For centuries, Sussex was one of the most isolated counties in England cut off by hills and dense woodland plus a poor road system, which made it difficult to travel, especially in winter. Thus many villages became “little worlds of their own”. Christmas occurring in the middle of probably a wet and muddy but possibly snowy period encouraged the population to follow longstanding, often local traditions, as part of their celebrations. There was a firm hierarchy in the villages – the lord of the manor at the top, then the vicar, those of independent means and sometimes a physician below. Under them were skilled artisans such as the sexton, miller, cobbler, innkeeper, shop keeper, wheelwright, smith and carpenter. Those in service or who worked on the land were next and they had comparatively minimal time to celebrate Christmas. Yet the elderly, poor, destitute or those with disabilities were generally maintained within the community, albeit often in poverty.
For the upper echelons of county society across the South, Christmas was a time for dances, balls, tea parties and family celebrations. Jane Austin refers to such occasions in several of her novels set in southern England. Christmas events began on December 6th (St. Nicholas Day) and continued until Twelve Night (January 5th). Friends would exchange presents on St Nicholas Day. Houses would be decorated by bringing in greenery and berries – red apples and ribbons would be added for colour. Staircases would be festooned with garlands and swags whilst Christmas wreaths were hung on doors. However, greenery and berries were freely available to gather from woods and hedgerows for all to decorate their homes. Decorations were usually put up on Christmas Eve but taken down by the “Day of Three Kings” (January 6th) to prevent bad luck. Yule logs would be burnt in the hearth to symbolise the sun rising and banishing winter, whilst white, plain Yule candles, symbolising the purity of the Christ Child and surrounded with greenery and berries, were a popular decoration. Christmas trees did not figure until later in the 19th century, although the Royal Family, influenced by its German origins, already followed this tradition.
The more esteemed residents in a village regarded it as their duty to give to others especially over Christmas. The lord of the manor and the vicar distributed “treats”, often money, after the Christmas Day service and the church’s alms box would be opened for the contents to be given out to poor parishioners. During Christmas 1859, the vicar of Rodmell in East Sussex put on a “magic lantern” show followed by the distribution of buns, mulled wine and egg flip. He also gave a pound of sugar and a quarter pound of tea to every family. William Catt, owner of the tide mill at Bishopstone near Seaford would donate bread and beef to local families or he would roast an ox for a special village meal for all. Giving alms to the poor was always a feature of “Gooding Day” which occurred on December 21st when less affluent parishioners would receive gifts of food and money from wealthier neighbours. The recipients then might offer sprigs of holly or mistletoe as a gesture of thanks thus creating a reciprocal exchange. Traditionally poor womenfolk would go from house to house for these gifts but also the miller might give some flour, the grocer some dried fruit and the butcher a small piece of meat; these gestures recognised real hardship. Although the practices have now ceased, they were recorded at Maresfield, East Sussex in the early 20th century.
Food had a special meaning at Christmas and this encouraged specific customs. It was good luck to keep a slice of Christmas cake for one year. Luck was also acquired by tasting the Christmas Pudding during the making. In fact, the more puddings one tasted, the more luck one acquired. Christmas Day Dinner was often roast beef, although the gentry favoured venison and the poor might serve pork, with roast vegetables and plum pudding. “Modern Cooking for Private Families”, published in 1845 and written by Eliza Acton (1799-1859) from Battle, was the first cookbook from Sussex to suggest serving Brussels Sprouts. Mince pies were made of meat but fruit and spices were also served. Traditionally mince pies were then oval rather than round to represent the Manger and were made with 13 ingredients to represent Christ and the 12 Disciples.
Sussex opened up as the road network improved and, by the 1840s, railways had arrived. The summer season developed so coastal settlements grew and thus permanent residents on the coast practised their own Christmas traditions. In 1860, Brighton Swimming Club established a Christmas Day swim in the sea at 11.00 am. Despite often inclement weather, it still takes place even if the period of swimming is short. The swimmers emerge to be greeted by supporters bearing towels, foil blankets and hot drinks, whilst spectators and often TV crews film the proceedings. The local council has never favoured the event, citing the danger of cold and frequently windy weather, rough sea, shifting shingle and no lifeguards on duty. However, the swim persists and other Sussex coastal towns now hold similar events. Also in Brighton the local fishermen would historically donate 25% of the value of fish caught on December 25th to the Church.
Boxing Day was the day for groups of male actors of “Mummers” or “Tiptreers” to present a play, often outside inns, sometimes these performers were Morris dancers during warmer weather. The plays had specific characters, including Father Christmas, St. George, a Turkish knight and a Doctor. The script included songs, dances, much banter, fighting and magical cures. It was written in rhyming couplets and could contain references to political events of the past year. Plays would follow a specific forma,t including an introduction from Father Christmas and a fight in which St. George killed the Turkish Knight, but the doctor then emerged from the crowd to bring him back to life. There were many groups of Mummers across Sussex in various towns, including Lewes and Hastings. Even today, re-enactments of these plays still take place across the county. Another Boxing Day practice was Orange Throwing. Participants would gather with bowls of oranges to throw at each other. If you hit another’s orange, you kept both fruits. This somewhat messy tradition has now died out and there are better uses of oranges, especially at Christmas, besides being wasteful of a valuable source of vitamin C.
In the early 20th century, the composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams travelled around the southern counties collecting traditional songs. In 1919, he arranged one tune into the Sussex Carol “Here We Come A-Wassailling” based on a Sussex folk song dating back at least to the late 17th century. “Wassailling”, or “Wassailing”, itself, dates from Saxon times and was common in apple-growing areas of Sussex. By tradition on 12th Night, the 5th January, groups of men and boys known as “wassailers” or “howlers” would go around orchards by torchlight singing, whilst banging sticks and saucepan lids to scare away evil spirits. They would also tie red ribbons to the trees and place bread soaked in cider underneath them to encourage the “good spirits”. At the end of the ceremony, a bowl of warm, spiced cider would be passed around the group and each would shout “wassail” meaning “good health,” before taking a sip. There are several wassailing songs and, after this ceremony, the wassailers would go to the home of the orchard owner and sing outside the front door to receive a further hot drink and a financial contribution. A traditional wassail cake, originating from the village of Sompting near Lancing, West Sussex, and containing apples, raisins and honey, would sometimes be served. Although the original tradition has died out, it has been demonstrated at the Weald and Downland Living Museum at Singleton, West Sussex, and wassailing may have also influenced the singing of carols outside homes and in other settings.
Christmas in Sussex has a history of many varied traditions producing well-established practices and events. Some of these may be pre-Christian and shrouded in the mist of time. Some are long forgotten, but others are still held in some form today and may even have been re-invented to show aspects of a traditional Sussex Christmas which relate to the 21st century.
This article about Sussex Christmas Traditions was contributed by Helena Millen. You may also like:
