Over in our Facebook group, The Belles Brigade, we had a discussion a few days ago about holiday practices in Regency England. I referenced a blog post I wrote from eight years ago. I’m reprising that here with a few tweaks.

Merry Old England

We Regency authors love our holiday house parties set in opulent manor houses in the snow-covered countryside. Heroes and heroines clash and make up, kiss under the mistletoe, and go on to live happily ever after.

Actually, how the holiday was celebrated Regency England is a bit hard to pin down, but it probably was not a lavish gift extravaganza for most people.

Cromwell and the Puritans crushed the grand celebrations of the Tudors. The Puritan parliament in 1645 declared December 25th a working day. Even the making of Christmas pies could be grounds for arrest.

Still, some traditions survived the war on pies and plum pudding. Decorating with evergreen boughs and mistletoe (and that kissing under the mistletoe!), wassailing, acting out pantomimes, and singing carols, were part of the holiday celebration. Christmas trees and Santa Claus did not become popular until Victorian times.

(Though in my latest release, The Earl’s Scottish Hoyden, one character receives a surprise from “Father Christmas”.)

Home for the Holidays

Regency era landholders returned to their estates for the holiday to open their homes and host celebrations for tenants and neighbors. The practice dates back at least to the Elizabethan era. According to historian Mark Connelly, author of Christmas: A Social History, Elizabeth ordered gentlemen to leave London and return to their country estates to observe the holiday.

Like people all over the world, the English felt a holiday was best celebrated at home with family, friends, and food!

Christmas Pantomimes:

In town one tradition predates the Regency era and carries through to this day: the Christmas pantomime.

Mark Connelly says “The pantomime has come to be regarded as a central part of the English Christmas, seen as a genuine part of the scenery on the stage of the national character.”

As an American who has never had the opportunity to celebrate Christmas in Britain, I find it fascinating that the pantomimes were not religious reenactments of the nativity of Jesus—they were more The Carol Burnett Show than The Glory of Christmas.

English pantomimes had their roots in the Harlequinade, the slapstick, comedic plays with stock characters presented by traveling players. The Victoria and Albert Museum website describes the Harlequinade:

The story of the Harlequinade had the same basic format; a chase scene where the two lovers, Harlequin and Columbine, are kept apart by the girl’s father, Pantaloon, whose servants play tricks on him. In the chase the two lovers are pursued by her father and his servant, Clown.

These early pantomimes were mimed. Speaking roles became more and more prevalent from the late 1750s onward.

In spite of the comedic nature of pantomimes, they often dealt with historical themes and expressed a sense of patriotism or nationalism. Even in stories about fictional or fairy tale characters, patriotic lessons were embedded.

In 1756, Harlequin’s Invasion, or A Christmas Gambol was performed at Drury Lane and included a tribute to General Wolfe, who had just won the Battle of Quebec. In 1813, The Corsican Fairy; or, Britannia’s Triumph, made fun of—who else?—Napoleon.

Aladdin and Jack in the Beanstalk, also known as Jack the Giant Killer (with a political subtext related to King Arthur and fears of Ireland) starred in Victorian era shows, and even more recently, in twenty-first century Christmas pantomimes. You can view these modern-day versions of Aladdin and Jack in the Beanstalk on YouTube.

Twelfth Night

The eve of January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany, or Twelfth Night, was a much bigger celebration in the Regency than it is now, at least in the United States.

Twelfth Night is also the setting for my story, called Twelfth Night Treasure, in Christmastide Kisses, A Bluestocking Belles with Friends Collection.

The collection is now available for preorder: https://books2read.com/u/m26VG6

Or, if you’re a Booksprout reviewer you can find an advanced reading copy here:  https://booksprout.co/reviewer/review-copy/view/145814/christmastide-kisses-a-bluestocking-belles-with-friends-collection.

Now back to my holiday preparations!