Folklore, Food and Fairytales

Folklore, Food and Fairytales

Share this post

Folklore, Food and Fairytales
Folklore, Food and Fairytales
From Festive Food Folklore to Substack Chat
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

From Festive Food Folklore to Substack Chat

Via a private space for us all to chat and a smidge of festivity

Rachel Mosses
Dec 06, 2022
3

Share this post

Folklore, Food and Fairytales
Folklore, Food and Fairytales
From Festive Food Folklore to Substack Chat
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share

Dearest Gentle Reader,

I know I normally don’t pop up on this week in the month but maybe you might consider it a bonus? I thought this normally empty week would be the perfect opportunity to share the first few days of my festive food folklore, which if you don’t follow me on social media you may have missed, and launch a brand new addition to my Substack publication: the Folklore, Food and Fairytales subscriber chat.

First here is a gallery of my festive food folklore to date:

December 1 In some European traditions the spirits of ancestors are remembered at the Xmas Eve meal, vacant places are set, a light is kept burning all night & leftover food remains on the table for visiting spirits. In the 8thC St Bede wrote that Anglo-Saxons left food out during Xmas so visiting spirits could partake of the feast & is a reason behind 1 theory for why the English enjoy Xmas ghost stories December 2 When eating your first mince pie of the year, you should make a wish. If you eat a mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas you’ll have good luck for the next 12 months. However, sometimes mince pies aren’t lucky: To avoid ill luck, never refuse a mince pie, always cut with a fork & never a knife & always eat in silence. Popping the mini ones in your mouth whole should cover all 3 December 3 On Christmas Eve in some parts of Norfolk, hot spiced ale was made and then sprinkled on orchards and meadows. This was to remind the earth of warmth and ensure a good crop in the following year. No-one mentions what happens to the leftovers. December 4 It was believed that cakes, biscuits and breads made on Christmas Eve will never go mouldy. Any leftovers would be allowed to go dry and then ground up and mixed with water. This mixture could then be used to alleviate sickness. December 5 Historically in Cummnor, Berkshire anyone who paid tithes could claim to be entertained at the vicarage on Christmas Day in the afternoon with their share of 4 bushels of malt brewed into ale & beer, 2 bushels of wheat made into bread, & 1/2 a hundred weight of cheese. I imagine it was a tricky day for the vicar’s household and they couldn’t wait for Boxing Day for a rest and possible leftover cheese. December 6 - St Nicholas Day In Switzerland, Grittibänzen, bread men made from sweet enriched dough, appear in bakeries today. There’s also a special beer called Samichlaus which is brewed once a year on this day in Austria, although it has Swiss origins, and is released on the same day the following year. Of the Doppelbock type, it’s one of the rarest & strongest beers in the world. December 1 In some European traditions the spirits of ancestors are remembered at the Xmas Eve meal, vacant places are set, a light is kept burning all night & leftover food remains on the table for visiting spirits. In the 8thC St Bede wrote that Anglo-Saxons left food out during Xmas so visiting spirits could partake of the feast & is a reason behind 1 theory for why the English enjoy Xmas ghost stories December 2 When eating your first mince pie of the year, you should make a wish. If you eat a mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas you’ll have good luck for the next 12 months. However, sometimes mince pies aren’t lucky: To avoid ill luck, never refuse a mince pie, always cut with a fork & never a knife & always eat in silence. Popping the mini ones in your mouth whole should cover all 3 December 3 On Christmas Eve in some parts of Norfolk, hot spiced ale was made and then sprinkled on orchards and meadows. This was to remind the earth of warmth and ensure a good crop in the following year. No-one mentions what happens to the leftovers. December 4 It was believed that cakes, biscuits and breads made on Christmas Eve will never go mouldy. Any leftovers would be allowed to go dry and then ground up and mixed with water. This mixture could then be used to alleviate sickness. December 5 Historically in Cummnor, Berkshire anyone who paid tithes could claim to be entertained at the vicarage on Christmas Day in the afternoon with their share of 4 bushels of malt brewed into ale & beer, 2 bushels of wheat made into bread, & 1/2 a hundred weight of cheese. I imagine it was a tricky day for the vicar’s household and they couldn’t wait for Boxing Day for a rest and possible leftover cheese. December 6 - St Nicholas Day In Switzerland, Grittibänzen, bread men made from sweet enriched dough, appear in bakeries today. There’s also a special beer called Samichlaus which is brewed once a year on this day in Austria, although it has Swiss origins, and is released on the same day the following year. Of the Doppelbock type, it’s one of the rarest & strongest beers in the world. December 1 In some European traditions the spirits of ancestors are remembered at the Xmas Eve meal, vacant places are set, a light is kept burning all night & leftover food remains on the table for visiting spirits. In the 8thC St Bede wrote that Anglo-Saxons left food out during Xmas so visiting spirits could partake of the feast & is a reason behind 1 theory for why the English enjoy Xmas ghost stories December 2 When eating your first mince pie of the year, you should make a wish. If you eat a mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas you’ll have good luck for the next 12 months. However, sometimes mince pies aren’t lucky: To avoid ill luck, never refuse a mince pie, always cut with a fork & never a knife & always eat in silence. Popping the mini ones in your mouth whole should cover all 3 December 3 On Christmas Eve in some parts of Norfolk, hot spiced ale was made and then sprinkled on orchards and meadows. This was to remind the earth of warmth and ensure a good crop in the following year. No-one mentions what happens to the leftovers. December 4 It was believed that cakes, biscuits and breads made on Christmas Eve will never go mouldy. Any leftovers would be allowed to go dry and then ground up and mixed with water. This mixture could then be used to alleviate sickness. December 5 Historically in Cummnor, Berkshire anyone who paid tithes could claim to be entertained at the vicarage on Christmas Day in the afternoon with their share of 4 bushels of malt brewed into ale & beer, 2 bushels of wheat made into bread, & 1/2 a hundred weight of cheese. I imagine it was a tricky day for the vicar’s household and they couldn’t wait for Boxing Day for a rest and possible leftover cheese. December 6 - St Nicholas Day In Switzerland, Grittibänzen, bread men made from sweet enriched dough, appear in bakeries today. There’s also a special beer called Samichlaus which is brewed once a year on this day in Austria, although it has Swiss origins, and is released on the same day the following year. Of the Doppelbock type, it’s one of the rarest & strongest beers in the world.
December 1 In some European traditions the spirits of ancestors are remembered at the Xmas Eve meal, vacant places are set, a light is kept burning all night & leftover food remains on the table for visiting spirits. In the 8thC St Bede wrote that Anglo-Saxons left food out during Xmas so visiting spirits could partake of the feast & is a reason behind 1 theory for why the English enjoy Xmas ghost stories December 2 When eating your first mince pie of the year, you should make a wish. If you eat a mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas you’ll have good luck for the next 12 months. However, sometimes mince pies aren’t lucky: To avoid ill luck, never refuse a mince pie, always cut with a fork & never a knife & always eat in silence. Popping the mini ones in your mouth whole should cover all 3 December 3 On Christmas Eve in some parts of Norfolk, hot spiced ale was made and then sprinkled on orchards and meadows. This was to remind the earth of warmth and ensure a good crop in the following year. No-one mentions what happens to the leftovers. December 4 It was believed that cakes, biscuits and breads made on Christmas Eve will never go mouldy. Any leftovers would be allowed to go dry and then ground up and mixed with water. This mixture could then be used to alleviate sickness. December 5 Historically in Cummnor, Berkshire anyone who paid tithes could claim to be entertained at the vicarage on Christmas Day in the afternoon with their share of 4 bushels of malt brewed into ale & beer, 2 bushels of wheat made into bread, & 1/2 a hundred weight of cheese. I imagine it was a tricky day for the vicar’s household and they couldn’t wait for Boxing Day for a rest and possible leftover cheese. December 6 - St Nicholas Day In Switzerland, Grittibänzen, bread men made from sweet enriched dough, appear in bakeries today. There’s also a special beer called Samichlaus which is brewed once a year on this day in Austria, although it has Swiss origins, and is released on the same day the following year. Of the Doppelbock type, it’s one of the rarest & strongest beers in the world. December 1 In some European traditions the spirits of ancestors are remembered at the Xmas Eve meal, vacant places are set, a light is kept burning all night & leftover food remains on the table for visiting spirits. In the 8thC St Bede wrote that Anglo-Saxons left food out during Xmas so visiting spirits could partake of the feast & is a reason behind 1 theory for why the English enjoy Xmas ghost stories December 2 When eating your first mince pie of the year, you should make a wish. If you eat a mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas you’ll have good luck for the next 12 months. However, sometimes mince pies aren’t lucky: To avoid ill luck, never refuse a mince pie, always cut with a fork & never a knife & always eat in silence. Popping the mini ones in your mouth whole should cover all 3 December 3 On Christmas Eve in some parts of Norfolk, hot spiced ale was made and then sprinkled on orchards and meadows. This was to remind the earth of warmth and ensure a good crop in the following year. No-one mentions what happens to the leftovers. December 4 It was believed that cakes, biscuits and breads made on Christmas Eve will never go mouldy. Any leftovers would be allowed to go dry and then ground up and mixed with water. This mixture could then be used to alleviate sickness. December 5 Historically in Cummnor, Berkshire anyone who paid tithes could claim to be entertained at the vicarage on Christmas Day in the afternoon with their share of 4 bushels of malt brewed into ale & beer, 2 bushels of wheat made into bread, & 1/2 a hundred weight of cheese. I imagine it was a tricky day for the vicar’s household and they couldn’t wait for Boxing Day for a rest and possible leftover cheese. December 6 - St Nicholas Day In Switzerland, Grittibänzen, bread men made from sweet enriched dough, appear in bakeries today. There’s also a special beer called Samichlaus which is brewed once a year on this day in Austria, although it has Swiss origins, and is released on the same day the following year. Of the Doppelbock type, it’s one of the rarest & strongest beers in the world. December 1 In some European traditions the spirits of ancestors are remembered at the Xmas Eve meal, vacant places are set, a light is kept burning all night & leftover food remains on the table for visiting spirits. In the 8thC St Bede wrote that Anglo-Saxons left food out during Xmas so visiting spirits could partake of the feast & is a reason behind 1 theory for why the English enjoy Xmas ghost stories December 2 When eating your first mince pie of the year, you should make a wish. If you eat a mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas you’ll have good luck for the next 12 months. However, sometimes mince pies aren’t lucky: To avoid ill luck, never refuse a mince pie, always cut with a fork & never a knife & always eat in silence. Popping the mini ones in your mouth whole should cover all 3 December 3 On Christmas Eve in some parts of Norfolk, hot spiced ale was made and then sprinkled on orchards and meadows. This was to remind the earth of warmth and ensure a good crop in the following year. No-one mentions what happens to the leftovers. December 4 It was believed that cakes, biscuits and breads made on Christmas Eve will never go mouldy. Any leftovers would be allowed to go dry and then ground up and mixed with water. This mixture could then be used to alleviate sickness. December 5 Historically in Cummnor, Berkshire anyone who paid tithes could claim to be entertained at the vicarage on Christmas Day in the afternoon with their share of 4 bushels of malt brewed into ale & beer, 2 bushels of wheat made into bread, & 1/2 a hundred weight of cheese. I imagine it was a tricky day for the vicar’s household and they couldn’t wait for Boxing Day for a rest and possible leftover cheese. December 6 - St Nicholas Day In Switzerland, Grittibänzen, bread men made from sweet enriched dough, appear in bakeries today. There’s also a special beer called Samichlaus which is brewed once a year on this day in Austria, although it has Swiss origins, and is released on the same day the following year. Of the Doppelbock type, it’s one of the rarest & strongest beers in the world.
Festive Food Folklore

Now for Substack Chat: this is a conversation space in the Substack app where we can have lovely chats should you choose. I won’t be there all the time but I will see what you post and I’ll be adding thoughts and ideas and replying where I can.

To join our chat, you’ll need to download the Substack app, now available for both iOS and Android. Chats are sent via the app, not email, so you can turn on push notifications so you don’t miss conversation as it happens.

How to get started

  1. Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Substack Chat is now available on both iOS and Android.

Get app

  1. Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.

  1. That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hello, and if you have any issues, Substack’s FAQ will hopefully be of assistance.

So that’s the end of my short spot of promotion! If you don’t fancy using chat, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via the comments or via any of my social media profiles/my website, this is just an extra channel that might be fun.

Until next time, gentle reader. Take care of yourselves and I will soon be back with your next actual letter.

Join chat

3

Share this post

Folklore, Food and Fairytales
Folklore, Food and Fairytales
From Festive Food Folklore to Substack Chat
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share

Discussion about this post

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2025 Rachel Mosses
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More