21 December - What is the winter solstice anyway?

21 December is traditionally the date of the winter solstice, the year's longest night and shortest day, and sometimes referred to as Yule. The winter solstice occurs at the instant when the Sun's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane from the observers' hemisphere. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the event of the winter solstice occurs some time between December 20 and December 23 each year in the northern hemisphere.

The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradually lengthening nights and shortening days. How cultures interpret this is varied, since it is sometimes said to astronomically mark either the beginning or middle of a hemisphere's winter. Though the winter solstice lasts an instant, the term is also colloquially used to refer to the full 24-hour period of the day on which it occurs.

Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings and other ritual celebrations around that time.

Did you know...?
The word solstice derives from Latin sol, meaning 'sun', and sistere, 'to stand still'.

Saint Thomas' Day is also celebrated on 21 December. Saint Thomas is commemorated on this day because he was the last one of the apostles to become convinced of Jesus' resurrection - in other words, he was the one who for the longest time remained in the 'night of unbelief and doubt.' He is also supposedly to have died on this day c. AD72, near Chennai in India.

These are various traditions practised on this day, particularly in Germany, including the Thomasfaulpelz or Domesel, and the Rittberg wedding.

Thomasfaulpelz or Domesel (the 'lazybone' or 'donkey' of Saint Thomas day) were names given to the last person to get out of bed and for the last student to appear in class on that particular morning in Westphalia (roughly the region between the Rivers Rhine and Weser, located north of the Ruhr River).

The Rittburgische Hochzeit (Rittberg wedding), also in Westphalia, was an opulent meal served in the belief that if you ate well on Saint Thomas day, you could expect to do so all of the next year.

So, Happy Saint Thomas Day!

20 December - Do you like to be scared?

Christmas has long been a time for telling tales around a roaring fire on a cold winter's night. There is, of course, the story of the Nativity, as related through the Bible, but another favourite of the festive season is the ghost story!

Probably the most well-known Christmas ghost story is Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, but it is by no means the only one. Some of the best Christmas ghost stories were written by M. R. James (1862-1936). Many of them were intended for reading aloud, to select gatherings of friends, as Christmas Eve entertainments.

So accomplished a write of ghost stories was he, that his method of story-telling is now known as Jamesian. The classic Jamesian tale includes a characterful setting, a nondescript and rather naive gentleman-scholar protagonist, and the discovery of an old book or other antiquarian object that results in attracting the unwanted attention of some supernatural menace, usually from beyond the grave. James' intention was always to, 'put the reader into the position of saying to himself: "If I'm not careful, something of this kind may happen to me!"'

Continuing in this Jamesian vein, this Christmas, BBC Four will be screening Crooked House, a haunting tale of three sumptuous ghost stories woven together for a spooky Christmas treat, written by Mark Gatiss (The League Of Gentlemen) and directed by Damon Thomas (Beethoven).

Shot in HD, Crooked House boasts a wonderfully diverse cast which includes Julian Rhind-Tutt (Green Wing), Mark Gatiss, Philip Jackson (Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk To Finchley), Lee Ingleby (George Gently), Jean Marsh (Sense And Sensibility), Samuel Barnett (Beautiful People), Daniela Denby-Ashe (My Family), Anna Madeley (Brideshead Revisited) and, in his debut dramatic role, illusionist Derren Brown as the mysterious Sir Roger Widdowson.

In addition to writing and co-producing the drama, Gatiss takes the role of a museum curator with an in-depth knowledge of the fictional Geap Manor, stretching through Tudor, Georgian, the Twenties and contemporary times.

When school teacher Ben unearths an old door knocker in the garden of his new home, the curator suggests it may come from the now-demolished house. A house reputed to be haunted... Intrigued, Ben prompts the curator to tell him some of stories about the house and so begins a journey through time.

A corrupt Georgian businessman finds something unexpected in the woodwork of his new home. In the Twenties, a young couple's happy engagement party is spoiled by the spectre of a ghostly bride. And, back in the present day, Ben soon finds himself in darker, more dangerous waters than he could possibly have foreseen...

Mark Gatiss says of Crooked House: "Ever since I was a child and thrilled to the BBC's classic MR James adaptations, I've dreamt of sending a festive shiver down the nation's spine. I'm delighted to finally have the opportunity. A fantastic cast and crew have worked incredibly hard to fulfil this long held dream."



Did you know...?

On this day in 2007, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II became the oldest ever monarch of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years, 7 months and 29 days.

17 December - Saturnalia

17 December is the date on which the Roman festival of Saturnalia began, and Saturnalia is, of course, one of the ancient pagan festivals that influenced the development of our own modern Christmas.
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As its name might suggest, Saturnalia was held in honour of Saturn, the Roman god of of agriculture and the harvest, and specifically commemorated the dedication of his temple. In time the festival came to last a whole week.
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What made Saturnalia stand out from many other religious festivals was the way in which it was marked by tomfoolery and a reversal of conventional social roles, in which slaves and masters ostensibly switched places. This particular aspect of Saturnalia lives on today most obviously in the modern pantomime.
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You can find out more about the traditions of Saturnalia (as well as those of Christmas itself) in What is Myrrh Anyway?

16 December - What is Eggnog anyway?

Eggnog is a popular drink throughout the Americas, and is usually associated with winter celebrations such as Christmas and New Year, funnily enough. But what exactly is it?

To put it scientifically, it is a sweetened dairy-based beverage made with milk, cream, sugar, beaten eggs (which gives it a frothy texture) and flavoured with ground cinnamon and nutmeg. However, to most it is simply a tasty alcoholic festive drinks that warms the cockles of the heart on a cold winter's night.

The drink originated in Europe in the 1700s. To keep them warm during the cold winters people developed a drink that mixed warm milk and eggs with Sherry or Brandy to keep the chill at bay. This was served in a noggin - a small, wooden mug - and, as a result became nicknamed 'eggnog'.

During the 1800s Eggnog became hugely popular in England, especially at Christmastime. It was served as a classic punch, in large volumes to all holiday visitors. It was served both warm and cold to anyone who came calling during the winter season.

Did you know...?
American President George Washington loved eggnog and made up his own recipes.

If you're a fan of Eggnog yourself or you've never tried it before and would like to give it a go, then why not try out this simple recipe from Sarah Rutledge's The Carolina Housewife (1847)?

Eggnog

6 eggs

2 pints of milk

Half a pint of brandy

6 table-spoons of sugar

Beat the yolks and sugar together, and the whites until they are very hard. Mix in the brandy, then boil the milk and pour it into the mixture. 19th century Eggnog - done!

Did you know?

Eggnog has long been believed to be an excellent source of magnesium.

9 December - The Merry Medieval Month of December

For out Medieval forebears, December was the month of slaughter. Animals that would cost to much to feed throughout the cold winter season would be butchered at the beginning of December, with only some animals left for breeding stock for the next year. With so much fresh meat around, and with the autumn harvest still filling the storehouses, is it any wonder that the Feast of Christmas was exactly that.

A highlight of the feast was the bringing in of the boar's head, and which is where our own traditional Christmas ham originates from (in part). And of course before that the boar had to be caught, and so the Christmas hunt was also a popular part of the Medieval Christmas for those among the upper echelons of society.

Today, 9 December, also happens to be Saint Budock's feast day. Budock (aka Budoc, Budo, Budeux and Beuzec) was supposedly the son of a king of Brittany and of Azenor, the daughter of the ruler of Brest, in France. Azenor is said to have been exiled in a cask, and Budock was born at sea, attended by Saint Brigid. He was raised in a monastery near Waterford, in Ireland, and became first the abbot of the house and then bishop of Dol, in Brittany. Budock ruled there for twenty-six years. However, another tradition claims that Budock was an Irish hermit who settled in Budock, near Falmouth, England.

7 December - Christmas Number 1

In two weeks' time, the Christmas number 1 for 2008 will be announced. But who's it going to be?

Bookies' favourites include the (now) inevitable X Factor winner, but also Peter Kay as his Geraldine McQueen persona. Also in the running (apparently) are Terry Wogan and Aled Jones singing Little Drummer Boy, Leona Lewis, Take That, Rolf Harris and the Fron Male Choir, Bob the Builder and Only Men Aloud (the winners of Last Choir Standing ).

I have to say that Terry and Aled's effort is a poor pastiche of the Bing Crosby and David Bowie classic, which you can enjoy here. But while you do, check out Bing expression - he obviously has no idea who David Bowie is!

6 December - St Nicholas Day

Today, Saturday 6 December, is the feast day of one particularly well-known Christmas saint, Saint Nicholas.

















Saint Nicholas was a fourth-century bishop of Myra in modern day Turkey and is the patron saint of children, amongst other things including seafarers. In countries like the Netherlands, and its European neighbours, 6 December is the day when Saint Nicholas delivers presents presents and sweets to well-behaved children (rather than on Christmas Eve as Father Christmas does in this country).




I happened to go to Myra some years ago and visited the Church of Saint Nicholas. (St Nicholas' also happened to be the church I went to as a child.) The image which will always remain with me is that of the statue of Saint Nicholas, in full Christmas regalia, in the baking Mediterranean sun. Very festive!

Ho, ho, ho.

3 December - Jingle all the way

A perennial favourite of the Christmas season is the world renowned 'Jingle Bells' - originally called 'One Horse Open Sleigh' - but did you know that the song is over 150 years old?

It was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) in 1857 and, at the time, it had a different chorus melody, which was more classical in character. The 1857 lyrics also differed slightly from those we know today.

The song has been translated into many languages and was also the first song broadcast from outer space, in a Christmas-themed prank by Gemini 6 astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra, on December 16, 1965.

On the side of a building in the center of Medford Square in Medford, Massachusetts, USA, there is a plaque commemorating the birthplace of 'Jingle Bells'. However, in Savannah, Georgia, there is a marker commemorating the composition of 'Jingle Bells' in a church there where Pierpont served as music director.

And here, for your delectation, is Crazy Frog's version of 'Jingle Bells' with some more of those crazy Christmas lights so beloved of this blog. Enjoy!

1 December - Devils, Saints and Horseshoes

Pinch, punch, first of the month - and no returns!

Yes, it's 1 December and day one of the What is Myrrh Anyway? Advent calendar.

December was the tenth month of the Roman calendar (decem meaning ten). The Anglo-Saxons referred to it as both Winter Monath and Yule Monath, but after many of them were converted to Christianity it became known as Heligh Monath or 'holy month'.

1 December itself, is the feast day of Saint Eligius, the patron saint of goldsmiths and other metalworkers (including blacksmiths), who died on this day AD 660.

The following legends are often linked to Saint Dunstan, another smithying saint, but have also been applied to Saint Eligius.

The Saint, formerly a blacksmith was working at his forge when the Devil paid him a visit, disguised as a beautiful woman, with a view to leading him astray. However the Saint spotted the cloven hooves beneath the dress, and grabbed the devil's nose with his red hot pincers! Thus foiling Satan's evil intentions.

According to another legend, Satan returned again as a weary traveller in need of a horseshoe. The Saint saw through the disguise once again and beat the Devil until he pleaded for mercy, and swore never to enter any house with a horseshoe above the door.

So now you know.

The What is Myrrh Anyway? Advent Calendar

As I'm sure you already know, the period of four weeks leading up to Christmas is called Advent and in many households the days left until Christmas are counted down with the aid of an Advent calendar. But how did such a tradition come about?

Well, What is Myrrh Anyway? has all the answers, along with facts about Christmas turkey, Twelfth Night, mince pies and cracker pulling.

And during the month of December, the What is Myrrh Anyway? blog will have an alternative Advent calendar. Rather than opening a door every day to reveal a chocolate, if you log on each day you'll find a new Christmas-related post or festive fact.

So add this blog to your list of favourites and I'll see you tomorrow...

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PS - If you're yet to get your Advent calendar for this year you could try this one from Thornton's, or this online version.