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If you’ve ever celebrated Christmas in Britain, or with a British family, then you probably have had some experience with Christmas crackers. These are traditionally part of the Christmas dinner. These days, Christmas crackers comes in various designs but in the simplest form, a cracker is made of a cardboard tube with festive wrapping twisted in such a way that there are two ends. Two people have to pull at each end, and then it pops (cracks) to reveal the surprise inside. The pop is due to some chemically treated strip of paper inside the tube; the surprise usually a party hat or some other treat. The aim is to get the longer end of the cracker in order to “win” the treat.
Obviously, people would be wanting to get the longer end of the Christmas cracker all the time. This has led British researchers to come up with a formula that will ensure success at the table. AFP reports:
Diners are guaranteed success if they follow the formula O=11xC/L+5xQ which is based on the angle, grip and quality of the cracker. You must first multiply the circumference of the cracker in inches (C) by 11 before dividing that number by the length (L) of the barrel.
Take that total and add it to the figure you get when you multiply the quality (Q) — either 1, 2 or 3 depending on whether the cracker is cheap, standard or premium — by five, the Daily Mail said. The formula ought to produce a figure between 20 and 55 degrees, which is the optimum pulling angle (O). The cracker should also be pulled one inch from the end of the tail, newspapers said.
Too much trouble, don’t you think? Then again, if you want bragging rights, it wouldn’t hurt to practice and get it perfect for next year!
Every year, the British Royal Family spends Christmas Day walking – no, strolling – to church and back. This year, it was no different. The whole family went to St. Mary Magdalene, which is located in their estate in Norfolk. Naturally, a crowd gathered to see the nobles with their own eyes.
Tradition dictates that the entire family gather at this time of the year in Sandringham, Queen Elizabeth II’s private estate. As they walked to church, around a thousand onlookers extended their Christmas greetings to the Royal Family – either expressly or silently. Some, like Debbie Barlett, got an extra treat. Barlett is a 51-year-old carer who lives near the estate. She got a hug and a kiss from Prince William, who is third in line to the throne.
After church, the family had lunch, which is traditionally served at 1:00 pm. The traditional meal usually features a turkey (the huge kind, of course), which is raised in the estate. After lunch, everyone sits back and relaxes to watch Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas Day broadcast, which is aired at 3:00pm.
Opening of gifts do not happen on Christmas Day but Christmas Eve. This is another thing that the Royal Family does differently from the rest of the nation, which opens gifts on 25 December. Instead, the Royal Family follows in the footsteps of the Germans and open their gifts on Christmas Eve.
Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? I wonder if they have any secret parties that common folk like us do not hear about?
The red poppy was first used as a symbol to remember those who have died in war. Its use is attributed to Moina Bell Michael, an American teacher who raised funds for those who used to be in the military by selling silk poppies. The United States officially dubbed the silk poppy as the emblem for remembrance in 1920, and the UK followed suit a year after.
In about a week’s time, the nation will be celebrating Remembrance Day, and poppies will be all over the place yet again. Did you know that while red is the predominant colour that is used, poppies can also be worn in white and purple? White poppies trace their roots to 1933, thanks to the Women’s Cooperative Guild. The colour white stands for an end to all wars – peace. Purple poppies on the other hand are worn to commemorate animals which have fallen victim to wars.
Whichever colour of poppy you choose to wear, you should know that there is a time to wear the emblem. The norm is to wear poppies from 1 November until 11 November, which is Armistice Day. However, there are those who believe that poppies should only be worn until Remembrance Sunday.
Another thing you ought to take into consideration is where to wear your poppy – left or right? You will hear differing opinions, but the Royal British Legion maintains the stand that no place is right or wrong. What matters is that you wear that poppy with pride.
So, go ahead and get yourself a poppy and remind yourself – and everyone around you – what others have gone through and what you have to be thankful for.
Photo courtesy of The Daily Mail
Looks like I can’t seem to stop myself from writing about food…
Today, the 2009 British Food Fair opened in Taipei, Taiwan. The food fair is being overseen by the British Trade and Cultural Office, in cooperation with City’Super, a well known high end supermarket in the country. The features of the food fair are, according to BTCO Director David Campbell, “sweet and savoury products specially sourced from the United Kingdom to bring local customers the taste of traditional British culinary culture.”
Naturally, the British tradition of tea and biscuits is the focal point of the food fair. In fact, Clare Lear of the British Assistance and Services Section of BTCO gave a demonstration on how to whip up a British afternoon tea using some of the products on display in the food fair. Some of these products include tea, biscuits, sauces, and chocolate.
The food fair will run until 4 September and is being hosted by three branches of the supermarket in the city. People who visit the food fair will be in for a treat – not only because of the UK food products being presented but also because they have the chance to win a round trip ticket to the UK, a Brompton Baby Pink bicycle, and a Dyson vacuum cleaner. In addition to these, entrance tickets to the Pixar 20th anniversary exhibition are also up for grabs.
While majority of the British might not have had the chance to visit Taipei, it does give you a sense of pride to know that people on the other side of the world are interested in your culture, doesn’t it?
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Posted on Dec 27, 2008 by Jodie in English Cuisine, English Culture, English Places, English Traditions
With a history and culture as rich as it can be, there is no doubt that one can experience a myriad of festivities all throughout the country during the period of Christmas. As diverse as the activities are, one of the most popular is going around visiting various Christmas markets.
Year in and year out, visitors and locals alike look forward to Christmas markets all over the country. Here are some of the popular ones this year.
Bath Christmas Market
This has been a tradition in Bath since 2001. The town itself has a lot of other things to offer, especially the historic Abbey where the market is located. The traditional wooden stalls used as shops in the market add to the ambiance. More so, one can expect a lot of unique items.
Frankfurt Christmas Market
This is being held in Birmingham and is considered the largest Christmas market outside of Germany and Austria – definitely a unique experience!
Manchester Christmas Markets
Manchester is not to be outdone when it comes to markets this Christmas. It has more than one! There is a traditional German market, a European market, and an Arts and Crafts Market.
These are only a few of the on going Christmas markets in Britain today. More than the food, crafts, and other items on sale, visitors can enjoy the festive atmosphere with the entertainment being offered everywhere. This is a good time to feel the English culture at its festive best – wherever in England you may want to go.
Who has not heard of the Christmas card? Just like many things associated with Christmas, most people all over the world know about it. I actually do not know anyone – from Europe, the Americas, and Asia – who has not received or given at least one Christmas card in his lifetime. Have you?
For many, though, Christmas cards are merely part of the celebrations. They do not really know the origins of this tradition. Let’s take a step back in time and see where this humble – but powerful – piece of paper came from
The year was 1843. The protagonists men named John Calcott Horsley and Henry Cole. These two men came up with the idea of what we now know as the Christmas card. Yet was this really the root of the card? Historians actually say that even as far back as the ancient Roman times, a form of the Christmas card was already in practice. It is said that the emperors in those times received tablets with engravings as gifts for the New Year. The practice was for the people to send these tablets to their leader. In a sense, those tablets were the first Christmas cards.
Obviously, as time passed by, modifications were made and the Christmas card as we know it today could be traced back to Horsley and Cole’s creation. It was in 1846 that the first commercial printing of the Christmas card was done. The design was simple – a family drinking a toast and the caption “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you.” A thousand copies were made but they didn’t really sell.
From those humble origins, Christmas cards have gone a long way. Have you gotten and sent your Christmas yet?
You probably hear them everyday now. Christmas songs are played most everywhere and if you turn the radio on, you will probably hear them being played even more. In some countries, Christmas songs are played as early as September. More often than not, though, the really successful songs are those that were created eons ago – the classics, as we call them.
Over the decades, though, year in and year out, artists attempt to come up with their own Christmas songs. I am not talking about remakes of the oldies but modern originals. Yet I still have to find one that can hold its own amongst Christmas songs of old. It seems that the experts are thinking the same way. Pete Paphides of The Times Online tried his hand at defining what a great Christmas song is:
An uphill struggle? “Yes, that’s one way of looking at it.” Displaying the laconic realism that was once the hallmark of his old band Squeeze, Chris Difford is contemplating the task that he set himself when the BBC asked him single-handedly to revive the pan-generational irony-swerving Christmas classic. Has he pulled it off?
When his choir-festooned, bells-blazing cockle-warmer Let’s Not Fight This Christmas airs on The One Show on BBC One tonight — all proceeds to Children in Need — you’ll get to judge for yourself. You would have to be “optimistic to the point of madness”, Difford acknowledges, to go into such an enterprise thinking that you might emulate deathless seasonal classics by Slade, Wizzard and the Pogues. “Not only are you fighting against the quality of those songs,” he adds, “but you’re fighting against the nostalgia people feel for those songs, not to mention The X Factor.”
He goes on to say that it seems that Christmas songs coming from the working class are more successful. I honestly do not know – I actually walked away from his article a bit confused. All I know is that a good Christmas song makes me feel nostalgic and giddily happy at the same time.
What makes a good Christmas song for you?
Today marks a special day in history. For many of the younger generation, it may not mean much more than a vague idea. Still, for many, November 11 is something that we cannot afford to forget for it marks the day that the First World War ended.
The red poppy has long been the symbol for death, life, and renewal. Three distinctly different things but all interrelated. This symbolism is attributed to Lt. Col. John McCrae who “was able to distill in a single vision the vitality of the red poppy symbol, his respect for the sacrifice made by his patients and dead comrades, and his intense feeling of obligation to them. McCrae would capture all of this in the most famous single poem of the First World War, In Flanders Fields.”
Today, the poppy remains the strongest symbolism of that war long ago. As the years pass, the memories and the implications may fade slowly for many people. Yet there are those who strive to keep the memory alive, if only to remind this generation and the coming generations of the stark horror that occurred. In this way, we hope that such a thing will never happen again.
I particularly like Jonathan Jones’s column for today. In it, he wrote:
Yet, the November rite of Remembrance, instituted to appease survivors and smooth official consciences, served its original purpose long ago. Why does it endure? Because there is nothing, nothing at all, that redeems the first world war in memory and turns it into happy lies. It is a scar, a void, a horror. In remembering it we are doing a duty to those who died with no glamour, no heroic myth, no purpose – like cattle.
The second world war killed more people but it generated myths. The first world war left no illusions standing. No myth-maker has ever been able to redeem it. In this war we therefore see the true face of all wars – the unmasked skull, rotting in a muddy trench. That’s why we should never forget it. That’s why we never can.
More than being moved, we should strive to keep the memory of the First World War alive and create something good out of it, don’t you think?
Festivals are always fun and people come from far and near to join in the festivities. In Britain, though, one of the most popular kinds of festivals is the literary festival. This is the time when people from all walks of life can come together and steep themselves in books and ideas. Literary festivals have long been part of the academic culture of the British. In the past, these festivals tended to be small and scattered all over. Today, there are huge festivals that enjoy a wider audience.
One of these literary festivals is the Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, which is currently being held. It stared on the 10th of October and will end on the 19th. There are so many events that are part of this literary festival and even the “biggest” people in Britain took part – and are taking part – in them.
The Times Online reports today:
Last Friday, Gordon Brown and Ian Dawes both came to The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival. The Prime Minister arrived in a bulletproof car with outriders; Mr Dawes, a middle-aged man from York, brought his caravan; Mr Brown stayed for one hour and attended one event; Mr Dawes plans to stay for a week and has tickets for 17 events. But otherwise their intentions were identical: to plunge into books and the ferment of ideas surrounding them.
You and I may be nobodies as compared to Gordon Brown and Ian Dawes but at a literary festival, we can all be equals as we seek to immerse ourselves in the wonderful world of literature. See you there!
Festivals and feast days are always important. More than having lots of food and getting together with family and friends, feast days usually have a deeper meaning, a reason for being special. Michaelmas Day is one feast day that takes root in religious tradition.
Currently celebrated on the 29th of September, Michaelmas Day is also known as the day of St. Michael and All Angels. It is actually also observed by the Roman Catholic Church. In Britain, it is observed by the Church of England. The Book of Days provides more in depth information regarding this day:
In England, it is one of the four quarterly terms, or quarter-days, on which rents are paid, and in that and other divisions of the United Kingdom, as well as perhaps in other countries, it is the day on which burgal magistracies and councils are re-elected. The only other remarkable thing connected with the day is a widely prevalent custom of marking it with a goose at dinner.
In the old times, however, Michaelmas Day was celebrated on another date. This is what is recorded in Wikipedia:
Old Michaelmas Day falls on October 11 (October 10 according to some sources). According to an old legend, blackberries should not be picked after this date. This is because, so folklore goes, Satan was banished from Heaven on this day, fell into a blackberry bush and cursed the brambles as he fell into them. According to Morrell (1977), this old legend is well-known in all parts of the United Kingdom, even been known as far north as the Orkney Islands.
Today, it is still widely celebrated and the goose is still the centerpiece of the feast.
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