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Kate Whitehead

CHRISTMAS traditions around the world constantly evolve with the changing times, and even new ones spring up.

In Japan, parents queue up outside KFC to buy a bucket of chicken for their children. At the root of this practice is the perceived similarity between Colonel Sanders, the founder of the fast-food chain who is featured on its logo, and Santa Claus.

However, traditionally, Christmas has been celebrated with turkey, mince pies, Christmas crackers and puddings. It is a time of feasting, merriment and the exchange of presents. But where do these traditions and culinary customs come from?

Has turkey always been eaten at Christmas?

Turkey is a comparatively recent feature on Christmas menus. A few hundred years ago, a boar's head was the Christmas dinner centrepiece. But when the boar was hunted to extinction in England and other parts of Europe, the goose became the traditional Christmas dish in Britain.

The turkey only became established as a farmyard fowl in England in the 18th century. It took another century before it replaced the goose on the festive menu.

Where do Christmas crackers come from?

The tradition of pulling crackers was begun in the 1840s by London confectioner Tom Smith. Impressed with French sweets called bonbons, he decided to copy them, putting sweets in twists of paper. When he noticed that young men were buying them for their sweethearts, he put love mottos on small strips of paper inside the wrappings.

Later he put toys and novelties inside as Christmas surprises for children. He experimented with the idea and produced a wrapper that could be pulled apart, much like the crackers we have today.

Why are candy canes hung on Christmas trees?

The red and white striped candy canes are shaped like a shepherd's crook and their most likely origin was as a reward for children who had learned their prayers.

What is inside mince pies?

In medieval times, mince pies were filled with chopped meat or liver, a hard boiled egg and ginger. They were either baked or fried and later it became common to enrich the filling with dried fruit. By the 16th century, the pies had become a Christmas speciality. And by the mid-17th century, the meat had disappeared from the pie to be replaced by animal fat. They became the sweet pies they are today.

Legend has it that it is unlucky to cut your mince pie. Another superstition holds that if you refuse a mince pie on Christmas Eve, you will have bad luck the following day.

What is inside a Christmas pudding?

Some Christmas puddings contain a coin. In one tradition, the whole family helps to make the festive dessert. A coin is added to the mixture and everyone makes a wish, taking turns to stir the pudding.

Whoever finds the coin in their piece of pudding when it is eaten will have their wish come true. One superstition holds that if you eat the pudding on Christmas Day, you avoid losing a friend before the following Christmas.



Festive traditions