What is Victorian Christmas?
From Christmas cards to decorated trees and Christmas crackers, many of our best-known Christmas traditions are products of the Victorian era. Gift-giving had traditionally been a New Year activity, but moved as Christmas became more important to the Victorians.
How did poor Victorians celebrate Christmas?
Many poor people made do with rabbit. On the other hand, the Christmas Day menu for Queen Victoria and family in 1840 included both beef and of course a royal roast swan or two. By the end of the century most people feasted on turkey for their Christmas dinner.
Why did they put candles on Christmas trees?
It is widely thought that the Protestant reformer Martin Luther was the first to add a lit candle to a Christmas tree in around 1525. The candle was lit on Christmas Day itself to symbolise Christ’s arrival as the ‘Light of the World’, a phrase used by Christ to describe himself in the Gospel of St Matthew.
What did Victorians put on top of Christmas tree?
Decorating the Victorian Christmas tree Following the royal household’s lead, It quickly became a Victorian Christmas tradition and the height of fashion to set up a large tree and decorate it with lighted candles, sweet treats, fruit, nuts and cakes hung from the branches by ribbon.
How did the Victorians decorate their homes?
Victorian rooms were heavily decorated with rich furnishings, patterned wallpapers, colored tiles, pictorial tapestries, large houseplants, and chintz china. Interior surfaces were adorned with fleur-de-lys, medallions, arches, ovals, garlands and wreaths.
What was Christmas like before Victorian times?
The truth is that before the Victorians ‘invented’ Christmas trees, and Christmas dinners, and revived the Yule log, and Wassailing, many of the traditions of Christmas were regional, fostered by small closed societies created by difficulties of transportation and communication.
How was Christmas celebrated in the past?
Christmas was originally celebrated exclusively at public gatherings, but changed in the early-19th century, when families started celebrating on their own. After World War II, Christmas became a more commercial holiday. A greater number of stores had Christmas decorations and music.