Christmas in Victorian England

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Christmas in the Victorian Era was an exciting and heartwarming celebration. Christmas itself is rooted from pagan beliefs. In 1840 Prince Albert, who is of German decent, married Queen Victoria and brought the German customs of celebrating Christmas to England. Some of these customs include decorating the house with evergreens. The famous Christmas tree tradition began in 1847 when Prince Albert had Christmas trees, loaded with presents and wax candles, put up at Windsor Castle. This tradition spread as many citizens followed the royal example. Another custom was to hang several symbolic plants within your home. This included mistletoe, a plant on which bright white berries grew. It is custom to kiss under mistletoe; the number of berries is equal to the number of kisses because after every kiss a berry is removed. Another plant that was used to decorate your house was holly. Holly was considered a “male” plant and had to be carried into the house by a man. It was believed that the red berry on the holly plant protected against witchcraft. Another symbolic plant was ivy. Ivy was considered a “female” plant and symbolized immortality. Another Christmas custom was sending Christmas cards, this greatly increased holiday spirit. A Christmas morning custom that began long ago in England was going to morning mass and caroling. Carols were sung at home, at church, or to other families as entertainment. One of the most important parts of Christmas was the extravagant Christmas dinner that consisted of two parts. Part one would include some kind of poultry (goose, chicken, or a joint of roast beef) accompanied by potatoes or applesauce. The second part of dinner consisted of the delicious Christmas pudding. It was made out of beef, prunes, and raisins. The evening usually ended in a gift exchange, parlor games, and carol singing. The day after Christmas was known as Boxing

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