life | style Cristes Maesse
Literally meaning Christ’s Mass, has been celebrated by Christians since the 4th Century. However, the Christmas festivities we look forward to today are an amalgamation of traditions from pagan times and the Church, largely made popular by the Victorians. Tracy Curtis shares a festive fact for each of the 12 days of Christmas.
1
Roman Catholics and Anglicans traditionally hold mass, vigils of prayer and contemplation, the night before a feast. Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve celebrates the birth of Christ which is believed to have happened at night.
2
Boxing Day began in the Middle Ages, when the contents of collection boxes, usually kept in churches, were distributed to the poor. It then became traditional for servants to have this day off, to celebrate Christmas with their families.
3
The first Nativity scene was created in 1223, when St. Francis of Assisi depicted the birth of Jesus using real people and animals. Eventually live subjects were replaced with elaborate statues. For a fine example visit the Nativity scene at Quarr Abbey.
4 A Christingle symbolises the meaning of Christmas. Introduced here in 1968, the candle represents Jesus as the light, the red ribbon is the blood of Christ, the orange represents the world, and dried fruit the four seasons. Enjoy Christingle Services in churches everywhere.
5
In 1843, instead of sending his usual annual letter to friends at Christmas time, Victorian Henry Cole commissioned a London artist, to design a card. This quickly caught on and by 1880 11.5 million Christmas Cards were produced.
6
In 1848 London confectioner Tom Smith was selling French ‘bon bon’ sweets in a twist of paper. He had the idea to add love notes and a chemical explosion, which evolved to become the Christmas Cracker with trinket, hat and joke.
7
Christmas Trees were probably introduced by Queen Victoria’s German mother. They became popular after Queen Victoria was pictured in a newspaper celebrating around their family tree, and soon everybody had one. Delight in Brighstones’ Christmas Tree Festival from 5-8 Dec.
8
Giving Christmas Presents stems from the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh Jesus received from the Wise Men at his birth. Victorians popularised this by hanging small handmade presents or fruit and nuts from their Christmas trees.
9
The medieval tradition of using evergreens as Christmas Decoration, (originally to ward away evil spirits and brighten a grey winter) became more elaborate as the Victorians placed greater importance on Christmas, and elegant decorations quickly emerged.
10
A department store in Liverpool was the setting for the world’s first Christmas Grotto, entitled ‘Christmas Fairyland’ in 1879. It soon became common in December for large shops to create a ‘cavern’ where Santa could give gifts.
11
The Island has delightful examples of the more recent tradition of decorating homes and gardens with displays ofChristmas Lights, increasingly in aid of charity. Look out for details of bus tours around some of the best, or simply have a drive around yourself.
12 Ventnor’s Boxing Day Swim is in its 33rd year and has become something of a tradition for participants and spectators alike with over 200 brave souls taking the plunge, (many in fancy dress) and over 2,000 onlookers enjoying the spectacle.
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www.styleofwight.co.uk
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