Some suggest that the origins of Boxing Day can be found during the Victorian Era, but it appears to have begun much earlier.. “Good King Wenceslas Looked Out On The Feast Of Stephen” The traditional Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslas” points us to a 10th century start to the Boxing Day tradition. Wenceslas, a 10th century Bohemian Duke, surveyed his land on St. Stephen’s Day (Dec. 26) and saw a peasant gathering wood in the … Continue reading →
Each year, Regency era British theaters prepared Christmas pantomimes (pantos) that would begin on Boxing Day and run as long as the audiences demanded them. These were not silent productions, but rather very verbal performances that included the audience as an extra character in plays bearing many similarities to modern burlesque. The Pantomime Tradition The tradition of pantomimes and the pantomime characters in England traces back to medieval theater. Broadbent (1901) notes: A sketch of … Continue reading →
Black butter was another traditional Christmastide treat. Jane Austen mentioned black butter in a letter to her sister. One might infer that she liked it on the whole, but was rather unimpressed with this particular batch of it. December 27, 1808:The widgeon (a kind of duck) and the preserved ginger were as delicious as one could wish. But as to our black butter, do not decoy anybody to Southampton by such a lure, for it … Continue reading →
Why is Anne in such a hurry to get to the well on New Year’s morning? January 1, 1814 Early on New Year’s Day, Fitzwilliam made his way down to the morning room. There was something about the start of a new year that demanded rising early and reflecting upon what had been and what might be. It might be a custom unique to him, but New Year’s Day would not be right without it. … Continue reading →
