 ~ MRS. SHARP'S TRADITIONS ~  NOTE: The entire text below is taken directly from the book Mrs. Sharp’s Traditions. I cannot take credit in any form for the ideas and creativity on this page unless so noted. The book is written by Sarah Ban Breathnach and is currently out of print. If you can find a copy (the softcover version is called Victorian Family Celebrations), definitely grab it and run…and DON’T lend it to a friend because you’ll probably never get it back! "November brings with it cold days and early dark evenings. Once again the fires are lit and the family draws hearthside. We begin this month with a remembrance of all those we have loved and lost on All Souls’ Day, then our thoughts turn toward sharing with those who have less than we do at Martinmas. Soon, how happy we are when, as over the river and through the woods, everyone gathers together at The Vicarage for that most treasured of home holidays – Thanksgiving. Finally, Stir-Up Sunday brings with it the first hint of Christmas joys to come. Gratefully, we bask in our bounty of riches –– summed up in one precious word: Family." For centuries, the souls of the dead have been remembered and prayed for on November 2, All Souls’ Day. From England comes the tradition of "soul cakes" for All Souls’ Day. An ancient belief held that all unhappy souls could return to their former homes for a visit. Thus it became customary on All Souls’ Eve to keep the hearth well tended and leave food on the table in case the visiting spirits were hungry. Soul cakes were also offered to visitors and distributed to the poor who came "a’souling," praying for a household’s departed relations, in return for alms and a soul cake. MRS. SHARP’S SOUL CAKES 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon lemon extract 4 cups flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon allspice ½ cup currants ½ cup milk Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar together (with an electric mixer), then beat in the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and lemon extracts and mix well. Sift the flour and the spices together and then add to the butter mixture. Stir in the currants and add milk to make a soft dough. Form the dough into flat cakes and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. On November 11 comes the festival of Martinmas, a very old European winter celebration dating back to the Middle Ages. Legend goes that a young soldier named Martin took off his cape, tore it in half and covered a beggar with it on a very cold night. The following night, Martin had a dream in which Christ spoke to him while wearing Martin’s cape saying, "Martin, what you have done unto the least of your brothers you have done to me." Martin abandoned his career in the French calvary, became a monk and devoted his life to helping others. In many European countries today, particularly Germany, France, and the Netherlands, Martinmas is celebrated with a festival of lanterns, symbolizing the light of generosity that illuminates the darkness of lack. We celebrate Martinmas in our home as well. Mrs. Sharp gathers together the good, serviceable clothing that the entire family has outgrown; after it has been washed and cleaned and mended, we take the clothing to a nearby shelter. Each year Mrs. Sharp reinforces the tradition of giving on Martinmas by giving a special sweater or scarf to each of the children. The gift is symbolic: something that will keep them warm both physically and emotionally. In the afternoon, the children put the finishing touches on the paper lanterns they have been working on the past few days. When the children’s lanterns are complete, we ceremoniously light them and the children carry them once around the dining room. Afterward we enjoy a festive tea together. Martinmas may not be a festival you are familiar with today, but its gentle caring customs can become all the more precious in time for the lesson it lovingly imparts. This is a fairly simple activity that young children love. Just be sure to allow plenty of time for the various steps of this project; it will occupy at least three afternoons. Don’t try to rush the steps if you want your lantern to hold together. First, take a sheet of quality watercolor paper, 16 x 12 inches. Have each child paint a pretty picture with watercolors on it. Let it dry overnight. The next day, take a paper towel dipped into vegetable cooking oil and rub it over the painting. Do this several times until the paper is saturated with the oil. Let it dry overnight. The oil-saturated paper will reflect candlelight beautifully. Now you are ready to make your lantern. First mark off eight two-inch strips, three inches from the bottom of the paper. Now form the lantern by rolling the two ends of the painting together, overlaping by one inch. Glue the sides of the lantern down; clip with a clothespin until dry. Next fold up the strips of the lantern to form the base. Glue into place. Stand your lantern up and place a large rock or a mug into the bottom of it to help give it shape. Let it dry over night. The next day, glue a small, metal votive candleholder on the bottom of your lantern. Punch two holes on either side at the top of your lantern for your handle. Make the handle for your lantern out of a piece of yarn 16 inches long. On Martinmas afternoon, place a small votive candle in the metal base of the lantern and have an adult light it. The lanterns look very pretty when grouped together in the center of the dining room table for tea. The handle of the lantern is for when the children want to play with them afterward, but not, dear Reader, with a lighted candle! (Kris’ note: I’m not going to include the background/history of Thanksgiving as I know you can get that information elsewhere.) One tradition that Victorian families shared together was to prepare Thanksgiving food baskets for the hungry – a century later this need still exists; there are many food banks around the country that would appreciate contributions. When children assist in the gathering and preparing of food gifts and then help pack a basket and deliver it, they learn the deeper significance of Thanksgiving and see how much they have to be thankful for. Another Thanksgiving tradition the children in our family enjoy is setting the table, for on this festive occasion what is viewed as a daily duty is transformed into a holiday privilege. Mrs. Sharp knows the children need to make their contributions to the table in order to feel that the celebration belongs to them as well. That’s why the children make the table’s merry place-card "favors." A few days before, Mrs. Sharp gives the children a box of old photographs. They cut out the heads of family members and mount them on funny figures of people and animals selected from magazines. These are then pasted on cardboard for use as ur place cards. When guests ask to take the place cards home – as they invariably do – it doubles the children’s pleasure and insures that the tradition is repeated each year. In many modern households, the demands of school and business often make the evening meal the only hour in which all members of the family are together. This is reason enough, Mrs. Sharp believes, for any parent to offer appropriate expressions of gratitude. The ritual of a family table grace – symbolizing unity – is one of the loveliest traditions you can incorporate into your daily lives. In the Sharp household, we say a simple grace before meals, not only because of a religious need, but because it provides a moment of reflection and peace. We hold hands and say together: Our home, family and friends, We give thanks. Blessings on the meal. If your family is not yet saying grace before meals, one enjoyable way to introduce this ritual into your repertoire is to compose your own. Invite the children to each contribute a thought or phrase. Some families also like to incorporate spontaneous thanks for the best thing that happened to members of the family during the day, which often sparks dinner conversation. Mrs. Sharp’s tradition for encouraging meaningful dinner conversation is for everyone to write down favorite or interesting quotations on index cards, which are kept in a small basket on our table. Encourage your family to cast a wide net for the quotations: the Bible, literature, readings done for work or school, magazine, and newspapers. Take turns selecting a card, then use it as a theme for your conversation. Stir-Up Sunday is the Sunday before Advent. For Mrs. Sharp’s family the holiday excitement begins as soon as the Thanksgiving Day turkey starts simmering on the stove for soup. Then we put away the everyday china to make room for the Christmas crockery and bring out the Advent Box. This is simply a cardboard box containing all the books, supplies and materials Mrs. Sharp needs early in December in order to observe the season of Advent, including her Christmas plum-pudding recipe. You see, before Advent commences next week, the family must prepare the Christmas pudding in order to give it time to age properly. We make it the Sunday before Advent begins, a day that the Victorians called Stir-up Sunday. This old custom probably originated because on the Sunday before Advent, English congregations were exhorted in church to "stir up" and bring "forth the fruit of good works," a timely reminder to the Victorian women that it was time to prepare the Christmas puddings. Eating plum pudding as the grand finale to Christmas dinner is as English a tradition as you shall ever find. Despite the fact that there is not a plum to be found in the recipe, this dish began during the Middle Ages as plum porridge, and by the 18th century became pudding. The Victorians invented the method of steaming the pudding in a basin – and added brandy. On Stir-up Sunday, the entire family gathers together to help Mrs. Sharp. One essential part of the ritual is that all the members of the household must take a turn stirring the pudding while making a wish. Finally Mrs. Sharp stirs a lucky six-penny piece into the spicy dough. Whoever finds it in their portion on Christmas Day is destined to be wealthy the following year. MRS. SHARP’S VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS PUDDING ½ cup candied citrus peel 2 oz candied lemon peel 2 cups raisins 2 cups currants ½ cup almonds, blanched and chopped 2 small nutmegs grated (1 tsp nutmeg) 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon allspice 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup ground almonds 12 oz fresh brown bread crumbs 1 lb fresh suet, finely shredded 8 oz dark brown sugar 8 eggs, beaten 4 oz brandy 4 oz sherry Enough milk to mix (approx. ½ cup) Chop the candied fruit peel, raisins, currants, and almonds coarsely. Mix them together thoroughly with all the spices. In a large bowl blend together the fruit mixture with the flour, salt, and ground almonds. Work in the bread crumbs, suet, and sugar (using your hands is easiest) until everything is thoroughly mixed together. Beat the eggs lightly and add them to the mixture. Add the brandy, sherry, and milk, stirring until the pudding is a soft paste. Let this mixture sit overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning pour the mixture into a large, well-buttered pudding basin (or pour into two smaller pudding basins – this is an ample recipe), cover with greased paper and cloth (plain muslin), and tie it tightly around the rim of the basin. Set the basin in a large open roasting pan filled to the sides with boiling water. Steam the pudding in this manner for 8 hours, adding hot water as necessary. Remove the wet cloths and cover the pudding with fresh greased paper and fresh muslin. Store the pudding in a cool, dark place for four weeks. On Christmas Day, steam the pudding an additional 2 hours. Unmold the pudding. Before serving, add a sprig of holly to the top of the pudding, cover with brandy and bring it to the table flaming. Serve Christmas pudding with either brandy butter or whipped cream. BRANDY BUTTER 1 stick sweet butter 1 cup confectioners’ sugar ¼ cup brandy Allow the butter to warm to room temperature. Beat vigorously until creamy. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until pale and fluffy, adding the brandy a tablespoon at a time. Brandy butter can be made a few days beforehand; store in the refrigerator. WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO?
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