Dec 03, 2016 — GREENWOOD, BC (BG)

In an earlier journal article we looked at Greenwood's architecture in terms of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. When it comes to Christmas traditions, many holiday elements are commonly referred to in terms of how Victorian England celebrated them. We find many such references in historic Greenwood newspaper ads and articles.

In December 1860, an article in Godey's Lady's Book illustrated how Queen Victoria celebrated Christmas. There was an immediate move in English society to embrace sumptuous, elegant decorations and feasting within the seasonal festivities — a movement that had a significant effect on how Christmas has been celebrated around the world, to this today.

How the Victorian influence on Christmas travelled to Canada is mentioned in the following passage from the Canadian Encyclopedia:

The Victorian Origins of Modern Christmas

"In Canada, by the 1870s, Christmas had lost much of its religious character, at least in English Canada and among the upper middle class in French Canada. The holiday became a community and family festival. Customs, such as the decorated Christmas tree, gift-giving and the Christmas reveillon (the "awakening") became part of family tradition.

By the end of the 19th century, most of the familiar attributes of the modern Christmas, including Santa Claus, Yule logs, holly and mistletoe, carol singing and Christmas trees, were popular. Many attribute the change to Queen Victoria, and claim that it was her marriage to the German-born Prince Albert that introduced some of the most familiar aspects of Christmas. British immigrants naturally brought these practices to Canada. These new practices were incorporated into Francophone culture much later, after the First World War, with the increase in commercial advertising. By the 1930s, the working classes of both language groups had joined the Christmas "rush."

The first Christmas card dates from 1843 in England, commissioned by Henry Cole. The illustration showed a family around a dinner table and featured a Christmas homily. Though expensive at first, the sentiment caught on and many children were encouraged to make their own Christmas cards. As printing and postage costs dropped, the Christmas card industry took off. Millions were sold every year in Canada until recently, but this is one tradition that is threatened, as electronic greetings via email, e-cards and Social media wishes replace the printed versions.

Another contribution of Victorian England to Christmas was the cracker. Inspired by French bon bons — sugared almonds wrapped in twists of paper — British confectioner Tom Smith invented the Christmas cracker, which snapped when pulled apart revealing the candy inside. Small gifts and paper hats, the form we recognize today, replaced the candies in the late Victorian period.

Gift giving had traditionally been at New Year in Britain but moved as Christmas became more important to the Victorians. At first, modest gifts of fruit, nuts, sweets and trinkets were hung on the Christmas tree, and some were hidden in the 12th Night Cake. Over time gifts have become more elaborate and are stored under the tree. The roast turkey dinner also came about in Victorian Britain, replacing the older meals of beef and goose. The turkey was a perfect size for a middle-class family gathering and reflected rising incomes.

Victorians did not originate carol singing but they actively revived and popularized the custom. Old words were put to new tunes and the first significant collection of carols was published in 1833. The Christmas carol originated in the Middle Ages as Latin song, mostly about the Virgin or the saints. There were a number of types of carols sung, including the French caroles sung at court, popular religious songs such as Corpus Christi and hymns. In the 17th century the singing of carols came under stricture by the Puritans. However, popular tradition continued with carols passed on orally or in broadsheets. Many of what we consider carols were Christmas hymns, such as "O Come All Ye Faithful," "Joy to the World," and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" (set to a tune by Mendelssohn). Much of what we think of as traditional carols were either collected or written by those hoping to revive older traditions in collections such as Christmas Carols Old and New (1871). The earliest Canadian carol to be published was probably "A Canadian Christmas Carol" by James P. Clarke, which was published in Anglo-Canadian Magazine in 1853." [1]

The narration above mentions the importance during the Victorian era of Christmas sweets, including puddings, cakes and candy confections. They were also popular in early Greenwood. In an ad from the Greenwood Miner, December 22nd, 1900, we find a specific mention of the all-important plum pudding, an 'old English' tradition:

"You can almost fancy you were in an Old Country store when you visit Kerfoot's on Greenwood street. They have for sale home-made mincemeat, genuine old English plum pudding (guaranteed six months old), home-made Christmas cake, pastry, etc. No Christmas party is complete without some of our mince pies. We shall also have boiled turkey, goose, chicken, ham, etc. Leave your order early."

This Boundary Creek Times advertisement confirms that a good range of baking ingredients was also available in Greenwood:

Twelfth Night Cake

"Twelfth Night Cake" was a spiced fruitcake that was served on 5th January during the first part of Queen Victoria's reign. It is thought that the inclusion of spices was an allusion to the gifts of the Three Wise Men. Though sometimes referred to as "Plum Cake", plums were not included amongst the usual mix of druid fruits. Twelfth night being the end of the Christmas festivities, grand houses often threw parties to celebrate.

It was customary to bake a bean and a pea into the cake icing. The cake was divided in two and presented to revelers upon arrival, so that a ge3ntleman would find a bean in his piece (he would become King of the Revellers for the evening); and a pea would be in one of the ladies' portions (she would be Queen). In more modest households, the bean would be "found" by one of the senior members of the family and they would become a guardian of the household for the following year.

Towards the end of the century, Queen Victoria outlawed such revelry. Subsequently, the cake became known as Christmas Cake (without the bean) and is found today at festive occasions around the world."_[2]

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The Canadian Encyclopedia - Christmas

[2] Jacquie Lawson, Victorian Christmas