Category Archives: Regency Life

Regency Christmas Traditions: Christmas Carols-Songs of Joy

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Caroling and Christmas carols played a distinct part in regency era Christmas celebrations. Start of Caroling People have used songs and music as a part of celebration for as long as we have recorded history. The word carol comes from Latin the words meaning sing and joy. Thus carols are songs of joy. The songs we know as Christmas carols have both sacred and secular roots. Some began as hymns of the church. Da, puer, … Continue reading →

Regency Christmas Traditions: Mumpers, Mummers and Sword Dancers

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A full month of posts to celebrate the Christmastide season. Stories, traditions, recipes, videos, games and a giveaway to fill your Yuletide with Regency Era fun. Amidst all the fun and frivolity of the season, charity also played a large part of the Christmastide season. In addition to the normal parish collections, an number of other seasonal opportunities for charity came during the Christmas season. St. Thomas Day The Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, celebrated … Continue reading →

Regency Christmas Traditions: Boar’s Head and Brawn

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Traditional foods are always important to a celebration. Every family and culture has particular dishes that speak of holidays. Festivities would be incomplete without them. Regency celebrants looked for the appearance of Boar’s Head and/or Brawn on the Christmas dinner table. Boar’s Head and Brawn Wild boar was the most feared animal. (Even today feral hogs cause much destruction and anxiety in modern neighborhoods.)  Its presence at a meal represented the victory of good over evil. … Continue reading →

Regency Traditions Video: Parlor Games

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Parlor Games are a perfect resource for Christmas fun. It’s hard to resist some of these good, old-fashioned games. Play Your Your Own Parlor Games A couple more just for a little more Christmas fun.  Twirling the Trencher (or spinning the plate)  Find an unbreakable, rigid plate (plastic, wood ect. Paper will not work.) Seat the players in a circle with a large open space in the middle. The first player stands in the middle of the circle and … Continue reading →

Regency Christmas Traditions: Parlor Games pt 2

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<p>&nbsp;</p> Christmas and Twelfth Night parties were times of particular fun and frivolity. Parlor games, like snapdragon and bullet pudding made up a large part of the fun. They were played by all classes of society and often involved overstepping the strict bound of propriety. These games often provided the opportunity for flirtation and communication between the sexes that otherwise would have been forbidden, thus their popularity. Losers often paid a forfeit, which could be an … Continue reading →