What are the iconic features of Christmas today?

1700 – 180018th century

1800 – 190019th century

1900 – 200020th century

What questions

does this raise about the 18th

century?

What was Christmas like in the 18th century?

Obviously this photo isn’t from

the 18 th century! But it shows you an

18 th century tradition!!!!

• Christmas was far less focused on those features we know today

• In fact it was often less religious and more focused on winter traditions

• Folk traditions!

Mumming

• Mummers plays were often performed in the 18th century in the countryside

• The play was often performed in lots of places in one evening, e.g. different pubs

• It gave farm labourers the chance to let their hair down and have fun at Christmas time

Mummer’s Plays

We need the following characters

• Father Christmas• Saint George• Dragon• Bonaparte• Doctor• Jack Vinney• Niddy Noddy• Belzebub• Saucy Jack

In comes I, old Father Christmas…

Saint George, a man of courage bold…

In comes I, the fiery Dragon….

FIGHT!!!!!!!!

..and just to prove it here’s his head

Bonaparte…

FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!

Doctors and rebirth….

Where you find out…

…..then it all gets a bit more random

Niddy Noddy, big head, little body…

The broad…

Saucy Jack

Belzebub

Then the Wassail Bowl!

Was this a FUN Christmas?

Is this the kind of Christmas you would like?

Why do you think people have brought these plays back and

perform them now?