The Story
Remebering Tradition in CW
It’s that time of year again. We’re hanging our stockings, drinking eggnog, (although, according to my friends, that may only be me) and buying gag gifts for the kids on our hall. The holiday rituals are abound. While the “kid’s table” at my Grandma’s house, ridiculous sweaters and the morning viewing of "It’s a Wonderful Life" are the endearments of my childhood, it’s the rituals on campus and in Colonial Williamsburg that make this season complete for me. There’s blowout, the Yule log and late nights at Swem. There’s the hot cider at Aromas, the ornate wreathes along every door of Duke of Gloucester Street and Grand Illumination. Cynics will tell you that Christmas is simply consumerism at its finest, but in defense of Christmas and the season’s rituals in general, I turn to the past.
For colonists in 18th century Williamsburg, Christmas was more a holy day than holiday. Eighteenth-century Anglicans prepared to celebrate the Nativity during Advent, the beginning of the Western liturgical year. December 25th marked the start of the twelve days of Christmas lasting until January 6th. Most families went to church Christmas morning. However, according to Michael Omert’s article: “Williamsburg’s Long Christmas”, “the devotional side was far outweighed by the balls, fox hunts, horse races, sumptuous dinners, and the firing of guns”.
In Williamsburg, "Twelfth Night" was the focus of the Christmas season. “The most extravagant balls, with many guests and lasting several days, were mounted at the finest homes”. The college, the Indian school and the grammar school closed on December 16th, and reopened after the twelfth night.
Unfortunately, 18th century children were not included in the festivities of twelfth night. They didn’t often have gifts to look forward to either. Shopkeepers placed ads noting small items appropriate as holiday gifts such as sweets in small quantities. These were given by the masters of the home to their dependents, including slaves or paid servants. Children might look forward to an “improving book” during the twelve days of Christmas, but that was about it.
While children may not have been expecting great gifts Christmas morning, there were a number of festivities specifically designed for them. One of the traditions of the twelfth night celebration was to bake items into twelfth night cakes. These items could range from chess pieces to coins to tiny beans. In the King of the Bean game, a large twelfth night cake would be served to the family, the youngest child would slice and serve the cake, and the person who received the piece with the bean inside was crowned the King of the Bean.
Christmas decorations were also quite different in colonial America. The symbol most associated with Christmas besides Santa Claus, the brightly decorated Christmas tree, was non-existent in Williamsburg. There were no Yule logs, and while today, the residents of DoG Street spend hours creating those beautiful natural decorations, “they are an inaccurate re- creation of eighteenth-century customs and materials. Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, and limes would never have been wasted on any form of decoration. A pineapple was considered a precious commodity in the eighteenth century and would not have been used as a door or mantel centerpiece”, According to Emma L. Powers’ article “Christmas Customs”.
Usually the decorations for the midwinter holidays consisted of “whatever natural materials looked attractive at the bleakest time of year”, evergreens, berries, and forced blossoms.
Christmas was not celebrated throughout the colonies; in fact it was outlawed in many places in New England. David DeSimone’s article “Another Look at Christmas in the 18th Century” explains that in 1659, the Puritan General Court of Massachusetts forbade, “under the fine of five shillings per offense” the celebration of Christmas. The Assembly of Connecticut, in the same period, prohibited “the reading of the Book of Common Prayer, the keeping of Christmas and saints' days, the making of mince pies, the playing of cards, or performing on any musical instruments.”
These statutes remained in force until they were repealed early in the nineteenth century. The Quakers also completely dismissed the celebration of Christmas in Philadelphia.
Christmas has changed significantly in the past two-hundred-and-fifty years. Now we crowd the tree, clamoring to tear open our presents on Christmas morning, and emulate Clark Griswald and deck our houses in thousands of twinkling lights. I think if these historical facts tell us anything, it’s that the men and women of 18th century Williamsburg knew how to have a good time and enjoy their holiday season. So, this year, in the spirit of the colonial Christmas, I may just slip a bean into someone’s dinner roll, but this may be why I’m still at the kid’s table.