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Christmas is a magical time of the year steeped in history and tradition. Every family has their own Christmas traditions which can vary hugely. This article examines some of the local customs, traditions and stories over the years. We hope you enjoy reading them and that they may bring back some long-lost Christmas memories of your own.
A Victorian Christmas
Many of the Christmas traditions that we know today were concepts first thought of in the Victorian Era. In 1841, Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, popularised Christmas trees in Britain, a tradition current in his native Germany. In 1843 the publication of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, promoted Christmas as a season of goodwill and merriment. On a more local level, James Harshaw, who was a famer and landowner in Donaghmore, north of Newry, and an Elder in Donaghmore Presbyterian Church, kept a diary from 1841 spanning over twenty years. An excerpt from his diary gives an insight into how he spent Christmas Day in 1860:
“Keen freeze and snow still continues, breakfasted with James Martin . . . attended a prayer meeting in the meeting house classroom where I gave-out a portion of the 145th Psalm - which was sung by the Blind boy Samuel McGaw - Read the 1st Chapter of Ephesions and prayed - called on Mr Arch. Murdock . . . A Douglass, James Martin, John and children dined here, with the other members of the family, and I spent a pleasant evening with them all talking about Absalom [James Harshaw’s son Samuel who had emigrated to America]. James Alexander and Johns children played around us.” [spelling and punctuation as in the original].
Christmas cooking
Certain foods are associated with Christmas, some of which date back hundreds of years. Rich foods, such as Mince Pies, Christmas Cake and Plum Pudding which are made with spices, dried fruits and nuts, were kept as a treat at Christmas. Newry and Mourne Museum’s Collection includes a cookery class book from Newry Municipal Technical School (now the Sean Hollywood Arts Centre) dating to December 1904. The book, which belonged to fifteen-year-old Mary Ann Scott of St. Mary’s Street, Newry, contains many recipes for a range of dishes popular at that time. Another recipe book, which was first compiled by members of the Crawford family from Clonallan, near Warrenpoint, in 1905, shows how the family recipe for Christmas Pudding was adapted over the years to suit changing tastes.
Memories of Christmas in Newry
Over the years, the Museum has collected memories of people within the locality and here are some memories of Christmas around Newry.
Fosters Shop, Hill Street
“Foster’s at Christmas was decorated and lit up the whole length of Hill Street. I remember them having the first Santa you could visit in the store and it was open to 11 o’clock Christmas Eve.”
Decorations and presents
“The decorations would have been in the house for 20 or 40 years. You know they would be all put away in a big box and packed away every Christmas . . . we would get apples and oranges . . . You’d be lucky if you got a chicken. That would be a big thing to get a chicken, that maybe a friend or neighbour brought from a farm. You got thru’ pence, and an orange in your sock, so that was it. Maybe sometimes I was lucky because I had grown up brothers and sisters I might get a wee box of sweets…”.
The turkey
“You bought the turkey alive, and you had to carry the turkey home, feathers and all, . . . you kept it alive until maybe a day or two, or three days before Christmas and your father would kill the turkey. But, we used to earn a lot of money by going down to the market and the women would be buying the turkeys and they wouldn’t carry them home. We carry them home for them and you’d get six pence for carrying home a turkey, you know. A lot of them got away on us and would be running up the street, and us running after them you know, and them alive”
The Staff at Newry and Mourne Museum would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and thank you for your support throughout the year.
The Museum is currently offering free tours of the exhibition galleries on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 11.00 am. These must be booked in advance by calling our Education Officer at 0330 137 4422.
Newry and Mourne Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10.00 am – 4.30 pm.
Please call 0330 137 4422 or email museum@nmandd.org for further information.
