The origins of caroling date far back in time, with the word ‘carol’ dating back to the Old French and the 1300s, meaning a ‘joyful song’ or to ‘dance in a ring accompanied by singers’. In ancient times, celebrations often included song and dancer, with May carols and harvest carols existing, and perhaps others we…
“On Monday last at Cheriton, near Alresford, the usual pastime of Maying commenced, where a Maypole was erected in commemoration of the day, and in the afternoon the sons and daughters of May, dressed in a very appropriate manner for the occasion, accompanied by a band of music, proceeded to a commodious bower, composed of…
Christmastime in Regency England began on Christmas Eve—it was considered bad luck to decorate any earlier, a tradition lost in this very commercial modern world. Decorations included holly with its prickly green leaves and bright red berries, green ivy and fragrant rosemary, evergreen boughs, laurel and bay leaves, and—of course—mistletoe. In the countryside, this could…