Friday, December 30, 2011

Thoughts As The Season Winds Down

The circa 1832 Eagle Tavern is festively decked for the Holiday Season
I have to say that this was probably the best Christmas season ever for me. And it's still not over, for we have the New Years Celebration coming up. Now, I'm not really big on New Years, to be honest. To me it is just taking me further away from the past, distancing me from a period of which I love. On the other hand, a new year also gives me the opportunity to learn even more about the past through newly discovered research, thus bringing me closer to the time I love.
Don't try to figure that out!
The front sitting room table in Giddings House 1750
Anyhow, I would like to wish all of you a very Happy and Peaceful New Year. Please be safe - not just on New Years Eve, but for the whole of the year and all the years to come.

Stay tuned - there are plenty more postings about living history, reenacting, and general social history on the way...


Lanterns near the front door of the 1750 Giddings House light the way for visitors



A Christmas verse published by Joseph Royle in 1765 in The Virginia Almanack:
Christmas is come, hang on the pot,
Let spits turn round and ovens be hot;
Beef, pork, and poultry now provide,
To feast thy neighbours at this tide;
Then wash all down with good wine and beer,
And so with Mirth conclude the Year.
(taken from the Colonial Williamsburg Facebook page)













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Friday, December 23, 2011

Christmas 1860 ~~and~~2011

...Now for a Christmas description from Godey's Lady's Book December 1860:
Miss Moses is ready for the ride from the city to the country
CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY and COUNTRY
Christmas, the general holiday, has its charms for each. In towns there is much consultation as to toilet, for though the children absorb the morning, and it is proper to be seen at church, it is not less certain that the intimate gentlemen friends of the family will make their appearance by the time a demi-toilet can be dispatched, a little rehearsal of the general reception that marks the New Year. There are symptoms of it in the well-spread lunch table of the luxurious drawing room, in the impromptu grouping of ladies of the house with the first tinkle of the doorbell, and its enjoyment culminates in the entrance of "the coming man," who "takes the liberty of bringing his friend Marks," already well known in society as "superb in the German."
The country cousins, meantime, have already dined! - unfashionable creatures - and enjoyed with keen appetites the ample bountiful Christmas dinner the barnyard and the garden's latest gifts of crisp celery, winter vegetables, and fruit have contributed to. The air is keen and clear, the sky unclouded sapphire, the roads in their prime of sleighing from yesterday's travel over the last cheerful snowstorm. They, too, have "gentlemen friends" who are only too happy to pay their devoirs in the clear open air, and in much merriment the sleighing party is made up to dash along with chiming bells and song and laughter. An upset now and then is counted in with the amusements of the day, so that no one is hurt, and who ever is? by a fall into a yielding snowbank!

---------------------------------------------------

In the colonial Giddings kitchen
 December 2011:
Our annual trek to Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village has expanded: by the time the Christmas season is over I'll have been there a total of seven times! You see, this year my period vocal group, Simply Dickens, has been contracted to sing there for six nights! Yes, we have been set up in the gazebo near the Ackley Covered Bridge and perform our old world carols for the throngs of visitors who pass by. Many will stop and listen to the little known carols from Christmas past and, happily, remain there, enthralled by the music of our ancestors.
Simply Dickens in Greenfield Village
For a group like ours, having the opportunity to play in such a place as Greenfield Village during the ever-popular Holiday Nights is akin to performing at Cobo Hall for a major recording artist. Thousands of people stroll past us as they hear Past Three O'Clock, Gloucestershire Wassail, Riu Riu Chiu, The Boar's Head Carol, The Sans Day Carol, and even Silent Night sung in German. Many will stop and listen, and in doing so will get to hear a little bit of the history of each ancient carol sung by the group.
The Ladies Aid Society in Smiths Creek Depot
This Christmas season also saw my wife participating at Holiday Nights as well; she portrayed one from a Ladies Aid Society in Smiths Creek Depot with fellow living historian Lorna Paul. Now, you must understand that, though my wife enjoys reenacting, she's never done it without me with her. This is the first time she had ever taken it upon herself to participate in such a thing on her own. And she absolutely loved it! Not only was she was able to crochet and knit items for our fighting men in blue, but had the opportunity to give the visiting patrons a tour and give a bit of history on the depot itself.
I visited the lovely ladies at the depot

~Note the feather tree~
One thing my wife has never done was to visit the Crocker House Museum in Mt. Clemens, so this year I finally took her there. She was so aglow at the sight of this restored Victorian home. Crocker House is run by my good friend Kim Parr, a true living historian and a wealth of 19th century information. Kim used to be a master presenter at the aforementioned Greenfield Village and has brought her well-gained knowledge from those years over to the Crocker House.
The rooms in Crocker House 
are authentically decorated
This 1869 home is beautifully decorated as it might have been in the late 19th century and, to an extent, in the early 20th century. Teas are held multiple times during the Christmas Season (including my favorite, the Simply Dickens Tea!) and each one is a sell out.

Santa comes down the stairs at Crocker House

The display accurately conveys the scenes from the movie "A Christmas Story."
Another fun Christmas thing we did this year was to visit the Plymouth Historical Museum (in Plymouth, Michigan - not Plymouth Mass.), where they have a pretty fun exhibit of "A Christmas Story" vignettes throughout there Street of Old Plymouth display.

Randy lay there like a slug...it was his only defense!
Christmas is what you make it. If it's stress and malls that you think of when Christmas comes around then maybe you should take a step back, breathe a little, and take in all your town has to offer. Christmas is so much more...

Monday, December 19, 2011

Having a Historic Christmas in My Own Home

Yes, the candles are real and are lit on our tree. We cut our tree down ourselves at a Christmas tree farm so we know it's fresh. I have been doing this for over 25 years and can honestly say it is truly a beautiful sight to behold.
Well, I got my house all decked out for Christmas. Since it is a modern bungalow, built in 1944, decorating in a period style can be rather difficult. But, in 1999 we added on a large room in the back, and it was based off several designs from certain homes located inside of Greenfield Village. We are not rich or well-to-do even, but over the last eleven years or so we have collected numerous antique furniture pieces; items bought at very good prices through friends, acquaintances, or even on a lucky buy, and have furnished this room to give a fairly accurate mid-19th century appearance. Needless to say, this period atmosphere has spilled over into Christmas time.
Well, as you know, I enjoy visiting museums - besides Greenfield Village I also frequent Crossroads Village, Waterloo Farms, Crocker House Museum, Charlton Park, and any number of other historically accurate localities. And I photograph nearly every nook and cranny - inside and out - of these beautiful historic places. I do the same thing at Christmas, for I enjoy the period feeling one gets when inside these old structures no matter what the season. And I try to take a little bit from each locale and blend the ideas together as I decorate my back room in order to keep it unique to me and my family.
It seems to work.
The other evening we hosted a number of our living history friends for our annual "A Christmas Carol" party. No one dresses in their period clothing for this gathering; we come together as friends with mutual interests, share snacks and drinks, and then settle down to watch one of the many filmed versions of this greatest Christmas movie of all time. This year happened to be the 1951 Alistair Sim version from 1951.
Anyhow, quite a few friends showed up  and a few comments were made by a couple of the guests: the first comment was over-hearing one guest speak on the phone to his son about how he was at a party, sitting in an authentic room from the 1860's. Now, I must note that this gentleman works at Greenfield Village as a historic presenter.
Another guest, also a worker at Greenfield, mentioned to me directly that he felt like he was at work, "only I can touch and sit on this stuff. We're not allowed to at the Village."
A third guest, who visits my wife and I often, upon seeing my decorations noted how accurate they were as well. This friend is the director and curator at Crocker House Museum as well as being a former master presenter at the, ahem, Village of Greenfield.
Comments like this coming from these kinds of folks is quite a high honor for me. I was on such a high upon hearing this!
If you have (hopefully) read my two most recent postings on my Christmas time-travel adventures:
(Christmas at Historic Fort Wayne in Detroit
 and
Ghosts of Christmas Past), you will know how hard I strive to bring Christmas of long ago back to life. Every year I think I get a little closer...
I took a few photos and I thought I would share with you Christmas at my house.
I hope you enjoy them:

Opposite the Christmas tree shown at the top of this post is the sitting area of our Gathering Room/Parlor. My wife will sit here for hours - literally - and spin  wool into yarn on her spinning wheel
This is where I come to "get away" from it all when modern society gets to me and I haven't the time (or energy) to go to Greenfield Village

Most of what you see in this room are actual mid-19th century antiques - some a little older, some a little newer - but all close to the era of which I strive to replicate. Except the fireplace...I'll explain that shortly...


This particular picture was not taken at my house (tho' I wish it were!); this was taken at the Waterloo Farm in 2010. I love the way they decorated the fireplace mantle very traditionally. I tried to replicate this look on my own fireplace...

...what do you think? Close? Now, my fireplace is not a real one, this is obvious. Since we don't have one at all in our home my mother bought us this heater/faux fireplace. Even though it's not real, it certainly gives a fine appearance, don't you think?


Even though I'm showing this with the lit candles, we do have electric lights on our tree as well. We only light the candles once during the season, and they stay lit only for around 15 minutes or so. The rest of the time we have 21st century period-correct tiny electric lights.

I hope you enjoyed the little tour of Christmas at my home. I do wish you the merriest of Christmas's!!

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Sunday, December 11, 2011

Christmas at Historic Fort Wayne in Detroit

Another weekend in December - another Christmas time-travel experience...

That's our home - the white one 
(This photo from the Fort Wayne website)

Historic Fort Wayne is located in downtown Detroit and is situated on the Detroit River at a point where it is about a mile to the Canadian shore. The original 1848 limestone barracks (with later brick additions) still stands, as does the 1845 Star fortification (renovated in 1863 with brick exterior facing). On the fort grounds but exterior to the original star fort are additional barracks, officers quarters, hospital, shops, recreation building, commissary, guard house, garage, and stables.

Our entrance way - quite elegant, 
wouldn't you say?

The star fort today is substantially similar to the original construction, although some changes have been made.
It's here that annual Civil War reenactments take place during the summer months. It's also here during December that a semi-annual Christmas living history event will also take place known as Christmas at the Fort.
(The above was taken from Wikipedia)
Ready to begin our 
Christmas Eve 1861 celebration

On December 10th of this year a number of us donned our period clothing and brought the past to life for a few hundred tourists that took a scheduled tour, stopping at different locations to learn of Christmas celebrations past. They visited the barracks where Civil War soldiers were shown participating in the same activities they would have done a hundred and fifty years ago. They also stopped at a home to show what it was like for southern families during that time.
I was part of a group stationed inside a very elegant commander's home, though our scenario wasn't about the commander; it was to show how a well-to-do northern family would have celebrated Christmas Eve.
The house was as ornate and elegant as any Victorian home I have seen, and we got to call it "home"!
Family and friends gathered in our front parlor 
to enjoy this joyous holiday

This was a unique presentation, for the group of visitors were not allowed to roam throughout the home and speak to the various living historians. They, instead, were able to stand in the doorways of the various rooms to peak in and see the 1860's in action. While they did this, one from our group would quietly get up from our activity and move over to where the visitors were and speak of how we were celebrating Christmas.
Yes, we were ghosts of Christmas Past 
to the visitors from the future
The rest of us continued reading, singing, knitting, playing games, or doing whatever else we were in the midst of and were oblivious to those apparitions from the future. And then, when our presenter had finished their talk, they re-joined our group and continued as if they had never left.
I must say, this was a bit difficult to do as a presenter. We normally ask if there are any questions or employ the help of another reenactor in a sort of tag-team presentation. We're not used to just ending our speech and walking away. So, we kind of did a combination of the two. It worked well but it is my hope that should we do this again next Christmas that we re-visit this goal and see if we can make it kind of an ethereal presentation.
We gathered 'round the pump organ 
and sang Christmas carols
We did have a fine time as living historians bringing Christmas past to life. We took turns reading from the various material including Dickens "A Christmas Carol," the latest issue of Harper's Weekly (from December 1861), and from a book of poetry, short stories, and other period correct verses. We sang Christmas Carols to a pump organ, and played parlor games. And some of the ladies crochet and knitted Christmas gifts for their loved ones off fighting the rebellion.
Our servant girl continued doing what 
she was paid to do, especially on Christmas Eve!
As any wealthy family would have employed, we had a domestic there, cleaning, sweeping, and keeping house for us. She was included in our scenario here and there: while we had a group of visiting public inside, our servant would stop what she was doing and take a peak inside the room to view the celebrating. I, of course, would chastise her and send her back to her duties of which I pay her for. The tour group loved this.
On a side note, as we gathered all of our participants together for a group photo, one elegantly dressed woman told the domestic, "Servants in the back!"
The young lady obliged.
Yes, we do take our fun seriously.
Posing for a photograph - 
this is what WE saw
But it is fun and it is role playing - by choice - and that's why I love working with the living historians that I do. They are top-notch. Yes, there is room for improvement. But, we are heading in the right direction, and with each event that we present in this manner we raise our bar a bit higher.
Posing for a photograph - 
this is what the future sees
As I stated in my last post (Ghosts of Christmas Past) I have always dreamt of the days of Christmas past, from the time I was a tiny tot throughout my adult-hood, and I had attempted numerous times to replicate Christmas's from an era long ago.
And now my wish, my dream, my prayer seems to be coming true.
I never thought I'd see the day...

~If you would like to see more photos of this event, please click HERE to see photographer Ian Kushnir's picture album on Facebook~




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Monday, December 5, 2011

Ghosts of Christmas Past

Christmas Dreaming...
"Our Home"
Many do their Christmas Dreaming a little early. There are those who dream of a White Christmas. Some even dream of sugar plums dancing in their heads.
As for me, I have always - always - dreamt of the days of Christmas past.
From the time I was a tiny tot throughout my adult-hood I had made the attempt to replicate Christmas's from the time of Charles Dickens, whether through the old stories such as "A Christmas Carol," movies ("Carol" of course, and a few others), as well as the old traditional music.
I just didn't know how to actually take part - to live it.
But now that I am a living historian and have learned (and still learning) how to bring back to life an era of which no one alive today can say they have personally witnessed, my Christmas Dream is coming to pass.
Recently a few of us participated (again) in the Christmas on the Farm event in Waterloo, Michigan, portraying family and friends during December 1861. As a good friend of mine noted, "It was like being in a Christmas card!"
Yes, it was that good.
We did the same sort of living history presentation here last year, and once again I believe it came off very authentic, very real.
Yeah, I know, there I go again. But it's true - there were times I almost felt I was back in 1861.
Mind-travel.

 
In other words, I believe, in a way, we were there, back in that first December of the Civil War on a farm enjoying the period after harvest time where, though plenty of work still needed to be done, it also was a more relaxing time of year. You see, Once we completed harvesting our crops I worked very hard on banking up my home and farm by insulating the north sides of each structure against the coming winter, and preparing our sleigh and its runners to ensure its readiness for travel over hill and dale. Of course, my daughter shined the jingling bells up nicely, and I can just see them glistening in the rare sunlight - or even moonlight - this coming January and February when they will jingle as we ride along the snow-covered roads. Many folks believe that the jingle bells are a Christmas delight because of the ever-popular song written in the mid-1850's. That is truly not the case: jingle bells were put on sleighs for safety reasons. The horse's clip-clopping usually heard along the roads during the other three seasons are muffled greatly by the snow-covered ground of wintertime, and the head gear folks wear also muffle the sound of the on-coming beasts and carriages, making the pedestrian pert-near deaf. This could be a dangerous situation except for the sounds of the jingle bells warning the pedestrian to move out of the way. Just as horns are required on the modern day motor vehicles, bells were once a must for winter travel on sleighs. "Keeping to the Right" upon hearing the jingling of a sleigh was the rule then as it is for automobiles today.
Lest you think of "Jingle Bells" as strictly a Christmas carol, this little bit of social history should give you a different perspective upon hearing this winter song.
As my wife spins on her wheel, Mrs. Root entertains with a Christmas reading
Spinning wool into yarn to make the necessities for the coming winter months was as important a task as any, and my wife presented a pleasing picture of 19th century womanhood as she sat behind her wheel. Many visitors from the future passed through "our home" and had numerous questions about our lives in the past, and my wife's spinning was quite the curiosity to those modern folk, especially the children.
Can you imagine children who have never seen a spinning wheel? These kids from the future certainly haven't!

My daughter kept her hands busy by knitting a scarf for her brother off fighting in the war, and we allowed our domestic to take time in the afternoon to do the same for her own beau.

A more beautiful rendition of "What Child Is This" I have not heard
Our very good friend, Mrs. Root, joined us in our Christmas celebrations. It was unfortunate that her journey was a bit arduous, for there was trouble with the carriage wheel along the way and they had to wait for a local wright to repair it. But, once she arrived safely she made herself quite at home and entertained us with her many talents, first by playing Christmas carols on our pump organ; the beautiful strains of "What Child Is This" coming from our formal parlor wafted throughout the entire house, giving an air of Christmas Past that only such an instrument can give.  Mrs. Root also entertained us by her expressive reading of Christmas stories from a newly purchased book. One such story, The Christmas Tableau, was particularly enjoyable.
Mrs. Fleishman rocked little Zane to sleep in the cradle
Other friends joined us as well: Mrs. Fleishman and her mother both arrived by early afternoon. Mrs. Fleishman had brought her five month old baby boy with her, and as he smiled and coo'd he kept everyone very light-hearted indeed. I must say that little Zane added a note of realism one doesn't normally hear at living history events, which is the natural act of a baby's cry. Hearing that tiny voice throughout the farmhouse made our whole presence there that much more real. And then to find him rocked to sleep by his mother in the wooden cradle shortly thereafter was the topping on the cake.
Idle hands are the devil's workshop - no idle hands here!

The following day was a bit quieter, as it should had been, for this was Sunday - the Lord's Day. It was only Carrie (our domestic who would, on this day, act as my daughter) and Mrs. Cook, another dear friend who portrayed my sister, that joined me, although there were others from the Waterloo Historical Society throughout the other areas of the house as well.
My friend, Mrs. Zuccala, was also present on this second day and portrayed a woman of the house who happened to be nursing an injured arm she received when the horses jolted her out of the buckboard and onto the ground. Luckily, Doc Howard told us she had not broken any bones but was to let it rest in a sling for a week to heal.
Mrs. Cook certainly enjoyed the feather tree
It was very enjoyable to interact not only with other living historians in a first person manner, but with the visitors as well. They seemed to enjoy the interplay between us and them, and we tried to include them in our scenario. For instance, I would usually ask these very modern children if they remembered to do their morning chores before venturing out: did they empty the chamber pots? Did they trim the wick and clean the chimney's on the oil lamps? Did they get the milking done?
It went over very well. And I hope it helped them to relate to their role in history had they been born 'back then.'
Mrs. Zuccala, her arm in the sling from the buckboard incident, and I relaxed on the sette'

The realism of this time-travel event didn't end solely with the sights and sounds of the farmhouse, by the way. There were other little things that added to the experience such as the odor of kerosene from the oil lamps, the smell of wood burning in the stoves upon entering the home, the scent of baking emanating from the kitchen where women were busily making Christmas confections, and even heading outside to the icy cold necessary (outhouse/bathroom) which was quite a ways from the house itself when one had to, um...go.
Hmmm...wonder where they are coming from...?
And the few inches of snow upon the ground on Saturday gave it that Christmas Card feeling even more so. It was unfortunate that it had melted by Sunday's arrival.

So my dream of living a Christmas of long ago seems to be coming to pass.
I am in heaven...
Mrs. Zuccala looking for Christmas to come...

By the way, if it weren't for my wife and children, Mrs. Root, Mrs. Fleishman and her mother Mrs. Kyryluk, Miss Graber, Mrs. Cook, and Mrs. Zuccala, there would be no Christmas Past for me. I thank them all from the bottom of my heart.
Also, a very special thank you must go out to the Waterloo Historical Society for allowing all of us to live out our Christmas dream.
I am proud to say I am a member.




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Friday, November 25, 2011

Troll the Ancient Yuletide Carol

 Troll (verb)
1. to sing or utter in a full, rolling voice.
2. to sing in the manner of a round or catch.

Every year, usually sometime in October, many department stores begin to pipe in Christmas music in hopes to entice shoppers to do their Christmas shopping a little early.
Every year, just after Hallowe'en ends, a local radio station begins to play Christmas music 24/7 up through the Big Day itself, and their ratings skyrocket.
Every year, right around the time of these two occurrences, a flood of complaints stream onto Facebook about stores and radio playing Christmas music so early.
It's kind of "in" to complain, you know? I mean, unless they shop at department stores daily or are ardent listeners to the station playing the music, why should it upset them?
Just because, I suppose.
Now, as a Christmas person - something that drives many people nuts - all of this doesn't bother me. If there was anything to upset me it would be that these stores and stations play the same carols over and over and over and over...yes, even I will get sick of the songs they play.
And that's where this story begins - - -

In December of 1983 I thought I would treat my girlfriend to an old-fashioned Christmas, so I purchased tickets to a special evening dinner at Greenfield Village's Eagle Tavern where we would be able to partake in traditional holiday fare of the mid-19th century.
I was very excited about this and we arrived much earlier than the 6 pm start time; we were there at 5:00! So we made ourselves at home inside the lobby of the entrance building and sat next to a roaring fire in the fireplace. There was a beautifully decorated tree that I would guess was at least 12 to 15 feet tall, and there was also cedar garland roped throughout the large room, giving one that old-time Christmas feeling even before the event itself began.
Above all of this, however, were the sounds of Christmas music being piped in through a hidden sound system. Now, I had grown up with Christmas music playing continually in my house by my mother from a few days before Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. Artists such as the Ray Conniff Singers, Andy Williams, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis, Gene Autry, Mitch Miller, and Rosemary Clooney were always on the console stereo - my mother wore the grooves out of those records!
That was Christmas music to me and I absolutely loved it, even as a blase' teen and young adult when one is supposed to be too cool to like anything like that.
On this special evening at Greenfield Village, waiting with my girlfriend in the lobby for the horse and carriage to take us to the Eagle Tavern, there was something a little different coming from the speakers: it was the sound of the hammered dulcimer, a fiddle, and  guitar. The music playing, for the most part, was of mostly unfamiliar tunes. However, even though I didn't recognize them, each carol sounded like Christmas. But not like the Christmas's I used to know...rather, it gave me the feeling of Christmas's my great great grandparents used to know.
It was an engulfing and mesmerizing experience.
I went to the front desk and asked for the artist's name they had on. Unfortunately, the woman couldn't tell me, and neither could anyone else working there. And they were too busy to find out.
But those sounds stuck with me the rest of the evening. Even after listening to a quartet of traditional vocalists entertaining us while we dined on a splendid repast of turkey, squash, stuffing, whole cranberries (of which I had never tried before that night) and other traditional fare inside the 1832 tavern, the beautiful strains of the dulcimer, et al I heard in the entrance building continued to haunt me.
I remember on the way home speaking about what a fine time we had, and how we both felt like we had stepped right into another era from long ago and experienced first-hand the way Christmas used to be celebrated during the time of our ancestors. We were on a high that I can still intently recall after all these years since. Yet, it was the Christmas music I heard in the lobby that rang in my ears.
I searched off and on for quite a while for that old-time music, to no avail. During this period in my life I was working as the head product buyer in a record store, and part of my job in the fall was to order and organize the Christmas music albums and CD's. Virtually everything we ordered was on a major label such as CBS, RCA, MCA or Warner Brothers, and those companies carried the titles and big name artists that I've mentioned above (Mathis, Crosby, etc.). Yeah, there were some cool rock and roll, blues, and country Christmas albums released as well, but nothing close to what I was looking for.
However, there was a music peddler, a man known as Billy from Tant, who would show up a few times a year with a whole unheard world of music stacked and stocked inside of his van - he was a dealer in recordings and artists which consisted of pure hillbilly, folk, big band, rockabilly, country blues, "old-timey", and other similar genres that the larger record companies wouldn't sign, for it was felt there was little commercial appeal in this style of music. Instead, these mostly obscure folk artists would sign up with small independent record labels such as Rounder or Flying Fish.
Well, in the fall of 1985 (the year I married my girlfriend, I might add) Billy brought over a collection of Christmas music. I sat in his van and picked through the albums to sell in our store. Most fit the non-commercial category as described, and there were even a couple of Christmas radio shows from the WWII era - pretty cool stuff! But one album on the Hogeye Record label caught my eye, mainly because I liked the name of the label. You have to admit, "Hogeye Records" did sound enticing. The title on the front of the cover was "On This Day Earth Shall Ring." I flipped it over to read further information about it: the list of song titles were not the usual assortment I normally saw - "Christmas Is Coming," "I Wonder as I Wander," "Virgin Mary Had One Son," "Blessed Be That Made Mary," "Patapan...", and even  a couple of well-known carols like "What Child is This," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and "Silent Night."
But, guess what? Listed under the titles were the names of the instruments used, and there, under "What Child Is This," was...the hammered dulcimer! I also noticed other instruments included such as the recorder, guitar, mandolin, viola, and harp.
Just what I've been looking for!
I'm sure you can guess what I purchased that very day. And you can go ahead and just imagine how thrilled I was to put the album on my turntable and hear the  traditional three and four part harmony vocals, hammered dulcimer instrumentals, and, for the most part, the music that has been haunting me over the last two years!
Oh yeah, this was my album of the year.
Since that time nearly three decades ago, I have amassed a rather large collection of these wonderful old-world-type Christmas carols CD's. The search-and-destroy experience taught me to look for the small indie label artists rather than the major labels for this stuff.
And you won't hear most of it on the radio either, by the way, meaning you won't get sick of it.
In fact, unless you are just anti-Christmas music ("except on Christmas Eve and Day!"), you will probably really enjoy this.
There is a unexplainable sensation one gets when listening to this old-world music. It does not 'urge' you to go out to the mall to Buy! Buy! Buy! There are no songs about Santa, Grandma getting run over by a reindeer, hippos, or asking you to come home for Christmas. Instead, the carols here will lull you into enjoying Christmas rather than stressing out over it.
The best part is this period Christmas music can - and does - mix in well with the more popular, well-known carols from the major stars heard often (too often sometimes) in our modern age.
I don't know...I'm sounding new age-y here, aren't I? Ugghh! I don't mean to. This is not new age music by any means. It is a music of long ago, from another era, from a time when Buy! Buy! Buy! wasn't the buzz word or catch phrase of the Christmas season.
And I never tire of hearing it. No hippopotamuses here!
My own vocal group, Simply Dickens, performs the music from days of old rather than the current carols.

The following is a list of my favorite traditional old world Christmas Music CD's. I linked them to Amazon.com in case you find yourself wanting to purchase some of this wonderful music for yourself. You won't be sorry!

On This Day Earth Shall Ring: Songs for Christmas

The Holly And The Ivy: Christmas Music With Hammered Dulcimer And Singing  
and
Christmas Comes Anew by Madeline MacNeil
 
The Bells of Dublin by The Chieftains

Some traditional. Some contemporary. And some that are a little of both. The traditional carols alone are more than worth the price of the CD!

American Christmas by Folk Like Us 

A Victorian Christmas by Robin Petrie 


A Victorian Noel by Robin Petrie


Christmas at The Eagle Tavern by Opera Lite (Greenfield Village singers!) 

Celtic Christmas by Katie McMahon

  

Cup of Kindness by Neil Woodward

Colonial Christmas by Linda Russell

A Scottish Christmas by Bonnie Rideout 

Sounds of the Season, Vol. 1 by Maggie Sansone


The Christmas Revels by The Christmas Revels

Christmas by Mannheim Steamroller
Some traditional. Some contemporary! The traditional carols are more than worth the price of the CD! 

Believe me when I say there is plenty more available besides what I have listed here.
Troll away!!





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Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving

~(I am trying to be historically accurate and non-biased in this description.
It is not meant to be for a debate between the Indians and the Europeans - just a fair-minded look at what it was like in that harvest year of 1621. This is not the place for a political debate or to be anti-one group or another.
If you can't accept this or would rather choose to debate, there are many other sites to accommodate you. This is not one of them.)~

I realize that not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving as a religious holiday, but that doesn't take away the fact that in America and other countries it truly is a religious holiday, and has been celebrated as such since even before that most famous and most popular celebration took place back in 1621. The fact that Europeans have been giving thanks for their bounteous feasts for centuries before the 1620 pilgrim excursion across the ocean is true from not only early writings, but paintings and etchings from times long past as well.
And they did give thanks to God (and, for some, it wasn't necessarily the God of Abraham), for the bountiful feast at hand and for those who helped in the growing and harvesting of it. Yet, many people today believe the pilgrims were giving thanks to the Indians. One only need to learn of their religious beliefs to see the puritans, who advocated strict religious discipline, would not have given thanks to the Indians themselves, but rather to God for sending the Indians to them to ensure their survival. Puritans would not give thanks to mere mortal man.
And we, in our house, give thanks to that same God the pilgrims did nearly 400 years ago.

The View from the Wampanoag: 
When the Wampanoag watched the Mayflower’s passengers come ashore at Patuxet, they did not see them as a threat. “The Wampanoag had seen many ships before,” explained Tim Turner, Cherokee, manager of Plimoth Plantation’s Wampanoag Homesite and co-owner of Native Plymouth Tours. “They had seen traders and fishermen, but they had not seen women and children before. In the Wampanoag ways, they never would have brought their women and children into harm. So, they saw them as a peaceful people for that reason.”
But they did not greet them right away either. The English, in fact, did not see the Wampanoag that first winter at all, according to Turner. “They saw shadows,” he said. Samoset, a Monhegan from Maine, came to the village on March 16, 1621. The next day, he returned with Tisquantum (Squanto), a Wampanoag who befriended and helped the English that spring, showing them how to plant corn, fish and gather berries and nuts. That March, the Pilgrims entered into a treaty of mutual protection with Ousamequin (Massasoit), the Pokanoket Wampanoag leader.

A bit about Thanksgiving feasts:
Although this feast is considered by many to the very first Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops.
It wasn't just Europeans who had thanksgivings: Native American groups throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Creek and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America.
Historians have also recorded other ceremonies of thanks among European settlers in North America, including British colonists in Berkeley Plantation, Virginia. At this site near the Charles River in December of 1619, a group of British settlers led by Captain John Woodlief knelt in prayer and pledged "Thanksgiving" to God for their healthy arrival after a long voyage across the Atlantic. This event has been acknowledged by some scholars and writers as the official first Thanksgiving among European settlers on record.
Whether at Plymouth, Berkeley Plantation, or throughout the Americas, celebrations of thanks have held great meaning and importance over time. 

Massasoit
Tim Turner said what most people do not know about the first Thanksgiving is that the Wampanoag and Pilgrims did not sit down for a big turkey dinner and it was not an event that the Wampanoag knew about or were invited to in advance. In September/October 1621, the Pilgrims had just harvested their first crops, and they had a good yield. They “sent four men on fowling,” which comes from the one paragraph account by Pilgrim Edward Winslow, one of only two historical sources of this famous harvest feast. Winslow also stated, “we exercised our arms.” “Most historians believe what happened was Massasoit got word that there was a tremendous amount of gun fire coming from the Pilgrim village,” Turner said. “So he thought they were being attacked and he was going to bear aid.” 



What is thought to have been served at this most celebrated Thanksgiving in 1621: 
When the Wampanoag showed up, they were invited to join the Pilgrims in their feast, but there was not enough food to feed the chief and his 90 warriors. “He [Massasoit] sends his men out, and they bring back five deer, which they present to the chief of the English town [William Bradford]. So, there is this whole ceremonial gift-giving, as well. When you give it as a gift, it is more than just food,” said Kathleen Wall, a Colonial Foodways Culinarian at Plimoth Plantation.
The harvest feast lasted for three days. What did they eat? Venison, of course, and Wall said, “Not just a lovely roasted joint of venison, but all the parts of the deer were on the table in who knows how many sorts of ways.” Was there turkey? “Fowl” is mentioned in Winslow’s account, which puts turkey on Wall’s list of possibilities (William Bradford does mention turkey in his account below). She also said there probably would have been a variety of seafood and water fowl along with maize bread, pumpkin and other squashes. “It was nothing at all like a modern Thanksgiving,” she said.
The feast in general then consisted of fish (cod, eel, and bass) and shellfish clams, lobster, and mussels), wild fowl (ducks, geese, swans, and, yes, turkeys), venison, berries, and fruit, vegetables (peas, pumpkin, beet root, and maybe onion), harvest grains (barley and wheat), and the beans, dried Indian corn (maize), and squash.


A Description of the feast from those who were there:
 William Bradford of Plymouth Plantation:
Thus they found the Lord to be with them in all their ways, and to bless their outgoings and incomings, for which let His holy name have the praise forever, to all posterity. They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck a meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to the proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports.
Edward Winslow of Plymouth Plantation:
Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruits of our labor. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which we brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.
The Wampanoag information came from this site. 
Once again (and I shouldn't have to even write this a first time much less a second time, but times being what they are, the necessity is there), I am not looking for a Pilgrim/Indian political debate here. I am just attempting to point out the historical information of the occurrence on that fall day in 1621 for both sides and hope this post will be taken in that manner. By putting the two together we can then get a much better description, which is what this post is about in the first place. I do not want this post to become part of the typical European-bashing so prevalent these days (or Indian-bashing for that matter), for I feel that is just as bad as the one-sided myth that was taught as truth for years. Both ways are just as bad as each other. 
I, instead, wanted to concentrate on the positive and not so much on the negative. 
There are enough other sites out there if you want to see only the negative.
If you can't handle this or even understand my point, then off with you - go find another site more suitable to your needs.

By the way, the excellent photograph and description below is from the Wampanoag site:

"While many paintings of “the First Thanksgiving” show a single long table with several Pilgrims and a few Native people, there were actually twice as many Wampanoag people as colonists. It is unlikely that everyone could have been accommodated at one table. Rather, Wampanoag leaders like Massasoit and his advisors were most likely entertained in the home of Plymouth Colony’s governor, William Bradford." (from the Indian Country site linked above)



By the United States in Congress assembled,
PROCLAMATION (1782).

It being the indispensable duty of all nations, not only to offer up their supplications to Almighty God, the giver of all good, for His gracious assistance in a time of distress, but also in a solemn and public manner, to give Him praise for His goodness in general, and especially for great and signal interpositions of His Providence in their behalf; therefore, the Unites States in Congress assembled, taking into their consideration the many instances of Divine goodness to these States in the course of the important conflict, in which they have been so long engaged, - the present happy and promising state of public affairs, and the events of the war in the course of the year now drawing to a close; particularly the harmony of the public Councils which is so necessary to the success of the public cause, - the perfect union and good understanding which has hitherto subsisted between them and their allies, notwithstanding the artful and unwearied attempts of the common enemy to divide them, - the success of the arms of the United States and those of their allies, - and the acknowledgment of their Independence by another European power, whose friendship and commerce must be of great and lasting advantage to these States; Do hereby recommend it to the inhabitants of these States in general, to observe and request the several states to interpose their authority, in appointing and commanding the observation of THURSDAY the TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY OF NOVEMBER next as a day of SOLEMN THANKSGIVING to GOD for all His mercies; and they do further recommend to all ranks to testify their gratitude to God for His goodness by a cheerful obedience to His laws and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness.
Done in Congress at Philadelphia, the eleventh day of October, in the year of our LORD, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two, and of our Sovereignty and Independence, the seventh.

Thanksgiving Proclamation
[New York, 3 October 1789]
By the President of the United States of America, George Washington, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.




THANKSGIVING DAY 1814
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, James Madison
A PROCLAMATION
The two Houses of the National Legislature having by a joint resolution expressed their
desire that in the present time of public calamity and war a day may be recommended to be observed by the people of the United States as a day of public humiliation and fasting and of prayer to Almighty God for the safety and welfare of these States, His blessing on their arms, and a speedy restoration of peace, I have deemed it proper by this proclamation to recommend that Thursday, the 12th of January next, be set apart as a day on which all may have an opportunity of voluntarily offering at the same time in their respective religious assemblies their humble adoration to the Great Sovereign of the Universe, of confessing their sins and transgressions, and of strengthening their vows of repentance and amendment. They will be invited by the same solemn occasion to call to mind the distinguished favors conferred on the American people in the general health which has been enjoyed, in the abundant fruits of the season, in the progress of the arts instrumental to their comfort, their prosperity, and their security, and in the victories which have so powerfully contributed to the defense and protection of our country, a devout thankfulness for all which ought to be mingled with their supplications
to the Beneficent Parent of the Human Race that He would be graciously pleased to pardon all their offenses against Him; to support and animate them in the discharge of their respective duties; to continue to them the precious advantages flowing from political institutions so auspicious to their safety against dangers from abroad, to their tranquillity at home, and to their liberties, civil and religious; and that He would in a special manner preside over the nation in its public councils and constituted authorities, giving wisdom to its measures and success to its arms in maintaining its rights and in overcoming all hostile designs and attempts against it; and, finally, that by inspiring the enemy with dispositions favorable to a just and reasonable peace its blessings may be speedily and happily restores.
Given at the city of Washington, the 16th day of November, 1814, and of the Independence of the United States the thirty-eighth.
President JAMES MADISON


And this, by the way, from President Lincoln 1863:
"I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union."

Abraham Lincoln 


 (Other Presidents throughout also gave a Thanksgiving proclamation in the same manner).


And a wonderful Docu-drama about the Pilgrims and their adventure:

Here is my review of this historical story:
This History Channel presentation of the pilgrims is two and a half hours of a well-known and very important part of our American history, although you may not realize how little you actually do know of these separatists and of the times they lived. In fact, it certainly is more movie than documentary and, although interspersed throughout are historians filling in the gaps, this docu-drama is as engulfing and riveting as any full-length period movie I have seen. The lives and times of these early European settlers are authentically portrayed by use of English Shakespearian actors, and the quality shows. Never have I seen any other film put flesh on the bones of the pilgrims to the extent this one does. A social history extravaganza!
The clothing, lighting, effects (especially while on the Mayflower), and, at times, even some of the speech patterns are reflected fairly accurately. I did not see the typical revisionist history so often reflected in many of today's historical depictions. They were very religious folk bent on keeping their practices, even if they had to cross the ocean to do it, and this movie shows that in no uncertain terms.
The Indian dramatization was done very well for the most part, although I would have preferred to have their speech in their original (or close to their original) language and include the use of sub-titles.
Oh well, can't have everything.
As an extra added bonus, by the way, there are a couple of short (too short!) extra's - one features the making of this extraordinary documentary, and the other has outtakes and bloopers.
For teachers and lovers of history I recommend this docu-drama very highly. A wonderful way to learn about our early American history.

And finally, a little "Thanksgiving/Pilgrim" humor that reenactors can especially appreciate:
 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends who read and follow Passion for the Past! May God Bless and keep all of you.




















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