Pucker up!

Visitors can combine the age old tradition of sharing a simple kiss with a loved one with the popular 21st century trend of taking a ‘selfie’ at special kissing booths which have been set up at Belsay Hall, Castle & Gardens and Housesteads Roman Fort, Whitby Abbey and Brodsworth Hall and Gardens. The cheeky challenge is to capture 1000 Christmas kisses by the 3 January 2016.

All kiss pictures tagged #EH1000KISSES and shared on social media will enter a prize draw to win an English Heritage membership and a hamper. More information and competition terms and conditions can be found here.

Julie Ozbek, Marketing Manager North at English Heritage said: “Christmas time is full of traditions including advent calendars, pulling crackers, Christmas trees and decking the halls. All of the things we know and love to do at this time of year have their origins rooted in different periods of history and we want to bring these traditions to life at our sites by inviting visitors to share some Christmas love. Today’s popular trend or custom seems to be to take a ‘selfie picture’ so we thought, what better way to remind people of this tradition than to combine the two!”

An age old tradition

Catching a quick kiss under the mistletoe at Christmas goes back to Nordic times when, according to custom, if a woman was caught standing under the mistletoe a man could kiss her. For centuries, mistletoe has been considered a plant that increases life and fertility. The earliest documented case of kissing under the mistletoe in England dates from the 16th century, a custom that was very popular at that time. The plant then became a decorative item in the home, followed by Christmas trees and door wreaths in the Victorian era.

For centuries, mistletoe has been considered a plant that increases life and fertility. Norse legends tell the tale of Balder, son of the goddess Frigga. As the legend goes, Balder was killed with an arrow made of mistletoe. Saddened by her son’s death, Frigga wept tears of white berries which brought Balder back to life. Frigga was so overjoyed that she blessed the plant and promised a kiss to all who passed beneath it. This is the most probable explanation for the current widespread custom of kissing under the mistletoe during the Christmas season.

Interesting Historical Facts!

• The Victorian era saw Christmas traditions really come to the fore. Before Queen Victoria’s reign started in 1837, nobody in Britain had even heard of Santa Claus or Christmas crackers and no Christmas cards were sent. All of these traditions were introduced during her reign.
• Prince Albert is generally given credit for introducing the Christmas tree to England, when a grand tree was displayed at Windsor Castle. But, in fact he simply popularised and made fashionable an already existing custom.
• Christmas pudding was originally a savoury dish, made with meat broth, chopped tongue, raisins, fruit juice, wine and spices, thickened with breadcrumbs. Sounds yummy?!!
• Turkey wasn’t always the meat of choice on a Christmas table. Goose, Swan and even Peacock were once Christmas favourites!

Events this Christmas

English Heritage has a programme of festive events which bring the history of Christmas to life.

Visitors can learn how to make a Christmas pudding with a Victorian cook, hear tales of Christmas past and enjoy carols and brass band performances at Belsay Hall, Castle & Gardens near Ponteland in Northumberland. We're also bringing to life the history of Christmas at Brodsworth Hall & Gardens, near Doncaster with a full programme of events including Choirs, Ghost Stories and a Christmas Market.

At Housesteads Roman Fort, on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, the Roman Winter Festival of Saturnalia is celebrated and the similarities between this ancient festival and today’s Christmas are explored.

Every Sunday between now and Christmas, the sound of Choirs can be heard at Whitby Abbey in North Yorkshire.