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Showing posts with the label Christmas FAQ

Who was King Wenceslas?

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How did A Christmas Carol change the English language?

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A Christmas Carol  (1843) has been one of the most influential novels every written. It introduced many memorable words, phrases and idioms into the English language .  Many of these are used in Stave One Bah Humbug!   interjection . An exclamation of irritation or disgust.  Dead as doornail  - obviously/conclusively dead. Ghost of Christmas Past :   noun.   A person or thing from a past you might choose to forget  Gruel  - a thin liquid food of oatmeal - used to refer to cheap/poor food.  Scrooge:   noun . Someone with cold/mean/miserly attitude. Also someone who transforms from bad to good. Tight fisted  - ungenerous  Famous quotations A Christmas Carol is also one of the most widely quoted texts in literature. Here are some widely used examples from the opening description of Scrooge: Marley was dead, to begin with … Old Marley was as dead as a doornail. Oh! but he was …tight -fisted The cold within him froze his old features. He carried his own low temperature alwa

Where does the word nativity come from?

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Nativity derives from the Latin 'natal' meaning birth. 

What is figgy pudding?

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We want some figgy pudding So bring it right here! Figgy or fig pudding is a generic term covering a number of medieval dishes served at Christmas. These could be sweet or savory and usually included figs,  honey seasonal fruits and nuts. Later, figs were often omitted while large measures of rum or other distilled alcohol became obligatory We Wish You a Merry Christmas Figgy pudding has entered popular culture via the carol. This originated in the west of England and was revived in the Edwardian period by composer, conductor and organist Arthur Warrell (1883-1939).  We Wish You a Merry Christmas is from the wassailing tradition, where villagers visit the gentry demanding ale to celebrate the season.  This combines jollity with a  barely concealed menace hinted at in the words: We won’t go until we get some So bring it out here! Doubtless Mr Warrell played down the drunken rudeness in his five part madrigal version for the University of Bistol.  If your guests 'won't go u

What is frankincense? And myrrh?

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Frankincense is a gum resin with a strong smell. It comes from the Boswellia tree.