Christmas and New Year Traditions In The Forest of Dean. (General)
by rookancestrybest 
, United Kingdom, Saturday, January 02, 2010, 22:29 (5514 days ago)
Are there any Christmas and New Year Traditions peculiar to the people of the Forest of Dean?
My mother did a number of things which she said were from her Forest of Dean roots but not necessarily at this time of year.
However one thing she always did was to have leeks with Christmas dinner. (Usually cooked in white sauce but sometimes just cooked like other green vegetables). No one else I know (from anywhere else in the UK) has ever said it was part of their tradition to eat leeks with Christmas dinner and I'm wondering whether it came from her Forest of Dean or South Wales heretage? (I had leeks with my Christmas dinner this year too!) It could though just have been that she cooked them for other reasons. She was also keen on purchasing mistletoe to bring it into the house for the New Year (as opposed to Christmas), - when I visited Worcester and Hereford in the autumn I noticed how much mistletoe there was, though not surprising considering that it grows mainly on apple and pear trees. I'm wondering whether there are any particular Christmas carols associated with the area too.
Christmas and New Year Traditions In The Forest of Dean.
by ellieperry , Sunday, January 03, 2010, 19:49 (5513 days ago) @ rookancestrybest
It's not a Christmas or New Year's tradition per se, but my grandmother Gladys use to read the tea leaves. She was taught by her mother Susan (nee Thomas) Ambrey. Since I was born in the US, I was wondering if that was something others did in the FoD. Incidently, my tea-leaf readings were always the same "You're going to live a long and happy life."
Ellie
Christmas and New Year Traditions In The Forest of Dean.
by rookancestrybest , United Kingdom, Sunday, January 03, 2010, 21:22 (5513 days ago) @ ellieperry
Reading tea leaves was not something done by my family but lots of people of that era did it in England.
Christmas and New Year Traditions In The Forest of Dean.
by slowhands , proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Tuesday, January 05, 2010, 06:44 (5511 days ago) @ rookancestrybest
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=1827
Wassail was a tradition practised in Gloucestershire ( and some other counties)
Mistletoe has its Celtic and Christmas links, and Herefordshire / Gloucestershire trees "host" a fair amount of this parasite. ( as well as Worcestershire and Somerset, Tenbury Wells claims to be the Mistletoe Capital http://teme-mistletoe.co.uk/ )
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=8570
showed Christmas celebrated in a small mining community, a pig or chicken reared during the year, slaughtered to put a special meal on the table for Christmas.
Leeks and onions are vegtables that were grown - I can recall them in Uncles veg patch - Leeks have a clear Welsh association and a tradition to appear on the Christmas lunch table. ( The Fod is close to Wales and many Welsh miners came to the FoD)
Dennis Potter and Winifred Foley have written about Christmas and other traditions in the Forest.
--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster & Hereford Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>
Christmas and New Year Traditions In The Forest of Dean.
by rookancestrybest , United Kingdom, Friday, January 08, 2010, 22:35 (5508 days ago) @ slowhands
Thanks for this, I will revisit my Denis Potter and W Foley books as I can't recall reading about Christmas in them, but it is many years since I looked at either of these authors' works.