The Christmas waits

24 December

Still kept

The waits were bands of musicians who played through the streets at night for two or three weeks before Christmas, usually finishing on Christmas Eve, and then called at the houses for a Christmas box. In London they had been the corporation’s own musicians and once wore a badge as the lord mayor’s music, and in Westminster the post of leader of the waits was still an official appointment around 1820. In Glasgow the magistrates licensed a few respectable blind fiddlers to play slow Scottish airs in the streets by night for about a month before New Year’s Day. At Whitehaven the waits fiddled a jig or two for pence before Christmas, and played outside the house of any newly married couple or sailor home from abroad.

a few musicians, generally blind men of respectable character, who perambulate the streets of the city during the night and morning, for about three weeks or a month previous to New-year's Day

From Chambers's Book of Days, vol. 2, pp. 742-744; Hone's Every-Day Book, vol. 1, cols. 1625-1626; Hone's Every-Day Book, vol. 2, cols. 1645-1646. Read the original

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Folklore from the old calendars

The ashen faggot Still kept DevonIn Devon the Yule log took the form of the ashen faggot, a bundle of ash sticks bound with bands of ash, ideally nine of them.
The Christmas Eve orchard wassail Still kept Devon, Hampshire, NorfolkOn Christmas Eve in parts of Devon the farmer, his family and friends ate hot cakes dipped in cider, then carried cake and cider to the chief apple tree in the orchard.
The kneeling oxen Lore and belief Cornwall, DevonIn west Devon and Cornwall it was believed that at midnight on Christmas Eve the oxen in their stalls knelt as if in prayer, and after the change of calendar they were said to do it only on Old Christmas Eve.
Hoodening Still kept KentAt Ramsgate the Christmas festivities began with a hoodening.
The Christmas mummers Still kept England, PembrokeshireThe mummers, called guisers in Scotland, set out on Christmas Eve to visit the chief houses of the parish and act the play of St George.
The Yule log and the mock Lore and belief Cornwall, EnglandThe Yule log was brought in with ceremony on Christmas Eve and lit from the saved remains of the year before.
Carols after midnight in Wales Still kept WalesHone found that carol singing, unknown in Presbyterian Scotland, was kept up in Wales more fully than in England.
Mistletoe at York Minster No longer kept YorkshireStukeley, writing in the eighteenth century, said that within the last hundred years mistletoe had been carried to the high altar of York Minster on Christmas Eve.
Kissing under the mistletoe Still kept EnglandBrand found that mistletoe was kept out of churches, where one sexton told him it had once been put up and the clergyman at once ordered it down, but that it was hung in state in the kitchen.
The Yule candle No longer kept EnglandAlongside the Yule log a candle of great size, called the Yule candle or Christmas candle, lit the table through the evening.
The cock crows all night Lore and belief EnglandIt was held that on the night before Christmas the powers of darkness were helpless and no evil could touch mankind.
The Lord of Misrule No longer kept EnglandStow wrote that at Christmas the king's house, and the house of every nobleman of honour, had a Lord of Misrule or Master of Merry Disports, and that the Lord Mayor of London and each of the sheriffs had one too, each trying to make the rarest pastime.
The Christmas standard at Leadenhall No longer kept LondonStow recorded that at Christmas every London house and parish church was decked with holm oak, ivy, bays and whatever else was green, and the conduits and standards in the streets were dressed too.
Ivy or his breeches No longer kept OxfordshireAubrey recorded that in several parts of Oxfordshire it was the custom at Christmas for the maidservant to ask the manservant for ivy to decorate the house.
Bees singing on Christmas Eve Lore and belief EnglandAlongside the belief that the cattle knelt in their stalls at midnight on Christmas Eve, it was said that the bees sang in their hives at the same hour.
The Quainton thorn No longer kept BuckinghamshireAfter the calendar change of 1752, crowds went to see whether the famous thorns would blossom on the new Christmas Day.
Old folks’ night in Cumberland No longer kept CumberlandA Cumberland correspondent told Hone that with Christmas Eve began a round of feasts and merrymakings that kept farmhouse fires and candles burning until the small hours night after night.
Greening the church Still kept EnglandOld church calendars marked Christmas Eve with the words templa exornantur, churches are decked.
Hagmena at Newcastle No longer kept NorthumberlandLittle troops of boys and girls at Newcastle upon Tyne and other places in the north of England went from house to house a few nights before Christmas, on Christmas Eve and on Christmas night, knocking and singing.
Hunting the wren in Man No longer kept Isle of ManWaldron wrote that on the evening of 24 December all the Manx servants had a holiday.
The threepenny loaf at Aston Hall No longer kept WarwickshireOn Christmas Eve at the house of the Holt family at Aston, near Birmingham, a table was set in the hall after supper with a brown loaf bearing twenty silver threepences on top, a tankard of ale, pipes and tobacco.
Frumenty on Christmas Eve No longer kept YorkshireMr Beckwith told the Gentleman's Magazine in 1784 that in the country about Rotherham frumenty had always been the breakfast and supper on Christmas Eve within his memory.
Rumbald Night at Folkestone No longer kept KentHasted recorded that the fishermen of Folkestone used to pick out eight of the largest and best whitings from every boat on its return from the whiting fishery and sell them apart.
The first yessle-cup singer Lore and belief Northern EnglandIn the North it was thought that turning away the first yessle-cup singer at Christmas without a gift meant losing the luck of the whole coming year.
No stirring the fire at the Yule supper Lore and belief Northern EnglandAt the northern Christmas Eve supper nobody was to stir the fire, move the candlestick or snuff the Yule candle, and nobody left the table until the meal was over.
Milly-boxes in the West Riding No longer kept YorkshireAt Christmas the children of the West Riding carried figures of the Virgin and Child from door to door in boxes lined with spice, oranges and sugar.
The Cleveland bessel cup No longer kept YorkshireChristmas singers in Cleveland carried a "bessel cup", that is a wassail cup, together with a boxed figure of the Virgin and Child decked with whatever ornaments they could gather.
The devil’s knell at Dewsbury Still kept YorkshireOn Christmas Eve the church bells at Horbury, near Wakefield, and at Dewsbury were tolled as the "devil's knell".
Pepper-cake and the Christmas cheese No longer kept YorkshireIn Cleveland the master of the house cut the Christmas cheese on Christmas Eve, and it sat on a platter beneath a thick gingerbread called pepper-cake.
The ox cake at Tretire No longer kept HerefordshireOn Christmas Eve at Tretire the farm men made a cake, pushed a stick through it and fixed it on the horn of an ox, saying words that begged a good crop of corn for the master.
Keeping back the yule-cake Lore and belief LincolnshireOn Christmas Eve in Lincolnshire the yule-clog blazed and the yule-candle burned while the family ate slices of yule-cake toasted and soaked in spiced ale.
Myrtle and laurustinum for Christmas in the West Still kept West CountryIn the West of England houses were decked for Christmas with myrtle and laurustinum as well as holly and mistletoe.
Christmas beer for the Cornish carol singers Still kept CornwallIn the west of Cornwall carol singers went from house to house at Christmas wherever they were encouraged, and in some parishes met in church on Christmas Eve to sing in the morning.
The Whitbeck ox kneels at midnight Lore and belief CumberlandIn Whitbeck it was said that the labouring ox knelt at midnight on the night before Christmas Day.
The Yule-clog in the northern parts No longer kept Northern EnglandOn Christmas Eve families lit candles of an uncommon size and laid a great log on the fire, called the Yule-clog or Christmas-block, to light the house and turn the night into day.
Born on Christmas Eve, blind to ghosts Lore and belief EnglandPeople born on Christmas Eve were thought to be unable to see spirits, even when a dog at their side plainly saw one and crept whining to its master.
Modranicht, the night of the mothers No longer kept EnglandThe heathen English called the night before Christmas Day Modranicht, the mothers' night, and kept ceremonies through it without sleeping.
Psaltries for luck while the Yule log kindles No longer kept EnglandOn Christmas Eve the new log was lit from last year's brand, and music was played while it caught so that good luck would come with its burning.
Unwashed hands and the Christmas fire Lore and belief EnglandMaids were warned to wash their hands before kindling the fire at Christmas, for a fire laid or lit with unwashed hands would not catch however hard they blew.
Ivy and holly to deck the house Still kept EnglandAt Christmas the farmer's wife decked the house with ivy and holly and boiled and soused the brawn.
Threshing wheat for the Christmas furmity No longer kept EnglandThe mock calendar in Poor Robin for 1670 read like a householder's Christmas diary.
Lamb’s-wool on Christmas Eve No longer kept EnglandOn Christmas Eve apples were roasted on a string until they dropped into a large bowl of spiced ale, and the mixture was drunk as lamb's-wool.
Dives on the serpent’s knee No longer kept WarwickshireAt Christmas the street carol singers of Warwickshire still sang Dives and Lazarus, in which two serpents come out of hell for the rich man's soul and tell him he has a place provided there to sit upon a serpent's knee.
The charity boy’s Christmas piece No longer kept EnglandAt Christmas the charity boys went from door to door showing a fair copy of their best handwriting, and were given pence for it.
The Yule log that burned Haughmond Abbey No longer kept ShropshireThe Yule logs of old country houses were great trees, big enough to be used as a weapon.
Rosemary and bays in St Margaret’s at Christmas 1647 No longer kept LondonIn 1647, when Parliament had forbidden the keeping of Christmas, the churchwardens of St Margaret's, Westminster, still paid for rosemary and bays to be stuck about the church.
A cake on the horns of the finest ox No longer kept WalesOn Christmas Eve in many parts of Wales the master of the house made a bowl of hot spiced beer and the mistress brought a cake, both decked with holly and ivy, and the household carried them in procession to the stall of their finest ox.
Never name the wolf at Christmas Lore and belief WalesWelsh farmers believed that if anyone spoke the name of a wolf between Christmas Eve and Twelfth Night, misfortune would soon visit their homesteads.
The Aberglasney thorn on Christmas Eve Lore and belief CarmarthenshireAt Aberglasney in Carmarthenshire there was once a hawthorn that flowered every Christmas Eve, its blossoms faded by the next morning.
No evil spirit abroad on Christmas Eve Lore and belief WalesChristmas Eve was the one night of the year when no evil spirit could walk in Wales.
Onions on the altar at Christmas Eve No longer keptGirls laid onions on the altar on Christmas Eve to learn when they would be married and how many husbands they would have.
The rose of Jericho at Christmas Eve Lore and beliefThe rose of Jericho was said to flower every year about Christmas Eve, a story famous in Christian lore.

The Christmas waits

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