The Finale of the Christmastide Season

A spot of sweet tea_ebook

 

Though the holiday season is ending, I’d love to send it of with one final hurrah. So, Jan 5-6, A spot of Sweet Tea is FREE on amazon.

Who can resist a holiday party?

In the Regency era, the party of the year would generally be held on Twelfth Night, the culmination to the Christmastide festivities.

Twelfth Night Revels

Epiphany or Twelfth Night (Jan 5 or 6 depending on who was counting) provided the exciting climax of the Christmastide season and offered a time for putting away social norms. It was a feast day to mark the coming of the Magi bearing gifts to the Christ child, and as such was the traditional day to exchange gifts. Decorations were to be taken down and burned by midnight on this day or the household would face bad luck for the rest of the year. Some believed that for every branch that remained a goblin would appear.  (I think bringing back this belief might be helpful for getting Christmas decorations down, at least at my house!)

Twelfth Night Characters

Revels, masks and balls were the order of the day and evening.

Costumed affairs were common. Typically each guest would randomly select a character to play by drawing a slip of paper from a hat or bag.  Some hostesses would send characters around to her guests so that they could come already dressed as their character.  Others might provide dress up items for their guests to don after characters had been chosen.   Guests had to remain in character for the entire evening. If a guest broke out of character during the night they would have to pay a forfeit later.

Besides the King and Queen, a variety of characters, were often pulled from popular literature and plays. Creative hostesses might choose a particular theme or story from which to draw characters. Common characters included Sir Gregory Goose, Sir Tumbelly Clumsy, Miss Fanny Fanciful and Mrs. Candour. Sets of pre-made characters could be purchased from stationers, or a family might copy them from books on games and merry-making.

Rachel Revel offered an extensive set of characters in her book as well as instructions that as each character is drawn the conductor of the game arrange them in order of their number and when all the guests have characters, they may each read lines to introduce their character in turn. 

For example:

Twelfth Night Characters

Twelfth Night Characters

1. King: Fate decrees me your King: grave and gay,wise and fools, Must consent, for this night, to submit to my rules.

2. Queen:  I’m your Queen: good my liege, your confessor, may shrive  you; But for me, I’m resolved, if I can’t lead I’ll drive you.

3. Lord Spendthrift: Blood, for money, Lord Spendthrift is ready to barter, If some rich maid will purchase a Knight of the garter.

4. Molly Mumper:  Molly Mumper wants a husband: Baron, or Duke, she cares  not which; If you’ll marry a beggar’s heiress, she’ll promise to make you  rich.

5. Lucy Leerwell:  “Tis so humdrum to live single, Lucy Leerwell would prefer, On some facetious youth, her hand and fortune to confer.

6. Joe Giber:  Take Joe Giber, the king’s jester, he’s the fellow for your yoke, Tho’ marriage, it must be confess’d, by most wits is counted no joke.

7- Miss All-agog:  Miss All-agog’s a candid girl, who hates monastic vows, And she will never take the veil if she can get a spouse.

8. Sam Sadboy:  Sam Sadboy’s neither monk nor friar; he sees into your views:Marry him, you may cast off your veil, and the rest of your deeds when you choose.

9. Miss Romance: Miss Romance to accept for her partner proposes, One who’ll print in his press ev’ry work she composes…

Servants were often included in the revelries. This could become particularly interesting when one became the king or queen for the evening.Twelfth001

Mince Meat Pie

Though many dishes graced the tables for Twelfth Night revelry, two particular dishes were known for their connection to Twelfth Night. Most considered mince meat pies, also known as Christmas or Twelfth Night pies staples for a Christmas feast. Recipes varied by region, but usually included beef, poultry and other meats, suet, sugar, raisins or currants, spices, orange and lemon peel, eggs, apples and brandy.

Leftovers from the Christmas feast would be used to make pies for the twelve days until Epiphany. Eating minced pie every day of the twelve days of Christmas was said to bring twelve months of happiness in the new year. To strengthen the charm, the pies must be baked by the dozen and offered by friends.  

Twelfth Night Cake  

A twelfth cake with crown from Robert Chambers, The Book of Days, (London: 1869)

A twelfth cake with crown from Robert Chambers, The Book of Days, (London: 1869)

A special Twelfth Cake, served as the centerpiece of the party. The cakes were elaborate creations with sugar frosting, gilded paper trimmings, and sometimes delicate plaster of Paris or sugar paste figures.

In towns, confectioners displayed these cakes in their shop windows, illuminated by small lamps so the displays could be admired during winter evenings. Recipes for Twelfth Cake do not appear in print until 1803, although either of these recipes might have been used prior to that to make it.  

 To Make a Rich Cake

Take four pounds of flour dried and sifted, seven pounds of currants washed and rubbed, six pounds of the best fresh butter, two pounds of Jordan almonds blanched, and beaten with orange flower water and sack till fine; then take four pounds of eggs, put half the whites away, three pounds of double-refined sugar beaten and sifted, a quarter of an ounce of mace, the same of cloves and cinnamon, three large nutmegs, all beaten fine, a little ginger, half a pint of sack, half a pint of right French brandy, sweet-meats to your liking, they must be orange, lemon, and citron; work your butter to a cream with your hands before any of your ingredients are in; then put in your sugar, and mix all well together; let your eggs be well beat and strained through a sieve, work in your almonds first, then put in your eggs, beat them together till they look white and thick; then put in your sack, brandy and spices, shake your flour in be degrees, and when your oven is ready, put in your currants and sweet-meats as you put it in your hoop: it will take four hours baking in a quick oven: you must keep it beating with your hand all the while you are mixing of it, and when your currants are well washed and cleaned, let them be kept before the fire, so that they may go warm into your cake. This quantity will bake best in two hoops.

~Hannah Glasse

To make icing for a Bride Cake.

Almond Iceing for the Bride Cake. Take the whites of six eggs, a pound and half of double refined sugar; beat a pound of jordan almonds, blanch them,  and pound fine in  a Iittle rose water; mix all together, and whisk it well for an hour or two; then lay   over your cake, and put it in an oven.

 ~Every woman her own housekeeper  John Perkins  1790

The end of Twelfth Night Revels

Although Twelfth Night revelry could be peaceable and even family-friendly, it often became quite riotous as rowdy games and large quantities of highly alcoholic punch were the order of the evening. In the 1870′s, Queen Victoria outlawed the celebration of Twelfth Night in fear the celebrations had become out of control.

References

A Regency Christmas By Kieran Hazzard ©2013 2nd Bn. 95th Rifles

Glasse, Hannah. The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy. (1784)

London Every woman her own housekeeper John Perkins 1790

Christmas in the Regency Jo Beverley

Christmas Traditions in Regency England. Regan Walker

Christmas Frivolity. Joanna Waugh. 2008.

‘Winter Evening Pastimes or The Merry Maker’s Companion’ Rachel Revel, 1825

27 comments

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    • Carol on December 30, 2015 at 12:57 pm
    • Reply

    Interesting information about celebrating Twelfth Night in Recency Period. Seems like the cake is a lot to mess with. Masked Ball would be fun.

    1. Thanks, Carol!

    • Ginna on December 30, 2015 at 1:10 pm
    • Reply

    I assume that Jordan almonds of the time were not the same as Jordan almonds of today? Because blanching them would ruin them.

    1. I think you’re right, Ginna.

    • Carole in Canada on December 30, 2015 at 1:43 pm
    • Reply

    Yes, I can well imagine Twelfth Night celebrations could get pretty rowdy! Somehow, I can’t imagine Mr. Darcy dressing up!

    Thank you for your offering up ‘A Spot of Sweet Tea’!

    1. I can’t see him dressing up either, Carole!

    • Maclaney on December 30, 2015 at 2:01 pm
    • Reply

    Thank you for this series, Maria. Now that I have toner again, I’ll probably collect the pieces for my files.

    After so many years of doing research for my professional life, it’s really a treat to just open my mail or open my Facebook page for these goodies from you and from others.

    With thanks and good wishes to you and yours for the coming year,
    Maclaney

    1. Thanks, so much Maclaney! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed.

  1. Looking forward to “A Spot of Sweet Tea”! Thank you! (I jotted it on my calendar!)

    Our Anglican Church gathers at the rectory for Twelfth Night. We bring greens to burn at dusk in a small, controlled bonfire (this is Southern California, so we’re quite fearful of wildfires!), and then once the sun has fully set, we enjoy the first Evensong of Epiphany together. And then we break out the trifle and sherry!! YUM! It’s quite the lovely celebration! 🙂

    And this year we’re celebrating Epiphany with a dinner at our doctor’s home. We’re going to be partied to exhaustion next week!

    Wishing you a lovely 6th Day of Christmastide,
    Susanne 🙂

    1. Those sound like lovely celebrations! I hope you have a wonderful time, Susanne!

    • Ma on December 30, 2015 at 2:23 pm
    • Reply

    I always love to read about the Twelvth Night celebrations. To me they sound a lot like Mardi Gras, and I can imagine Wickham and Lydia celebrating Twelvth Night like a wild, over the top Mardi Gras. Sadly, I can also imagine Mrs. Bennet seeing nothing wrong with it!

    1. I hadn’t thought of the comparison to Mardi Gras, but now that you mention it, I can see it. Thanks!

  2. Very interesting and educational! Thank you for sharing. I found it very useful.

    1. Thank you!

    • tgruy on January 6, 2016 at 2:42 am
    • Reply

    This was a great series. I didn’t have time to comment on them all but I tried to read them and I think I got most of them.

    The cake sounds like our Mexican “Rosca de Reyes” only we use a tiny figure of a child or baby instead of almonds and whoever gets one has to throw a dinner party with tamales and champurrado on February 2nd.

    Thank you for taking the time and putting the effort on this, I really enjoyed it!

    1. I love Rosca de Reyes! We usually have one every year at our family Twelfth Night celebration!

    • Deborah on January 6, 2016 at 6:24 am
    • Reply

    thank you for sharing the history, Maria, as well as your generosity.

    1. You’re very welcome!

    • Mari on January 6, 2016 at 8:05 am
    • Reply

    Thank you for the wonderful treat! I just downloaded my copy, and I am delighted to be able to read that. It was on my list, which seems to grow longer all the time.

    1. Glad to be on your TBR pile! Thanks, Mari!

    • Jennifer Redlarczyk on January 6, 2016 at 8:24 am
    • Reply

    The cake sounds wonderful! Thanks for the post.

    1. Thanks, Jennifer!

    • Hollis on January 6, 2016 at 10:07 am
    • Reply

    All of your posts were greaaat! as Tony the Tiger would say. Darcy, of course, would don the mundane black domino while Elizabeth dressed as Athena and he could not help himself, stealing a kiss a midnight!

    1. Thanks, Hollis! I’m glad you enjoyed them!

    • Sheila L. M. on January 6, 2016 at 10:57 am
    • Reply

    Thank you for all the posts which allowed me (us) to add to our learning. Some of what was posted was completely new to me and with the novellas you added so very enjoyable to read of those traditions acted out by ODC and their families and friends. Now i can put away the last of our Christmas decorations. And, again, thank you for the free copy of Sweet Tea.

    1. Thanks so much Sheila!

    • Pam Hunter on January 7, 2016 at 5:55 pm
    • Reply

    Thanks for all the interesting info in this series. I learned a lot!

    Thanks too for the free book!

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