By: Adriana

UNUSUAL CUSTOMS & TRADITIONS

Mummers’ Plays

O Mummers' Plays are one of the oldest surviving features of the traditional English Christmas. Mumming in England goes back for over a thousand years.

O Mumming is best described as early pantomime. The plays are based loosely on the legend of St. George and the dragon. The plays are intended to show the struggle between good and evil.

Winter solstice (first day of winter)

O In the northern hemisphere, the Winter Solstice marks the first day of the season of winter. It falls on or near 21st of December.

O The Pagan celebration of Winter Solstice (also known as Yule),is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world. It is a celebration of the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, when the North Pole is at its furthest point away from the sun (the sun is at its southernmost point in the sky).

Christmas monthO December is very much associated

with Christmas and a lot of December customs and traditions have therefore been swallowed up by the festival.

O At the beginning of December, the season of Advent starts. The word advent means ‘coming’, and as its name suggests it is a time of preparation for the coming feast of Christmas.

Holy innocents day – Childermass

O Holy innocents day (also known as Childermass) falls on 28th of December. It commemorates King Herod’s massacre of all male infants in and around Bethlehem under the age of two attempt to kill the young Christ.

O On a more somber note, 28th December is widely regarded as the unluckiest day of the year! Don’t do anything and certainly don’t start anything on this day.

26 December Boxing Day

O Tenby Boxing Day Swim started in 1970 and has snowballed into Tenby's main Christmas attraction. With around 600 swimmers with most in fancy dress and thousands of onlookers each year, this fantastic spectacle is not to be missed.

O The charity event takes place on the North Beach, and the swim itself is at 11.30am.

27 DecemberO Hundreds of people wading through

muddy lagoons and marshes around Maldon. The event takes place at Promenade Park, at 1pm, with all money raised going to local charities.