As 1 Park Road launch their Christmas packages – we are offering an unconventional Christmas at our boutique hotel Christmas in the Lake District I wondered if there were any Cumbrian Christmas traditions in the Lake District past or present?.
In Whitehaven and St Bees mumming – Christmas plays – continue to this day. At St Bees, mummers visit the pubs on Christmas Eve performing a play in which Alexander, St George, the King of Egypt and other historical figures speak in rhyming verse. The hero and villain fight, one is mortally wounded and a doctor is called the victim is miraculously restored ready to fight another day.
Traditional Christmas food in the Lake District includes the Cumberland Pie. No doubt various recipes exist but my favourite is one that is spiced, sweetened and has an element of fruit – dried fruit such as raisins, or candied fruits, as well as minced meat. In medieval times meat were common, so we should add Herdwick lamb or mutton. Further enhancements can include rum, no doubt from Whitehaven as this was a major port for trade with the West Indies.
How do you mix all this together. That is open to debate. Some prefer the meat, spices and fruit to be mixed as one filling; others like the spiced meat to be topped with a layer of apple or pastry, some would have their pie with a lid, others with the apple or other fruits open at the top, like a deep tart.
Talking of Whitehaven how about rum butter. Legend has it this was a local delicacy discovered by smugglers whose stored their contraband in various caves. But when they returned they found some rum had spilled into the butter.
Another Christmas tradition in the Lake District takes place on the Friday before Christmas Black Eye Friday. The Friday was named way back in the mists of time. Black Eye Friday is a calendar date heralding the start of the season of peace and goodwill to all men in other words black eyes are given and received freely – after consumption of large quantities of the Christmas ale.
In many parts of Cumbria we have various European communities such as those from Poland. Their tradition is to have their big Christmas meal for family and friends on the day before Christmas. The Polish Christmas dinner is called ‘wigilia’ can comprise of up to 12 different dishes, recalling the 12 apostles but the eating doesn’t begin until about 5pm, when the first star of the night is spotted. However many people sit down for dinner they always leave an extra place in case someone unexpected calls.
Some strands of hay are laid under the tablecloth, reminding them of the story of Jesus’s birth in a stable and coins are also placed around the table to ensure a prosperous new year. Some of their traditions includes a thin, gingerbread-like wafer called oplatek that is shared among the guests, broken up like bread at the Last Supper, and they wish each other well for the year to come and then the feast begins. Dishes can include beetroot soup, fish, dumplings filled with mushrooms, cabbage mixed with peas, a sweet dish of pasta squares sprinkled with poppy seeds, honey and sultanas, dried fruit compote and pancakes rolled up and filled with mushrooms and vegetables.