English Christmas Traditions
I’ve lived in a number of different countries and seen how they do, or do not, celebrate Christmas, and I thought I would explain what happens in England.
Before the internet, everybody sent Christmas cards by post to friends and family in the weeks before Christmas, with religious or less serious pictures of ‘Father Christmas’ or of the countryside covered in snow. Julie and I still send a few cards, and we still receive some. In some cases, it is the only time in the year that you take the opportunity to communicate with that particular person, so a message would be written inside the card telling them what you had done that year.
Most people decorate their homes and buy a Christmas tree, in much the same way that people do in France.
Not very long after Halloween, when children were knocking on your door shouting ‘trick or treat’ and demanding sweets, they are back again, but this time singing ‘carols’. Carols are traditional songs, some are religious, others are ‘light-hearted’ [funny], but all have a Christmas theme. A group of children, sometimes with adults, will knock on the door and begin singing. The family in the house, or a representative will open the door, listen to the carol and at the end, give the singers some money, who will probably then go to the next house. This is part of the tradition in the days before Christmas, or Xmas, as the abbreviation has it.
Another tradition is of drinking ‘mulled wine’ and eating ‘mince pies’, usually in the evening around Christmas. Mulled wine is prepared with red wine and a mixture of fruit and spices, and is heated before drinking. Mince pies are round, about six cm diameter and two and a half cm deep. Although the filling is called ‘mincemeat’, it is made of fruit, spices and often a little rum. They can be eaten hot or cold.
One of the most noticeable differences between France and England is the timing. In England, the 24th, ‘Christmas Eve’, is a working day for most people and it is not a day for long dinners. The principal day, ‘Christmas Day’, has always been the 25th December.
The most important meal then, is eaten on Christmas Day, and is usually a late lunch. Some people eat roast duck, salmon is not typical, some people of course, are vegetarian, but for most people, roast turkey is the main dish. It is served with roast potatoes, parsnips, Brussel sprouts, two or three types of sauce and two or three types of stuffing are cooked inside the turkey.
This is followed by Christmas pudding, which may have been made months before, it is very rich, contains dried fruit and is often served with cream or brandy butter and perhaps a mince pie or two.
At three o’clock on Christmas Day, a recorded speech by King Charles is broadcast to the nation. The tradition started in 1932, when King George V spoke on the radio. It usually lasts for about ten minutes, is not political and, as a personal message, is written by the king himself.
The 26th December is also a holiday, and it’s called ‘Boxing Day’. The name is a mystery for many people. It certainly has nothing to do with sport of boxing. Some people believe it is to do with idea of giving children larger presents on the third day. The reality seems to be that it comes from a tradition of charity, when rich people would give boxes containing food and money to poor people.
This completes the three days of Christmas, but for many people, the holiday continues for a week until New Year’s Eve, the 31st, and New Year’s Day, the 1st January.
Whether, for you, the Christmas season is one of religious importance, or whether it is more a time for celebration and an opportunity to be with friends and family, it is an extremely popular time in England, and one of my favourites, not least because my birthday is also embedded.