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CHRISTMAS

This section covers the whole ‘Festive Season’. The birthday of Christ is one of the most important day in the Christian calendar and the one on which the most people considering themselves Christian would go to church. Collections does recognise its religious importance but otherwise has to declare a disinterest in the ‘Festive Season’. The tackiness of it all, the moral blackmail, the unspeakable office parties (does anybody enjoy them?), the family feuding. So a certain amount of subversion may be discerned. Nevertheless, the season is rich in calendar customs such as Carol Singing, the Boy Bishop, Nativity Plays, Glastonbury Thorn, The Peter Pan Cup, Bakers and Sweeps, Christmas Doles, Cribs, Christingle, Horn Day and Tolling the Devil’s Knell. Also there are really important but nothing-much-to-do-with-Christmas customs which happen to come up at this time, namely Longsword Dancing and Mumming Plays.