December 9, 2007

I somehow managed to get these last 2 posts in the wrong chronological order. :)

Sunday we went out to Wimpole for their Victorian xmas event. Most of the hall is closed because it's the off season now, but they decorate a few rooms for xmas, as it would have been in 1843. It was very interesting! I learned some interesting facts about xmas then:

1. 1843 was apparently the year the very first xmas card was sent.
2. xmas trees became fashionable in 1841 when Prince Albert introduced a German xmas tree to court.
3. Traditional victorian decorations included ribbons tied on the branches, slices of orange or lemon strung up, cinnamon sticks tied with ribbons, and little sachets of good smelling herbs, as well as small presents, and candy sticks.
4. Victorians still used Yule Logs and Kissing Boughs which are remnants of pagan celebrations of "Yule."
5. On xmas day wealthy families served a boar's head stuffed with truffles, rabbit, chicken, or partridges. Lower class families usually had beef or goose, and there were special clubs to help them save up for a xmas goose.
6. Turkeys (which are now the main xmas food here) became popular in the 1880's.
7. Plum pudding and mince pies were popular deserts.

We can't take pictures inside the hall, but they had some fun things in the Stable Yard. They had roasted chestnuts, which we bought and really liked. They taste a bit like yams, and are good with salt. If you decide to try to roast chestnuts make sure you score them so they don't explode. :)

They gave the chestnuts to us in this bag- they were super hot, right off the fire.

G's very first chestnut ever!

A closer look

My very first chestnut ever!

The grounds at Wimpole are amazing- the trees are nice and big, and it's very picturesque.

It's amazing what a shift of 20 feet can do for a photo- this is almost the exact same place. Next time you're taking a shot, walk around a bit before (or after) to see how things look from a different viewpoint.

Besides the chestnuts we also had this great stuff called marzipan- I guess it's made out of almond paste? Anyway it is really good and Victorians would make little fake fruit displays out of it.We're really enjoying learning about different xmas traditions of the past.