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Victorian Christmas Traditions

Victorian Christmas Traditions . By: Vanessa E. Garcia. History. Origins date back to the beginning of the 19 th century in Victorian Britain. Introduced by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

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Victorian Christmas Traditions

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  1. Victorian Christmas Traditions By: Vanessa E. Garcia

  2. History • Origins date back to the beginning of the 19th century in Victorian Britain. • Introduced by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. • Wealth and Technology generated by the Industrial Revolution of the Victorian era changed the face of Christmas forever.

  3. The Tree • Queen Victoria’s German husband, Prince Albert helped make the Christmas Tree as popular in Britain as it had been in Germany. • The fashion of the decorated tree spread very quickly from that point on.

  4. The Christmas Card • In 1843, Henry Cole asked an artist to make a card for him to send out, featuring a family sitting around a dinner table and a Christmas message. • Victorian children were encouraged to make their own cards and evidence shows that Queen Victoria also had her children make their own. • Improvements in color printing technology and the new half-penny rate made it easier for many families to now participate • In 1880, over 11 million Christmas cards were printed.

  5. The Food • In Northern England, roast beef was the traditional Christmas dinner, while in London and the South, goose was the favorite. • The Christmas day menu for Queen Victoria was roast beef and a royal roast swan or two. • By the end of the century, most feasted on turkey. • Many poor people settled for rabbit.

  6. Father Christmas/Santa Claus • The bringer of the gifts. The two were actually entirely separate stories. • Father Christmas: was originally part of an old English Midwinter Festival, normally dressed in green, a sign of the returning of Spring. • St. Nicolas (Sinter Klaas in Holland) became known as Santa Claus and with him came his toy and gift distribution system-reindeer and sleigh.

  7. The Gifts • At first, Victorians gave and received presents to celebrate the New Year, but as the importance of Christmas as a family celebration grew, the gift-giving was moved to Christmas. • Children’s toys tended to be handmade and hence expensive, generally just for the “rich folk”. • Factories brought mass production which brought games, dolls, books and toys at affordable prices, affordable that is to the Middle Class. • In a “poor child’s” Christmas stocking (which came around 1870) only a apple, an orange or a few nuts could be found.

  8. The Carols • A small group would sing Christmas carols, walking from house to house, secretly hoping to be invited in for a hot drink. • Probably the best known Carol dates from 1824. • O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, Your branches green delight us!O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, Your branches green delight us!They're green when summer days are bright; They're green when winter snow is white.O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, Your branches green delight us!

  9. Victorians could not resist ghosts, even on Christmas • Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” was not particularly Christian. • The story is about Ebenezer Scrooge realizing, through the counsel of ghosts, that he must embrace his family, look after his clerk, and become the embodiment of generosity. • Christmas Eve was traditionally the time to tell these scary stories while curling up by the fire. • Breathe deeply, the ghost of Christmases past are gathering!

  10. Victorian Christmas Gift Ideas: • Mother: Scarf, Fan, Eau de Cologne. • Father: Slippers, Monogrammed Tobacco Pouch, Umbrella, Cigar Case. • Grandmother/Father: A plant, Picture Frame, Bookmark, Pomader. • Sister: Pretty hair ribbons, Small wax doll in a cradle, Sewng Set, Mittens. • Brother: Stamp Album, Painted wooden toy animals, Model Railway, Marbles, Money Box, Wind-up Soldier.

  11. Works Cited • http://www.victoriana.com/Victorian_Christmas/Christmas_in_the_Victorian_Times.html • https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/23/ghost-stories-victorians-spookily-good • https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/A-Victorian-Christmas/ • http://primaryfacts.com/210/victorian-christmas-facts-and-information/

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