page_title: Orange (fruit)
section_title: Traditions
hierarchical_section_title: Orange (fruit) / Traditions
caption_attribution_description: English: Christingles prepared for a service
context_page_description: An orange is a type of citrus fruit that people often eat. Oranges are a very good source of vitamin C. Orange juice is an important part of many people's breakfast. The "sweet orange", which is the kind that are most often eaten today, grew first in South and East Asia but now grows in lots of parts of the world.
  Oranges are round orange-coloured fruit that grow on a tree which can reach 10 metres high. Orange trees have dark green shiny leaves and small white flowers with five petals. The flowers smell very sweet which attracts many bees.
  An orange has a tough shiny orange skin. Inside, the fruit is divided into "segments", which have thin tough skins that hold together many little sections with juice inside. There are usually ten segments in an orange, but sometimes there are more or less. Inside each segment of most types of orange there are seeds called "pips". Orange trees can be grown from pips, but some types of orange trees can only be grown from "cuttings". The segments and the skin are separated by white stringy fibrous material called "pith".
context_section_description: Orange trees are a symbol of love and marriage in many cultures. Oranges are sometimes found in Renaissance paintings of married couples. One of the most famous is Jan van Eyck's "Wedding Portrait of the Arnolfini".
  Brides traditionally wear orange blossoms in their hair or carry them in their bouquet at their wedding. Orange blossoms are often part of the decoration on a wedding cake.
  Queen Victoria was given a coronet of gold and enamel orange blossoms by her husband Albert. When their children were born, he had a jeweller add tiny green oranges to the coronet.
  If an orange is peeled with a knife, it is possible to cut the peel off in one long unbroken piece. Schoolgirls in some countries chant a rhyme, and throw the long orange peel over their shoulder, then look at how it falls to find the initial letter of the name of the boy that loves them.
  In some countries, blood oranges are seen as a symbol of the death of Jesus.
  In some European countries, a "Christingle" is a Christmas decoration using an orange and a candle to symbolise Jesus' love for the world.
  In cold countries, when fruit was scarce, an orange was often given at Christmas. In England, it was traditional to stuff the toe of a child's Christmas stocking with raisins, almonds and oranges.
  Orange peel can be dried and treated with sugar. It is an ingredient in Christmas cakes.
  Oranges are sometimes used to make a sweet-smelling pomander to perfume a room. This is done by sticking the stalks of cloves into an orange, and allowing the orange to dry out.
  Orange jam is called marmalade. Traditionally, it is said to have been first made for Mary Queen of Scots or Marie Antoinette when they were sick. Neither of these stories is true, as marmalade was made in Portugal for many years before either of them was born. The term "marmalade", originally meaning a quince jam ("marmelada" in Portuguese), derives from the Portuguese word for this fruit, marmelo.
  An English children's song about the church bells of London begins with the line "'Oranges and Lemons' say the Bells of St. Clements..."
caption: Christingles prepared for a Moravian service
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