Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-12-17
Gales aud skftfhts.
CHRISTMAS FEAsfIyG.


In the 18th and 10Th centuries this whole
season was given up to revels and JollIty,
in which eating and drinking had prom
inent part. In London in the 18th century
the first duty of the Lord Mayor and cor
poration was to dine, and then 60, as So
berly as might be, to the Church Of st.
Thomas Aeon, and sit through the whole
service. On other festival days and Sun
DAYS they had habit of skipping out al
ter the prayers were under way, but on
Christmas they were bound to set an ex-
ample of perseverance. Service over.
their worships rode on horseback. by
torch-light, through the market OF Chepe
and back to the church where, being in a
liberal frame of mind on account of the
day and the good dinner. they made
money offering to the church. Each man
contributed the magnificent sum of one
penny to its treasury This duty done,
they returned to their own houses, and
made more or less night of it, after the
immemorial manner of good city fathers,
in private, the custom not having yet aris-
en- OF manifesting happiness by painting
the town red" We read good deal
about the excess of the Christmas dinners.
Sir John Reresby in his memoirs makes
peritential note of dinner at Thyrberg
in 1861 The Earl of Huntington, my
Lord Ellend, and some others dined with
me. when we ended the year in more than
an ordinary debauch; which God forgive
me it being neither my custom nor incll-
nation much to do So" The next year
there was at table "Mr. Bolton, an in
genious clergyman. but too much good
fellow" The good fellows liked Thyrberg:
during the holidays as many as forescore
gentlemen and yeomen, with their wives,
dined daily at the hall.
Christmas was always democratic fes-
tival: all classes mingled in the games
and merriment. and hospitality was uni
versal. An English gentleman in the
country on Christmas day in the morning,
had all his tenants and ueighbOrs enter
the hall by daybreak. The strong beer
was preached, and the black jacks went
plentifully round. with toast, sugar. nut
meg. and good Cheshire cheese.
The great sausage (the Hacking must
be boiled at daybreak, and if it failed to
be ready, two young men must take the
maiden q. e., the cook by the arm and
run her round the market-place till she
was ashamed OF her laziness. The maids.
had, however, some privileges OF retort.
In some places in Oxfordshire it was the
custom for the maid servant to ask the
man tor ivy to dress the house, and if the
man refused or neglected to fetch the ivy,
the maid stole a pair of his breeches and
nailed them up to the gate in the garden
or highway. During the festival days the
tables were perpetualy spread; the sir
loin of beef, the minced pie, the plum
porridge, turkeys. geese. and plnm pud-
dings, were all brought upon the board at
once. and everyone ate heartily and was
welcome, so that the proverb originated of
"'Tis merry in hall, when boards wag
all" The gentlemen went to early ser
vice in the church, and returned to break
fast on Drawn and mustard and mustard
and malmsey Drawn was dish of great
antiquity. 1t was made from the flesh of
large boars which had lived in half
wild state. and when put to fat
ten were strapped and belted tight
round the carcass, in order to
make the flesh become dense and brawny.
1t came to market in rolls two feet long
by ten inches in diameter, packed in wick
err baskets. At dinner the first course
served was the boar's head on a silver
platter. adorned with bays and rosemary,
carried into the hall with much state, pre-
coded by the Master of Revels. and toll
lowed by chorusters and minstrels singing
and PLAYING compositions in its honor. A
stanza of a common carol sung was this:
Then sett dosrne the swneyarj,
go fa.v