…that our Salisbury District Hospital has its own history archives? They include around 3 000 photographs, some of which show that, traditionally, they take Christmas very seriously up there!
Saint Nicholas, born AD270, comes to us today as Santa Claus, via Turkey, Holland…. and finally from the U.S.A.
As an early Christian bishop he became incredibly popular because of his apparent miracles, including the resurrection of three children who had been slaughtered by a butcher to sell during a time of famine! He also gave gold to the three daughters of a poor man who could not afford the dowries necessary for them to be married meaning they risked a miserable future of prostitution. He is said to have made the donation anonymously, throwing three bags of gold through the window of the tumble-down house. The father discovered who the patron was, others came to know, and the story seems to have become the basis of the tradition of Santa coming down the chimney with gifts.
Not unnaturally, St Nicholas became the patron saint of children, the poor, and of destitute women. Coming from the seaport town of Patara he was also adopted by seamen and merchants. It is via the latter connection that he was particularly popular in Holland.
The Dutch were one of the great trading peoples of the Middle Ages, and one of the important trading routes was that into the Mediterranean. This contact led to St Nicholas becoming popular in the Netherlands and these days, in Amsterdam, or in other ports nearby, on December 5th (St Nicholas’ feast day), a ship carrying Sinterklaas (Sint-Nicolaas ) arrives and up to a million people are said to come out to see his arrival and subsequent triumphant parade through the streets of the city. There is gift giving, and special food, including tangerines which represent the gold that St Nicholas gave for the daughters’ dowries.
Sinterklaase arrives by ship
Sinterklasse dressed as a bishop
A twelfth century depiction of St Nicholas. Familiar? And yes, he always has a beard!
Now, we might think that it is only a short crossing from Holland to Britain and that St Nicholas would have become popular here too. Indeed hundreds of churches were eventually dedicated to him here, but perhaps because the English had their own various Christmas traditions well entrenched early on, things were different here. Across Medieval England, Christmas was celebrated with afull twelve days of holiday, up to 6th January. This extended festival was marked by plenty of eating, drinking and playing as well as churchgoing. Since it followed Advent, a period of fasting, perhaps the excesses are understandable. There is an interesting item on all of this from Reading University here.
Instead, Sinterklasse travelled to America. Specifically, New York…or New Amsterdam as it was originally known. But it wasn’t the Dutch settlers who resurrected the old fellow. It was a group of businessmen from English stock who, around 1800, were keen to commercialise the ‘old’ America, and focused in on gift giving, not a general Medieval custom, but one that was passed down from St. Nicholas’s generosity in helping others, and part of the Dutch Sinerklasse tradition. In the United States, stores advertised Christmas shopping in 1820, and by 1840, United States newspapers were carrying Christmas advertisements, featuring ‘Santa Claus’. The lure of Santa and Christmas giving were becoming popular in the United States.
The first British Christmas card, 1846, does not include Santa. But it wouldn’t be long….
A small band from the museum gathered at St Thomas’ church this morning in preparation for their annual Christmas tree festival which looks to be lovelier than ever this year. It opens tomorrow, Tuesday, runs until Sunday 10th and is free.
St Thomas’ early today with some of the trees going in
What a magnificent setting for this delightful display each year!
A group of incredibly talented Salisbury Museum Volunteers have produced an amazing array of tree decorations, loosely linked to traditional folk tales and crafts. Amongst them are Sally, Mary, Elizabeth and Maggs, and look for the tiny star, front and centre, made from Downton lace by Pompi.
Many of the decorations were brought in anonymously. We hope that all our makers will see their work in the photographs here and go along to the church to see how wonderful the tree is, as a result of their efforts.
A Giant among greater giants
Thank you to all involved. Thank you to St Thomas’, and to all the other charities, organisations, businesses and schools who are part of the display. Do go along and enjoy it all, including refreshments and music.
In the museum we see metal detectorists who sometimes bring in, with other finds, the little musical instrument called a ‘Jew’s (or ‘Mouth’) Harp’. It’s not surprising, because they are metal, often of no great age and have survived in the ground quite well, and they were made for the mass market in the Victorian period.
Though sometimes dated to a later 17th to 18th-century post-medieval date, the number of Jew’s Harps reported as field finds is boosted by their mass production as novelty toys to be included in Christmas crackers. These first appeared invented c 1860 by Tom Smith of London and rapidly and achieved worldwide popularity by 1900. Thus many finds of Jews Harps are of that sort of date.
This Jew’s Harp is quite big at c 9cm in length, but most are smaller and would fit quite well in a Christmas cracker. It is missing a crucial feature – a flexibly strip of metal which would be attached to the rounded end and lie between the two ‘forks’. The rounded end is placed in the mouth and the strip plucked while the musician hums a tune!
A modern Jew’s Harp – available on Amazon!
The Christmas Cracker (with thanks to the V&A Museum)
The Christmas cracker was invented by London-based confectioner and baker Tom Smith (1823 – 1869) who set up shop in Goswell Road, Clerkenwell in the 1840s. Smith initially produced wedding cakes and sweets. On a trip to Paris he discovered the French ‘bon bon’, a sugared almond wrapped in a twist of tissue paper. Bonbons proved a hit at Christmas time in his crackers, and to encourage year-round sales, Smith added a small love motto inside the wrapper.
The inspiration to add the explosive ‘pop’ was supposedly sparked by the crackling sound of a log fire. Smith patented his first cracker device in 1847 and perfected the mechanism in the 1860s. It used two narrow strips of paper layered together, with silver fulminate painted on one side and an abrasive surface on the other – when pulled, friction created a small explosion. To stave off competition, the company introduced a range of cracker designs, which were marketed as a novelty for use at a wide range of celebrations. Tom’s son, Walter, added the elaborate hats, made of fancy paper, and sourced novelties and gifts from Europe, America and Japan. The success of the cracker enabled the business to grow and move to larger premises in Finsbury Square, employing 2,000 people by the 1890s, including many female workers.
Christmas Sweets
Those French bon bons were popular, and remain so, especially for celebrations. You frequently see them on the table at a wedding banquet.
Mint creams have become associated with Christmas although, as the name of one particular brand tells us, they were traditionally an after-dinner treat at any time., certainly since the 1870s. These days, if you want to buy them, it is relatively difficult, except at Christmas.
Another popular sweet is the world-famous Turkish Delight. It has become a firm favourite with those who like to give the gift of sweet treats at Christmas.
Dusted with icing sugar, these plump, fragrant sweets come in a variety of flavours. A favourite has to be the classic rose and lemon pairing. Historically known as ‘comfort of the throat’ in Arabic, these sugary treats were exchanged between the European upper classes, wrapped in silk handkerchiefs. In Britain, we like them wrapped in chocolate!
A group from the museum walked from the Close to St Thomas’ Church this morning, towing a trailer (Cuthbert to some!) containing several packages…and a Christmas tree.
Housekeeper Val led the way, being most familiar with Cuthbert’s temperament, Volunteers Mary and Jane in attendance and Sally waiting at the church. The annual St Thomas Christmas tree Festival begins tomorrow and the church was buzzing in a convivial way with others, also flocking in with trees.
Some weeks ago Mary set things rolling and Volunteers were asked to make tree decorations with a Tudor Christmas flavour. As always, it happened. Lucy had written this in our blog in October
“Following the successful production of felt Tudor roses (2019) and, last year, the hanging banners, our ‘volunteer make’ this year is to produce small decorations to hang on a Christmas tree. These will decorate the Museum’s tree at the St. Thomas’s Christmas Tree Festival (Tuesday 29th November to Sunday 4th December)“
Thank you to makers Sally, Mary, Elizabeth, Maggs, and so many others whose names we don’t know. I hope you will see your contributions in the following images, go along and see them at St Thomas’ and come to the Volunteer Christmas Party to see the tree displayed there.
Don’t miss:
Volunteers’ Christmas Party
Wednesday 14 December at Salisbury Museum 2pm – 4pmThere will be mince pies, mulled wine and music
Christmas in Basingstoke: Now on sale! Our Christmas events are proving to be a huge hit, with many of you already buying tickets for our Milestones Christmas Market and Meet Father Christmas experiences. After all, what’s a classic Christmas without a wander through the festive streets of Milestones Museum? With the Christmas Fayre at Basing House in November, and Milestones’ activities leading you into December, our programme is packed for all your gift-buying and festive-fuelled needs! Of course, you’ll also be able to pick gifts up in Milestones’ award-winning shop, too. Often in high demand, please book early for these events to avoid disappointment.
Lucy (Volunteer Co-ordinator), writes in her latest newsletter:
“Volunteer Advisory Group
As you know from my previous emails and updates, there is a vast volunteering activities section within the Past Forward Activity Plan and the next element of it to roll out is the formation of a Volunteer Advisory Group.
Gillian Leach (Volunteer Representative) and are currently working on a method to establish the group. The objective is to give volunteers a voice in the strategic direction and functioning of the museum.
It is anticipated that a workable size for the group would be 8-10 volunteers and they will meet quarterly.
The task is complicated because:
• Volunteer roles are diverse and although there are some large groupings like the engagement volunteers, there are also smaller niche groups.
• Varied work patterns and shift schedules result in limited opportunities for volunteers to meet and interact.
The challenge is to ensure the full range of roles and views are proportionally and effectively represented.”
Before we go any further, we would really like your help with this.
Our question for you is “How do you think the members of the Volunteer Advisory Group should be chosen?”
Contact Lucy, or Gillian Leach with ideas please.
Also look out in Lucy’s newsletter for Volunteering opportunities/help needed. October is a busy month!
And, finally, Christmas….!
“St Thomas’s Church Christmas Tree Volunteer Make
Following the successful production of felt Tudor roses and, last year, the hanging banners, our ‘volunteer make’ this year is to produce small decorations to hang on a Christmas tree. These will decorate the Museum’s tree at the St. Thomas’s Christmas Tree Festival (Tuesday 29th November to Sunday 4th December) and in the Museum for Tudor Christmas on 10th December.” DETAILS LATER THIS WEEK