The Victorians had some interesting holiday traditions. Some of them are still around today, while others are no longer popular…sometimes for good reason.
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The victorians and wintertime traditions
January 2024 | By Evelina
Cards
In England the mail system became standardized. Letters could be sent at any distance for the same price.
This enabled more people to have access to the mail system. This occurred in January 1840 where it cost 1 penny to send a letter. If the letter was collected directly from the writer, the cost would increase by a penny.
Overtime sending mass-produced cards became popular. The Victorians sent insulting Valentine’s Day cards to people they disliked. These cards were sent without a return address.
Food
Among the poor in Victorian England, oysters were a popular food around the holidays. Oysters were cheap and plentiful. Later, they were overharvested.
Eating turkey during this time started with the upper classes and eventually became a staple of the middle classes.
Ghosts
Ghosts were associated with the wintertime long before the 1800s, but they held special intrigue for Victorian England.
Ghosts were often depicted as characters or plot points in newspapers and novels during the colder months, like in Charles Dickens’ famous 1843 novella A Christmas Carol.
While the origin of these interests could be supernatural, there are other, logical explanations for the popularity of ghosts with the Victorians.
As industrialization caused people to cram into crowded town homes, hearing creaks and seeing shadows was not uncommon.
Also, the gas lamps of this time emitted carbon monoxide, which can cause hallucinations and other side-effects.
Mistletoe
Commodification of holidays and their traditions is not new, but it looked a little different from today.
For example, mistletoe during the Victorian age was especially rare, as it is a parasitic plant only found in apple trees in the south of England.
Likely because of its rarity, it became a status symbol and some people resorted to trespassing, stealing and selling this plant.
Leisure
The Victorians believed that the activities they did on the last day of the year were significant to how the rest of the year would turn out.
Therefore, they would not work and would instead have fun outside the home. The ashes from the hearth would be swept to symbolize getting rid of the year’s ugliness.
At midnight they would throw a cake at the door to represent a year without hunger.
resources
Strange and Delightful Holiday Traditions of the Victorian Era (from History Collection)
33 Nasty ‘Vinegar Valentines’ That Victorians Sent To Mock Each Other For Every Fault You Can Imagine (all that’s interesting article)
Victorian Christmas Traditions: A Historical Celebration (LovetoKnow article)
Victorian Postage System (The Victorian School Article)