Guernsey Ways – Vraicing
Few island customs, except perhaps the Clameur de Haro, which survive today can claim as ancient a history as that of ” vraicing.”
Wassail Punch – A Medieval Winter Warmer
Add some history to your festivities with a glass of wassail punch.
How did people in the Middle Ages Celebrate Christmas?
Today we celebrate Christmas with a spirit of merriment, gift giving and (over) indulgence. But that begs the question … How was Christmas celebrated in the past? Or more specifically for our aricle here – the Middle Ages?
How to Smug a Guy – An old Guy Fawkes Tradition
The British are a nation with a long and proud history steeped in ritual and tradition. None more so when it comes to the rather odd celebration of ‘Guy Fawkes Night’ where we gleefully celebrate the burning of a Catholic traitor caught trying to blow up the houses of parliament. However there is one rather odd tradition surrounding this event that we would suggest is best not revived – ‘Smugging a Guy’.
So Why do the British Traditionally Eat Turkey at Christmas ?
Christmas is probably the time of year when there is an overwhelming plethora of traditions and practices that we all enthusiastically embrace. In this article we look at one of the most enduring of British traditions … the Christmas Turkey.
Some Christmas Tree Factoids
Today the Christmas Tree is a pretty ubiquitous symbol of the yuletide season. It wasn’t always so. In this article we look at a few historical Christmas Tree factoids.
The Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree is a ubiquitous image of the season. Trees were a symbol of life long before Christianity. In this article we look at a very short history of the Christmas tree.
More Old Guernésiais Cures, Remedies & Superstitions
Guernsey used to posses a rich set of folklore tales, ancient cures and remedies for ailments and many superstitious tales. Some of the more intriguing and somewhat amusing wisdom of the old Guernésiais folk.
Old Guernésiais Cures, Remedies & Superstitions
Being a small community isolated from the rest of the world it’s no surprise that Guernsey used to posses a rich set of folklore tales, ancient cures and remedies for ailments and many superstitious tales. In this article we’ve gathered together some of the more intriguing and somewhat amusing wisdom of the old Guernésiais folk.
So Why is the Day After Christmas Called Boxing Day?
In Britain, Boxing Day is usually celebrated on the following day after Christmas Day, 26 December. But why is it called boxing day ?
How Did Xmas Come to Stand for Christmas?
The use of the colloquial “Xmas” has often been singled out as an example of how this religious celebration has been commercialized and robbed of its religious content. So how did Xmas come to stand for Christmas?
Did the Romans invent Christmas?
The Romans were pagans for the first 300 years of Christianities existence.We’ll see in this article that Christianity has been very clever in subsuming pagan festivals and replacing them with their own, especially when the exact dates of some Christian festivals cannot be pin-pointed precicisely.
A very short history of Bonfire night
No one was more delighted by the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot than King James I, who had narrowly avoided becoming the first king to sit on a rocket-propelled throne. In this article we look at the history of the partying mayhem that grew up surrounding this quintessentially British tradition.
It’s New Year’s Eve, time to sing “Auld lang syne” again. But what does it mean ?
When New Year’s Eve rolls around every year it’s inevitably time to Sing “Auld lang syne” again. But what does it mean ?
