Christmas traditions in the UK

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The traditional turkey appeared on the Christmas table in the 16th century when farmers needed their cattle for their milk and their hens for their eggs.

The Christmas table

In the UK, as in other countries around the world, the Christmas table is set at midday or early afternoon on Christmas Day. Tradition calls for roast turkey, with cranberry sauce and various vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, peas and Brussels sprouts, to be honored on this day.

It is worth noting, however, that the turkeys were not of local origin.

They first came to Britain in the 16th century and began to “decorate” the Christmas table when farmers needed their cattle for their milk and their hens for their eggs.

Before turkey, the British at this time ate geese, game or even peacocks.

Dessert is often Christmas pudding accompanied by lots of chocolates. The Christmas cake is also popular. This is a rich fruit cake covered in marzipan and frosting. The table is decorated with the now familiar Christmas crackers and sometimes with flowers and candles.

The Christmas tree

The tradition of the Christmas tree is lost over the centuries. According to one version, the roots of the custom lie in pagan ceremonies. Pagans believed that evil spirits lived inside the fir tree. To appease them, they used to decorate it during the New Year celebration. Another version holds that the custom is related to winter celebrations for the change of weather as the fir tree is a symbol of evergreen nature.

The modern version of the tradition begins in Germany, where initially the tree was decorated with fruits, sweets and later with candles. Little by little in the 18th century the custom spreads to Protestant countries and in the 19th to the rest of the Christian world. At this time it was brought to England by Prince Albert, the German husband of Queen Victoria. The custom was quickly adopted by the British and now for most Christmas would not be Christmas without a tree at home.

Its decoration is usually a family affair since it is done with the help of everyone. For the British family, it doesn’t matter when the decorating starts. In recent years it usually takes place in the first two weeks of December. Nevertheless, according to the British tradition, it is very important when the house will be decorated. This should be done on the 12th day after Christmas, ie on January 5th. Otherwise, tradition says that you will be unlucky all year round.

There is no longer a town, a village, a neighborhood, a pub, a department store, but also many small shops, that does not have a beautifully decorated tree. In London, the huge Christmas tree that has been erected every year in Trafalgar Square since 1947 is a gift from the Norwegians as a sign of gratitude to the British for the support they provided during the second world war. At that time the Norwegian King and the country’s government had taken refuge in London from where they organized a large part of the Norwegian resistance.

The monarch’s Christmas message

The monarch’s Christmas message is always one of the most popular programs on television on Christmas Day. Last year on this day, 24 million people tuned in to hear Queen Elizabeth. The tradition began with King George V, the great-grandfather of today’s King Charles III, when in 1932, he made the first radio address.

George V’s first message was written by English author Rudyard Kipling and broadcast live from a purpose-built studio on the Sandriham estate. This continued over the following years until 1957, when Queen Elizabeth made the first televised royal Christmas address. From then on he gave a speech almost every year which usually referred to the state of the world and British politics.

This year’s speech by King Charles III, which will also be his maiden speech, is awaited with great interest.

According to the palace announcement, “Her Majesty’s” first Christmas message was filmed at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. While as pointed out the Christmas tree seen in the video was decorated “with ornaments made from sustainable materials including paper and glass as well as natural products such as pine cones”. After the Christmas message was recorded, “the Christmas tree was reused by St. George’s Chapel for visitors to enjoy,” the palace’s statement said.

Second day of Christmas or otherwise Boxing Day

The second day of Christmas also known as Boxing Day in Britain and other Commonwealth countries and is a public holiday. But the shops are open as the winter sales also start on this day. Traditionally the prices of the products fall very low and that is why the shops are full of people. Images with queues of people waiting to enter department stores are typical.

Although there are many theories about the origins of this day’s traditions, it is generally believed to have started in the Victorian era, in the 19th century, when the wealthy gave gifts to the poor on the day after Christmas. Sometimes they were even given gifts they had received from friends and relatives and they didn’t like them. Another version says that on this day the wealthy made charitable donations of boxes of food and other supplies to the needy. Another feature of this day is that the English enjoy football as it is not a holiday for the Premiership and the league continues as normal.

Christmas cards

The British Christmas tradition of sending cards dates back to 1843. Back then, according to an urban legend, a gentleman named Sir Henry Cole didn’t have time to send personal Christmas messages. That’s why he asked artist John Calcott to design him a card that he could send to multiple recipients. And so Christmas cards were born.

Belfast’s Black Santa

In 1976 the then Archimandrite of Belfast Cathedral, Sammy Cooks, wanting to help charities during the Christmas holidays, sat outside the cathedral and asked passers-by for money. His first attempt went quite well, so he repeated it the following year, where it did even better.

This “sit out” has continued over the years and is now a local custom. So every year on such days the archimandrite of the temple in his black cassock sits outside the church and collects money. Now ‘Black Santa’ donations are also being made online and are raising thousands of pounds for charity.

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