History: ‘Happy Christmas’ – celebrating the big day through the ages

This course will review the origins of Christmas traditions in the Medieval and Tudor period, examine the role of the church in the festivities and look at the common practices over the 12 days of Christmas the games played and foods served. We will also look at the influence of the reformation on the celebration of Christmas. Was it really true that in the Commonwealth period celebration of Christmas was banned? Our study of Victorian Christmas will discover how many of our current traditional were introduced by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, such as the introduction of the Christmas Tree. We will also be examining how much industrialisation and ‘Victorian values’ shaped Christmas traditions. Lastly we will be looking at the celebration of Christmas over the last 50 years. What has been the impact of technology been, including television and popular culture? How have different family dynamics and structures influenced the celebration of Christmas? Does the decline in religious observance mean that Christmas is moving to a

secular celebration? How might Christmas celebrations evolve in the future? Join us to find out more.