, I will still manage to slip it in.

This may have left some of you with the impression that I am unhappy with my current day job, which is not true. The work may be hard, but the money isn’t bad for what it is, and I get a free meal on every shift – see this post for proof of that. So, all in all Wetherspoons is a very decent employer.

And I can say all of this with complete sincerity now that I’m getting a holiday.

That’s right for nine days this december – starting today in fact – I will be taking my Christmas holidays. And for eight of those nine days I’m even getting paid for it – happy dance, happy dance happy dance.

So to celebrate this momentous occasion for each day of my holidays I will be releasing one blog post dedicated to the traditions, rituals and beliefs built up around the holiday of Christmas. All in all there will be twelve, like the song, with the last few being released at the end of december in the Wee Mailing List. Remember to sign up if you want to hear how the blogs end.

I think we should get started, don’t you?

So sing it with me Wee Readers.

On the First Day of my Christmas Holidays my employer gave to me…a fat man in a round chimney.

Well let us begin with the big man himself…Santa Claus. While there have been more than several gift giving figures throughout the span of our written human history, and probably even more before that, it is highly likely that this particular figure was first born through the merging of such Christian gift givers like St. Nicolas – an actual historical figure – with the mythical Father Christmas who dated back to at least the 16^th century. And who personified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas. After which he was renamed Santa Claus – an anglicized variation of the Dutch figure Sinterklaas – and lost his bishop ropes.

Poems like “Twas the Night Before Christmas” would canonise much of the Santa Clause lore we’re all familiar with. Reindeer, the sleigh full of toys, and the like.

However, there were still a lot of different variations in regards to Santa’s physical appearance, including but in no way limited to a tall gaunt man, an elf, there were even variations that were sinister in appearance. However, in 1931 Coca-Cola commissioned Haddon Sundblom to create a Santa image for their Christmas Adverts; and inspired by the aforementioned poem, the illustrator depicted a happy fat man, with rosy cheeks, a human face and twinkly eyes.

Thus, the most popular and long-lasting image of Santa Clause was cemented.

While I’m certain there is a lot more history to this, including something to do with Odin I’m not entirely sure what – this is a short blog post so I’ll stop here. If I’ve missed anything out, or made any mistakes that you can see tell me in the comments. It’s why I have them after all.

If you’ve enjoyed this Christmas Folklore titbit, why not Follow the Wee blog if you haven’t already. And remember to check me out on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, Tumblr, TikTok, Kofi and Facebook. Until Next time Wee Readers, have a very bonny day and a very merry Holiday season.