Review
How much do you know about the origins of some of the stranger Christmas traditions around the world, asks Sarah Lapsley.
- The Encyclopaedia of Christmas
- Atlantic
C is for Crazy and Christmas
Christmas comes just once a year - but how much do we really know about its history, customs and traditions around the world?
In this marvelous miscellany of merrymaking, Gerry Bowler explains and celebrates every aspect of Christmas - its food, drink, carols, fables, gift-giving and traditions. Bowler misses nothing, taking in everything from the Wren Boys of Ireland, to mumming and wassailing.
It never ceases to amaze me when I discover customs from my own part of the world that I was unaware of and the description and explanation here of the wren hunts on St Stephen’s Day are no exception. This part alone makes the book worth the cover price for me. On December 26th, crowds of people take to the roads in various parts of Ireland, dressed in masks or straw suits and accompanied by musicians – remembering a festival that long predates Christmas. In some areas, the wren boys are called mummers and the festival has a strong English influence, incorporating characters like St. George.
The wren, apparently, is blamed for betraying St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. This is the usual explanation why the wren is the hunted bird on St. Stephen’s Day.
However, it’s not just the Irish who have their own strange Christmas customs and characters; from the Feast of Fools to the origins of eggnog; Santa and Babushka to robins and reindeer; and chimney and chocolate coins to mince pies and Miracle on 34th Street – Bowler leaves no Christmas stone unturned. Fascinating and fun.
