The Sun.
London, England, 1822-12-24 00:00:00

CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS.

In " Whimsies ; or New Cast of Characters"
(1631), the anonymous author in his description
of a good and hospitable housekeeper, has left
the following picture of Christmas festivities :
" Suppose Christmas now approaching, the evergreen ivie
trimming the portals and partcloses of so frequented a build-
ing; the usuall carolls to observe antiquitie, cheerefully
sounding, and that which is the complement of his inferior
comforts, his neighbours, whom he tenders as members of
his own familye, joyne him in his consort of mirth and
melody."

Vie customs formerly observed at this season
of the year were numerous, and were several of
them kept up with a considerable degree of ro-
mantic parade and splendour. Some of these
are retained at the present day, and some are
disused. We shall give an account of the prin-
cipal, which may be comprised under the heads
—Christmas Carols ; Celebration of Christmas
Eve ; Decking of Houses, &c. with Evergreens ;
Christmas Sports ; the Yule Dough ; Plum Pud-
dings, and other cheer, and Christmas Boxes.
CHRISTMAS CAROLS.—Bishop Taylor observes,
that the " Gloria in Ecclesio," the well-known
hymn sung by the angels to the Shepherds, at
our Lord's nativity, was the ancient Christmas
Carol. The word is said to be derived from
canlare, to sing, and rola, an interjection of joy.
Several specimens are preserved of the early,
Christmas Carols, but they are chiefly interest-
ing from their age. Mr. Douce has translated
one which has some poetical merit, most of the
others in point, are little better than the compo-
sitions sung about the streets in modern times.
CHRISTMAS EYE.—Next to the preparatory an-
nouncement of the joyous season, by the sort of
song just described, followed the celebration of
Christmas Eve ; thus pleasingly described by a
modern poet :
" Thy welcome eve, lov'd Christmas, now arriv`d,
The parish bells their tuneful peal resound,
And mirth and gladness every breast pervade :
The ponderous ashen faggot, from the yard,
The jolly farmer to his crowded hall
Conveys with speed ; where on the rising flames
(Already fed with store of massy brands)
It blazes soon"

Christmas day, in the primitive church, was
always observed as the Sabbath day, and was,
like that, proceeded by an eve, or vigil. Hence
our present custom of keeping Christmas eve.
On the night of this eve, our ancestors were wont
to light up candles of an uncommon size, called
Christmas candles, and lay a large log of wood
upon the fire, called a yule clog, or Christmas
block, to illuminate the house, and as it were, turn
night into day. So Poor Robin, in his Almanack
for 1677, speaking of the beginning of Decem-
ber, says—

" Now blocks to cl:ave,—this time requires,
'Gainst Christmas, for—to make good fires."
The ancient method of spending the Christmas
day, is thus curiously described in the scarce

tract, entitled " Round about our Coal Fire at
Christmas," &c.
An English gentleman at the opening of Christmas day on
the morning had all his tenants and neighbours enter his hall
by day-break. The strong beer was broached, and the black
jacks went plentifully about, with toast, sugar, nutmeg, and
good Cheshire cheese. The Ilackin (a great sausage) must be
boiled by day-break, 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." At dinner,
and during the holydays, the tables were all spread from the
first to the last; the sirloin of beef, the minced pies, the plum
porridge, were severally brought upon the board, every one ate
heartily and was welcome, which gave rise to the proverb,
" 'Tis merry in the hall, when beards wag all."
The YULE DOUGH, or Dow, a part of these

festivities, was a kind of infant or little image of
paste, which our bakers used formerly to bake at

this season, and present to their customers, in
the same manner as the chandlers give Christmas
candles. This figure, it appears, was intended
to represent the child JEsus, and a something
like it is said to be still customary in Yorkshire,
where what is called " the vessel-cup singers"
(generally poor old women,) about three weeks
before Christmas, go from house to house with a
waxen or woollen doll, fantastically dressed, and
sometires adorned with an orange or a fine rosy-
tingi,d apple, with which in their hands they
sing or chaunt an old local carol. This vessel-
cup is most probably the remains of the " wassail
bowl," which anciently formed another part of
the festivities of this season of the year. The
PLUM-PUDDING, that great article of modern
feasting,—

" A mixture strange of currants, suet, meat,
Where various tastes combine, the greasy and the sweet,"
is not mentioned amongst the other cheer enume-
rated in the preceding quotation, though it was
certainly as old as 1676. Poor Robin, in that
year, speaking of Christmas as a time when good
eating did so abound, that it seemed as if " all
the world were made of minced pies, Plum Pud-
dings, and furmety."*
EVERGREENS.-The decking of houses,churches,
&c., with evergreens, was a very ancient custom,
and to the delight of those who do not like en-
tirely to forget old times, is still in a great mea-
sure retained. This appears, like several other
Christmas observances, to have been copied by
the Christians from their Pagan ancestors. For-
merly this practice, at this time, was universal.
Stowe, in his Survey, tells us, " that against the
feast of Christmas, every man's house, as also
their parish churches, were decked with }mime,
ivy, bayes, and whatsoever the season of the year
afforded green. And the conduits and standards
in the streets were likewise garnished." The
laurel—d conspicuous object in modern collec-
tions of these plants, was used by the Romans as
the emblem of peace, joy, and victory. In the
Christian sense, it may be applied to the victory
gained over the powers of darkness by the corn-
ing of CHRIST. The misletoe was a plant held
sacred by the Druids, and suspended from the

ceiling of the apartment where the pleasures of
the evening are to take place, still gives rise to a

number of.frolicksome gambols in the country.
SPORTS AND GAMES.—OUT ancestors, among
other amusements at this period, had what they
called " disguisings," consisting of mummings,
the " Lord of Misrule, the Fool Plough, and
Sword Dance, &e. Of these, the triummin,gs were
. .

sometimes very splendid. This custom consisted
in the changing of clothes between men and wo-

men, who, when dressed in each other's habits,
%vent from one neighbour's house to another, par-
taking of Chrismas cheer, and making merry with

Furmety, from fumentum,' wheat. It is made of creed
wheat, or wheat, which after being beaten for some time with
a wooden mallet, is then boiled and eaten with milk, sugar,
nutmeg, &c.