A Righte Merrie Christmasse: The Story of Christ-Tide

There is a peculiar feeling of satisfaction that comes over us with the advent of the New Year. The Old Year, with its joys and sorrows, its gains and disappointments, is irrevo...

The Lord of Misrule--The "Emperor" and "King" at Oxford--Dignity of the Office--Its abolition in the City of London--The functions of a Lord of Misrule--Christmas at the Temple-...

Profusion of Food at Christ-tide--Old English Fare--Hospitality--Proclamations for People to spend Christ-tide at their Country Places--Roast Beef--Boar's Head--Boar's Head Caro...

The popular love of Christmas--Riots at Ealing and Canterbury--Evelyn's Christmas days, 1652 '3 '4 '5 '7--Cromwell and Christ-tide--The Restoration--Pepys and Christmas day, 166...

Historic Christ-tides in 790, 878, and 1065--William I., 1066-1085--William II.--Henry I., 1127--Stephen--Henry II., 1158-1171--Richard I., 1190--John, 1200--Henry III., 1253--E...

Until Christmas eve there is nothing remarkable about this Novena of Christ-tide, excepting a curious charitable custom which used to obtain in the parish of Paddington, which m...

These Christmas revelries were sometimes carried to excess, and needed curbing with the strong hand of the law, an early instance of which we find in Letter Book I. of the Corpo...

Christmas Eve--Herrick thereon--The Yule Log--Folk-lore thereon--The Ashen Faggot--Christmas Candles--Christmas Eve in the Isle of Man--Hunting the Wren--Divination by Onions an...

The presentation of gifts on Christmas day was an English custom of very great antiquity; so great that, in 1419, the practice had become much corrupted, and the abuse had to be...

We take it for granted that in the old times, when Christ-tide was considered so great a festival as to be accorded a Novena--that it began on the 16th December, when, according...

It would indeed be singular if an event of such importance as the birth, as man, of the Son of God had not been specially marked out by signs and wonders, and that many legends...

"The King of the Bean"--Customs on Twelfth Day--Twelfth Cakes--Twelfth Night Characters--Modern Twelfth Night--The Pastry Cook's Shops--Dethier's Lottery--The Song of the Wren--...

The day on which Jesus Christ died is plainly distinguishable, but the day of His birth is open to very much question, and, literally, is only conjectural; so that the 25th Dece...

As soon as the Puritans became at all powerful, their iconoclastic zeal naturally attacked Christmas, and the Scotchmen, such as Baillie, Rutherford, Gillespie, and Henderson, i...

Curious Gambling Customs in Church--Boon granted--Sheaf of Corn for the Birds--Crowning of the Cock--"The Lord Mayor of Pennyless Cove"--"Letting in Yule"--Guisards--Christmas i...

As these old customs are fast dying out, and should be chronicled, I must be pardoned if I give another and very similar illustration of how Christmas eve was spent in North Not...

_Time's Telescope_ (1824, p. 297) notes that in Cumberland, and in all the great towns in the north of England, about a week before Christmas, what are called _Honey fairs_ were...

Next _John_ the sonne of _Zebedee_ hath his appoynted day, Who once by cruell tyraunts will, constrayned was, they say, Strong poyson up to drinke, therefore the Papistes doe be...

The high spirits of the "Temple Sparks" occasionally led them to licence, as the author of _The Reign of King Charles_ (1655) tells us was the case in 1627. "That Christmas the...

The literature specially designed nowadays for Christmas reading is certainly not of a high order, whether we take books--which are issued at this time by the hundred--or the sp...

Before the advent of Christmas the Bellman, or Watchman, left at each house a copy of verses ostensibly breathing good-will and a happy Christmas to the occupants, but in realit...

The 5th of January is the eve of the Epiphany, and the Vigil of Twelfth day, which used to be celebrated by the liberal use of the customary wassail bowl. In the _Gentleman's Ma...

Only one is noted in the reign of Edward VI., that of 1551, of which Holinshed writes, "Wherefore, as well to remove fond talke out of men's mouths, as also to recreat and refre...

Bishop Jeremy Taylor very appropriately said that the first Christmas carol was sung by the angels at the Nativity of our Saviour--"GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST, AND ON EARTH PEA...

New Year's eve is variously kept--by some in harmless mirth, by others in religious exercises. Many churches in England have late services, which close at midnight with a carol...

There was a curious tradition in the north of England, which is practically done away with in these days of lucifer matches. In the old days of tinder boxes, if any one failed t...

In friendly Love and Unity, For good _St. Stephen's_ Sake, Let us all, this blessed Day, To Heaven our Prayers make: That we with him the Cross of Christ May freely undertake. _...

Even the vegetable world contributed to the wonders of Christmas, for was there not the famous Glastonbury Thorn which blossomed on old Christmas day? Legend says that this was...

The singing of carols is now confined to Christmas day; but it was not always so, appropriate carols being sung during the Christ-tide preceding the day of the Nativity--such, f...

Decorating with Evergreens--Its Origin and Antiquity--Mistletoe in Churches--The permissible Evergreens--The Holly--"Holly and Ivy"--"Here comes Holly"--"Ivy, chief of Trees"--"...

Here Christ-tide ought to end, and men and women should have returned to their ordinary avocations, but the long holiday demoralised them; and although the women were supposed t...

This is rather sorry stuff; but then in purely rural places, untouched by that great civiliser, the railroad, a little wit goes a great way, as we may see by the following story...

Decorating with Evergreens--Its Origin and Antiquity--Mistletoe in Churches--The permissible Evergreens--The Holly--"Holly and Ivy"--"Here comes Holly"--"Ivy, chief of Trees"--"...

Profusion of Food at Christ-tide--Old English Fare--Hospitality--Proclamations for People to spend Christ-tide at their Country Places--Roast Beef--Boar's Head--Boar's Head Caro...

Christmas Eve--Herrick thereon--The Yule Log--Folk-lore thereon--The Ashen Faggot--Christmas Candles--Christmas Eve in the Isle of Man--Hunting the Wren--Divination by Onions an...

Historic Christ-tides in 790, 878, and 1065--William I., 1066-1085--William II.--Henry I., 1127--Stephen--Henry II., 1158-1171--Richard I., 1190--John, 1200--Henry III., 1253--E...

The popular love of Christmas--Riots at Ealing and Canterbury--Evelyn's Christmas days, 1652, '3, '4, '5, '7, Cromwell and Christ-tide--The Restoration--Pepys and Christmas day,...

Curious Gambling Customs in Church--Boon granted--Sheaf of Corn for the Birds--Crowning of the Cock--"The Lord Mayor of Pennyless Cove"--"Letting in Yule"--Guisards--Christmas i...

"The King of the Bean"--Customs on Twelfth Day--Twelfth Cakes--Twelfth Night Characters--Modern Twelfth Night--The Pastry Cook's Shops--Dethier's Lottery--The Song of the Wren--...

The Lord of Misrule--The "Emperor" and "King" at Oxford--Dignity of the Office--Its abolition in the City of London--The functions of a Lord of Misrule--Christmas at the Temple-...