(_For the Mirror._)
The manner of spending _Christmas Eve_ can hardly be better
described than by the celebrated Wilkie's sketch under that title.
Christmas is not now what it was formerly. Wilkie's painting relates to
the present time, and I do not know where Christmas is more cheerfully
observed in these days than in London--still there is an alteration--no
boar's head--no pageantries, no wassailing. In the north of England
its approach is denoted by the country people having their wood fires,
consisting of huge pieces of stumps of trees piled upon the grate,
and by entwining branches of holly over their doors, and by _school
boys_ acting some play to a school full of auditors; the yearly one
at Brough was _St. George_, which is now put down by some strolling
players who exhibit in the town every Christmas.
These are signals for Christmas, and although there is but one Christmas
day, yet the week is generally over before any thing like quietness
appears. The morning is ushered in by the ringing of the _church
bells_, and the little maidens playing at the game of _prickey
sockey_, as they call it. See them all dressed up in their
_best_, with their wrists adorned with rows of _pins_, running
about from house to house inquiring who will play at the game. The door
is opened, and she cries out,
"Prickey Sockey, for a pin,
I CAR not whether I LOSS or win."
The game is played by the one holding between her two fore-fingers and
thumbs a pin, which she clasps tightly to prevent her antagonist seeing
either part of it, while her opponent _guesses_. The head of the
pin is _sockey_, and the point _prickey_, and when the other
guesses, she touches the end she guesses at, saying, _"this for
prickey_," or "_this for sockey_;" at night the other delivers
her two pins. Thus the game is played and when the clock strikes twelve
it is declared _up_, that is, no one can play after that time.
The Christmas dinner consists of large pork or goose pies, which Brand
mentions as peculiar to this county; the goose is put in whole; they are
all marked on the top by a fork with the owner's initials; formerly it
was a religious inscription. In the afternoon (be it spoken perhaps to
their shame) they sally forth for a game at foot-ball, the first day on
which the game is played, the ball is what they call _clubbed up
for_, and he who can run away with the ball may keep it; but this
seldom occurs, as it is kicked to pieces before the game is over. And
this is Christmas Day here. At Kirby, a man named _Tom Mattham_
(since deceased) used to go round the town on Christmas Eve, about
twelve o'clock, with a bell, and chant a few carols; this was too solemn
to be compared to the London waits, but the custom still exists.
In most of the western parts of Devonshire a superstitions custom
prevails, that on Christmas Eve, at twelve o'clock, oxen in their stalls
are always kneeling, as in the attitude of devotion; but since the style
was altered, they do this on Old Christmas Eve only. At Whitbeck, in
Cumberland, they have a similar superstition; the _bees_ are said
to sing on the midnight before Christmas Day, and the oxen to kneel at
the same hour.
In many parts of the north too it should be observed, it is customary
for men to go out and cut large ash and holly sticks and entwine them
over the doors of their houses. And in Cumberland, little maidens
assemble on Christmas to _guess who their husband shall be_, which
is done by collecting peculiar sticks, and looking for some singular
mark upon them. This is the time when sweethearts too send round their
presents to the young lasses, by whom others are returned.
The custom of keeping open house is, I think, obsolete. Haddon Hall (so
late as Queen Elizabeth) was kept open during twelve days after
Christmas, with the _old English_ hospitality. I observe also in
some old books accounts of a feast of "cakes and ales" being usual.[9]
In the book of _Christmasse Carolles_, by Wynkyn de Worde in 1521,
are the following verses on bringing in the Boar's head:--
"A Carrol bryngyne in the boar's head,
_Caput Apri defero._
_Redden laudes Domino._
"The bore's head in hande brynge I,
With garlaudes gay and rosemary
I praye you all synge merely,
_Qui estis in convivio._
"The bore's head I understande
Is the chefe servyce in this lande,
Looke wherever it be fand,
_Servite cum cantico._
"Be gladde both man and lasse
For this hath ordayned our stewarde
To chere you all this Christmasse
The bore's head with mustarde."
Upon the young prince's coronation, 1170, Henry II. "served his son at
the table as server, bringing up the _bore's head_ with _trumpets_
before it, according to the manner."--_Hollinshed_.
The boar's head was stuffed "_with branches of rosemary_, "it
appears with trumpets playing, so that "_it was a grande syghte_."
It would appear they had grand doings at the inns of court during
Christmas. The usual dish at the first course at dinner was "a large
_bore's head_ upon a silver platter, with minstralsye."--_Dugdale's
Orig. Jur._
Before the last civil wars, the first diet in gentlemen's houses that
was brought to table at Christmas was a _boar's head with a lemon in
his mouth_. At Queen's College, Oxford, the custom is retained; the
bearer of it brings it into the hall singing to an old tune, an old
Latin rhyme, _Caput Apri Defero, &c._
Formerly, "An English gentleman at the opening of the great day, i.e. on
Christmas Day in 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 hackin (the great sausage) must be boiled by day-break, or
else two young men must take the maiden (the cook) by the arms, and run
her round the market-place till she is ashamed of her laziness."--_From
an old Tract, "Round about our Coal Fire, or Christmas Entertainments_."
Further, from the same Tract we find that "In Christmas holidayes," the
tables were all spread from the first to the last; the sirloins of beef,
the minched pies, the _plum porridge_, the capons, turkeys, geese
and plum-puddings, were all brought upon the board, every one ate
heartily and was welcome, which gave rise to the proverb, "merry in the
hall, where beards wag all."
Misson says, "the plum-porridge is not at all inferior to the pie;" the
goose pie usually made at Christmas.
_Yule Cakes_.--I must now call your attention to the _Yule
Cakes_. Yule dough a little image of paste, was formerly baked at
_Yuletide_, and presented by bakers to their customers, as
_Christmas candles_ are given away by tallow chandlers. Brand
says, "the Yule dough has perhaps been intended for an image of the
child, Jesus, with the Virgin Mary," and he says, "it is now, if I
mistake not, pretty generally laid aside, or at most retained only by
children." Mr. Brand was not aware that the custom still prevailed in
many parts in the north. At Brough I have frequently ate of the cakes;
they are figured with currants, and are usually eaten with a basin of
frumity on Christmas Eve. Mince pies are there called _minched_, or
_shrid pies_.
The custom of decking our houses and churches with holly, &c. originates
from ancient heathenish practices. Mr. Brand says, that "_holly_
was used only to deck the inside of houses at Christmas, while
_ivy_ was used not only as a vintner's sign, but also among the
evergreens at funerals." Archdeacon Nares mentions "the custom longest
preserved, was the hanging up of a bush of mistletoe in the kitchen or
servant's hall, with the _charm_ attached to it, that the maid who
was not kissed under it at Christmas would not be married in that year."
In the north a similar custom is observed, viz. that of kissing a maiden
_over_ a bunch of holly. Polydore Virgil says, that "Trimmyng of
the temples with hangynges, flowers, boughs, and garlandes, was taken of
the heathen people, whiche decked their idols and houses with such
arraye."
_Round about our Coal Fire_.--Formerly fires were in the middle of
the room, and the company sat in a ring round about it, hence the
proverb, "round about our coal fire," which is as great a comfort as any
at Christmas.
In the north they have their _Yule log_, or _Yuletide log_,
which is a huge log burning in the chimney corner, whilst the Yule cakes
are baked on a "girdle," (a kind of frying pan) over the fire; little
lads and maidens assemble nightly at some neighbouring friend's to hear
the goblin story, and join in "fortune telling," or some game. There is
a part of an old song which runs thus: and with which I shall conclude
this custom
"Now all our neighbours chimnies smoke,
And _Christmas logs_ are burning,
Their ovens they with baked meate choke,
And all their spits are turning."