1953-12-24 — Page 5

Page

THE CHINA MAIL, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1953.

田

DODWELL & CO., LTD.

Wine & Spirit Department

AGENCIES

TO THE LATE

surg GLONČE N

BUCHANAN'S

BLACK & WHITE WHISKY

PC 5 LAT

KNO GEORGE WA

SANDEMAN'S

PORTS & SHERRIES

ENG GIÓNOS Y

LANSON CHAMPAGNE

ON DEFALERS

TO THE LATE ND CEORGI ME

GORDON'S

GINS AND COCKTAILS

BY MROMETHENE

PO THE SAME DIG GLOISE »

VEUVE CLICQUOT

.CHAMPAGNE

11 ANONİMDET

FUNNOT OF SUTCH LIQUEUns 2500

TO THE LATE

WYNAND FOCKINK

DUTCH LIQUEURS

"Somobody has got to get through, and-explain to his Lordship that we have not come to steal his turkoy.'

Loudon Express Service

TURNING BACK THE CHRISTMAS CLOCK

T

Dickens

HE past looms richly over our Christmas festival. The genius of Charles

may have en-

By A. J. FORREST

livened tho Christmas better for being "pirate wares," spirit; Prince Albert's Ger- alched from the holds of cap man fondness for candlelit tured Spanish, French and and tinselled Christmas Italian merchantmen.. trees may have been mirror-

matoes,

agreed that in one respect their Scottish-bred king had good taste:..

It cannot be claimed, how- that the turkey helped to The British Empire. True rich harted until Holy Inno- baron might carry a bastard, a the Pilgrim Fathers gave tho cent's Day. If he died, mean squire a laner. For the yeoman bird enormous prestige. To time, then he was buried with there was the goshawk: a celebrate

their

first year's cpiscopalian honours.

sparrow hawk for the priest; settlement in New England, they

Bat merlin for Indies, and. 'musket

1 Thanksgiving down to But Mass was Tudor trenchermen, however,

celebrated by for the holy water clerk." meal of turkey, and ecked it ed in countless homes. But were refreshd by neither tea almost the entire population on the season's celebrations had nor coffee. Nor were there,ht Christmas Day. The people ep-

Henry VIII, a muscular athlete, but plenteously with cranberries, - their origin in medieval the era's outset, potatoes, to foyed

carol singing, too, and in his youth, led the country in pumpkins and oysters. Thus, a

national custom emerged. rhubarb currants afl shades of pelety sang the his lust for vigorous times and earlier.

sports and gooseberries, apricots, bananas rousing, homely choruses ne exercises. He wrestled with: I was the appearance of the

music

of Centuries before the Vic- pineapples or watermelons. And their spinets, virginals, pipes, reputed champions, wagering on common herring on the Tudor

the outcome, built a torians trimmed the festive

cockpit in festive board that had a pro- and Labors captains introduced three pipe-

flageolets. The

Whitehall, encouraged

bowls,

bearing over England's found board, Christmas in England smoking Red Indians to London, Church Courts dealt summarily tennis and

ating. and future. It awoke and symbolised other

European the comfort of

worlding and

with anyone caught

skilful the nation's instinct for deep that day or, for that matter, on was an countries was not only a also unknown,

archer. He expected all his sea fishing. Hitherto, English any Sunday or Holy Day,

subjects to excel as long bow- fishers had been basically Oddly, Christmas was the one men and, throughout their inshore-men. Now, lured by period of the year when card- Christmas tournaments, forbade the herring's migrations, and the pinying was allowed. (Henry men of twenty-four and over to VII passed a statute forbidding shoot at targets under 220 yard growing taste for it at home,

Christian festival. It was a time of horseplay, of costly masques and revels, mum-

mers' plays and miracle plays; of hearty eating and a virility in the pursuit of outdoor pleasures seldom equalled today.

Elizabeth's

tobacco

was

Continental habit

of

copious wine drinking

Henry VII initiated In Eng land's royal circles the office was appointed whose power was waiting. conscious of the need

companied

of "Lord of Misrule." A courtier tumnal sunset, 'Tudor, maids

•

by

ecially

when washed down

"dragon's draughts of mik," particularly strong ate, they fished it with skill and Industry, not in single ships, but in fleets.

vast

pro-

of

it at all other periods.) The to nobility

furiously Kambled some extent bypassed "Merrie James IV of Scotland England. But beer! How _pto- cards with Princess digious a thirst it stirred and Henry VII's daughter, as satisfied! The whole nation

ation of his courtship In England, drank home-brewed ale, golden Tho

excitements game's

ap. MEANTIME, outside England,

Conveniently, perhaps adventurous Spanlard, in hue and calm, as-on- qu-

thrilled Kim.

shoals For Pedro Nino, was busy trading videntially, down to another card-, with Indians on the coast of herring poured out of the Baltic session at Melhose on

their silvery North of Venezuela, and Jaced, in Cumona. absolute throughout the twelve to keep their curves in gener Christmas Eve, 1490, he first In 1490, according to records streams, the storm-beaten waters Christmas holy days, As Master shape, drank often a gallon, "borrowed" from his treasurer discovered in the Royal Palace's of England's north Cast of Revels,

organised a day. What may have been 35 unicorns, 11 French crowns, library, Madrid, he bought wild coasts.

in their tankards was a ducat, a ridare and a lou, burlesques, issued impudent and left embarrassing orders, and con- swiftly drained dry in the court sum of several hundred pounds ferred. authority on the bashful sculleries. for the amusement of: princes, nobles and peasants alike.

he

ous

As a child of six, Mary Tudor, half sister of Elizabeth I, spent

on

by today's values.

turkeys from, them at the price. of four beads a bird. Next year, his expedition sailed back to Spain.

Although no mention is made of it, there seems the strongest likelihood that he shipped back

birds

A Lord of Misrule persisted her Christmas at Dition ne late as 1878 at Downside Thames accompanied by her own School. And a trace of the "Lord of Misrule". For the custom still lingers in a practice Day's dinner, she sat down to: ENTERTAINMENT was varied, with him some specimens of

observed by the British Army, boar's head,

gilded-such was

For on Christmas Day omcers the age's artistle craving-by a century.

pointer to better please serve dinner to their men seated court at table and exchange pleasant her Royal Highness. As presents

she received ries with them.

ATE medieval England ate

Year's moted

LA hard. Peacocks, swans, sures, however, was a mumming,

a Christmas

on

their

succulence was haps

astonish

'S

was:

revellers in

and

'appetite

of

Merrie

the public's A sharpened. во England's and resource. This paved the fishing doets grew in numbers though, around the Afteenth these

way, Indisputably, for the first Burge of colonial expansion under ing, for the turkey was then Elizabeth I. For bere, among Most of the craft guilds pro- flat breasted, long combed, the nation's hardy fishing in-

miracio lanky-legged wild bird and dus on New

મ reserve coarse-fleshed. But staring skill, gained by much Day gold mugs, silver snuifers, play, based either on a Biblical obviously

Fold pomander and, what story, then very little known to as novelties they would surely toll over the fisher's nets in all

от people, delighted her heart the probably

some convince doublers of his travels weathers, and ripe for diversion legend. The in a new continent. most of all, ¤ rosemary treo morality-inspired

players rehearsed their

to new enterprises. The Queen's parts hung with spangles of gold...

very seriously and, as soon as Shortly afterwards the breed sea captains, audacious free- The highlight of her plea they came on the stage, declar- spread from Spain to other booters mostly, used it well.

ed their identity as "I am Mary European countries. The French How little those long forgotten horseplay and Magdalene," or "I am Herod." herona, cormorants, eels, lamp show, full of

seemed mystified as to its source Christmas reys, porpoise and even black manly buffetings, whose real-

of origin: They named it "Co England ever dreamed that by the They performed often binis and sparrows, prepared to

the d'Inde" (Cock of India), a name their choice of good fare, they Theco con- shrieking of demons. For, to that ultimately emerged spiced recipes, graced the main jes were enhanced by

play's properties.

armour, emphasise Holy Writ's dread "indon."

were influencing the destinies sisted ofvisors, coat

Hell sking realities, the portals of

of new continents! coney hats, gold foil, What individuals might eat and falls for the mummers, four appeared on, a crucial times, carllest, mention occurs in an most miracle play In England, the turkey's. depended on their rank. Thus, dozen clattering staves,

gun- Sak andi,

open for blue and red- order issued by a Archbishop in Henry VII's day, "eonies par powder, frankincense, ten dozen paired devils to bolled" were prescribed for

After de Bells and one 1

Cranmer in 1541. fund

seize the damned. After tord. A great lord, a Prince of coats to cover

scribing it as one of "the greater a wards, to much backstage fowles," he then forbade the Blood Royal, inight be their disguising." And, as

the squeamish, bashing of pots and pane, the ecclesiasts to servo more than treated to roasted red squirrel or concession to

"damned" played out to seven mackerels in a

their "one dishe of turkey cocks" at dish devilry took place behind

where one "player" agonics amid the torments of any state banquet, ceremonial sweetened by "a dragge" of fine curtain

slaugflared calf with his hell-dre

A sugar,

occasion or in their private sword.

households. Tho female was too But "Peacock enkakyil," or. roasted peacock, fully dressed. in its skin and plumes, headed the procession to the King's

banquets,

table. In preparing this royal

dozen morris twelve men

ה!

"

rush forth

Morn peacefully, angels as cunded and descended from precious even for cooking.

heaven by real lackiers act up on the irtog Wicked kings wore turbans and cursed in unknown tongues, . Elizabeth

bird, the chef first flayed off its E age's... vory, robustness herself, before the plays of

then

carcass and busting it with raw Nicolas's Day.

Then.

at the

revelled TRADITION

4

cgg yolks, he then sowed the: more prominent schools and in cable-industry, eminent place on our Yuletido

bird back into its skin,

Boy

owerless

wars

was

time much

skin, teathers,

salutes Henry taking care not to soil its

as on Shakespeare arrived, preserved Christmas and

VIII as the firit English adult feast. Children were not in these mysterica: proud savoured the skin with

Kyet, ita, darlings, They had

However, untroubled by any James I gave the bird its pre- sovereign 'to sample turkey; but cinnamon. After roasting the their own festival on St

afforested; of, great

Basak tablos,ATES estates and crafta, England "gilded" cathedrals,

pre-eminently outdoor

Jamed Idelested pork as the comb, and so presented his usually the

and. So, at robed

Christmas me

as his botter known resplendent offering to the chorister,

enthusiasms

ma broke loose. Nobles aversions, tobacco and witcher. mounich Much red ale and, enthroned. Afterwards he con- enthu

and cløret helped it down, an

peasants, delighted In The mere sight of boar's head service, pronounced, and siucted a benedictions and preachok a falconry, thaigh again a social upect his stomach. Not so the In the country, ladies of the sermon which, if listened to seal das women who might fy newly introduced dish turke Manor servest their households with mirks by his schoolfel- particular breedehus a King tender, fat-breasted. with strango me frulle, such as lows, had at least to be received struck at tabib With a gerfalcon, cocks. Their Cellciousness teased arandes, and lemons. Some of seriously by the Dean and his but a prince was allowed only a his palate. and, not long after thona - delicacies tasted›

• The Boy il""Bishop- falcon- gentle, 95, feroel gentle; al wards thousands of bli ribjects)

of now

|POCKET CARTOON

by OSBERT LANCASTER

CIFRUSTRA TAIRCIL

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