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Itinerary - Christmas Spirit

Itinerary - Christmas Spirit Tis the season to be jolly, and where better to get into the festive spirit than London? What with ice skating, Christmas fairs, twinkly lights, festive food and fabulous shopping, there’s plenty going on. So come and soak up the gorgeous wintry atmosphere. How does mulled wine in a cosy pub by an open fire sound? Friday Night Eat, drink and be merry To get yourself in to a relaxed and convivial mood, why not have dinner at Andrew Edmunds in Soho. It’s one of central London’s most atmospheric eateries. An intimate bistro-style restaurant, the tables are closely packed in a sociable kind of way. But do book ahead; it gets busy. Saturday Morning Seasonal sensations Mince pies, mulled wine, stuffing, cake, port, stilton, brandy butter… we love festive food! A great place to taste and stock up on your Christmas provisions is the BBC Festive Good Food Show, an extravaganza of all things mouthwatering. Or pop down to the award-winning Borough Market to browse and buy a tantalising selection of gourmet goods. For lunch, head to Roast for some delicious seasonal specialities. Saturday Afternoon Santa’s little helper Time to hit the shops! If you enjoy hustle and bustle then Oxford Street and Regent Street are ideal. With a great range of shops you’ll snap up all the pressies you need in no time. And the sparkly Christmas lights will only make you feel even more festive. For arts, crafts and up-and-coming design, check out London’s brilliant markets. All of them will, in their own way, be celebrating Christmas – but for choice, atmosphere and ambience we always return to Spitalfields. Saturday Evening He’s behind you! Nothing says Christmas in town more than a pantomime or a ballet. This will definitely involve advance booking, but Christmas isn’t Christmas without a magical show! For booing and hissing, we recommend Cinderella at Hackney Empire. Fans of ballet will love Sleeping Beauty at the Royal Opera House or Swan Lake at Sadler’s Wells. And kids – big and small – will enjoy The Snowman at the Peacock Theatre (see Sadlers Wells website for details). Of course, you’ll need to replenish your energy. Hackney Central is a short walk from the Empire, housed in the restored railway station. And if you manage to get tickets for Swan Lake we love Moro for an après theatre dinner. For those of you coming from the Royal Opera House or the Peacock Theatre head into Covent Garden for Chez Gerard, Rules or Betorelli’s. Sunday Morning Bah humbug! Peace, love and joy to all. Or not? If you are a miserable rotter filled with cynicism and ill will then it’s off to the dungeon with you! The London Dungeon, that is. Here you will be greeted by the Prince of Darkness and his evil helpers roasting robins over an open fire, trying to spread their ghoulish wickedness all around. If you have been particularly bad you may be allowed to sit on the Dark Lord’s knee and plunge your hand into his ‘yucky dip’. Should you wish to purge yourself from this ghastly encounter, you merely have to cross Tooley Street and enter the serene, joyful world of the Christmas Shop where it really is Christmas every day. Sunday Afternoon Frosty fun From Tooley Street, walk westwards along the river to the Frost Fair. The fair originates from the great freeze of 1564 when Londoners used the frozen Thames as a playground for coach races, puppet plays and general merriment. Modern day merriment this year is likely to take the form of enormous ice bars, sculptures, slides and climbing walls. Visitors will also be treated to live shows, entertainers, festive markets, marquees and a whole host of children’s activities. This year’s details are to be confirmed, but it’s great - don’t miss it!

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2007 Pantomimes and Christmas shows

Pantomimes

The British pantomime probably dates back to the middle ages, and blends the traditions of the Italian "Commedia dell’ Arte, and the British Music hall to produce the art form that is pantomime. Commedia dell Arte was a 16^th century street entertainment that used dance, acrobatics, tumbling and buffoonery.

Pantomimes have evolved to become as big a part of Christmas as Santa Claus and his reindeer. Most pantos have a very familiar story line, which ends with the principal boy and girl living happily ever after. You’ll nearly always find goodies, baddies, a principal boy and girl, a dame and animals in British pantomimes. But, each character is open to very different interpretation, depending on the story being told.

Every year in 1066 Country we stage some of the best family pantomimes in the South East at our theatres and arts venues. Hastings’ White Rock Theatre shows a traditional fairy-tale story with familiar faces from film and TV. Arts hot spots, the Stables Theatre in Hastings and the De la Warr Pavilion in Bexhill host alternatives to the traditional show with interpretations of long-told tales or dance and modern performance.

2007 Panomimes and Christmas shows

Sleeping Beauty –White Rock Theatre, Hastings – 15 December 2007 to 1 January 2008

Beauty and the Beast – Stables Theatre, Hastings– 14 December 2007 to 23 December 2007

Acrobats & Angels Christmas, Circus, Cabaret – De la Warr Pavilion, Bexhill – 22 December 2007 to 30

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December2007

Dickens Christmas Fair and Parade in Rochester, England

Dickens's Rochester  provides our next stop. This gem of a city, with its cathedral and Norman castle, overflows with Dickens's sites. There are plaques on the places mentioned in his books, Mrs Haversham's house is still here, and Dickens's himself lived here.

On the first weekend in December, the village has its annual Dickens Christmas Fair and Parade. Rochester’s Dickensian Christmas has been held annually since 1988, which is fitting, as Medway held such a special place in Charles Dickens’ life and work. This year, I attended Rochester Dickens Christmas Parade

The air was crisp. As we approached the high street, with its turn of the century shop fronts and narrow passages, the Christmas spirit was in the air. The aroma of mulled wine and , roasting chestnuts added to the holiday atmosphere.. The streets as lit by lamplight, with strands of Christmas lights gaily strung across the road. We stepped back in time as we passed the shop windows, the women in their petticoats, and even Miss Haversham, covered in lace.

The shops were all open for business, and lots of shoppers were carrying bags full of gifts. As darkness fell, the parade began, up the high street, led by costumed characters from the Dickens’ period Hearty "Merry Christmas" greetings came from the crowd, who were three and four deep on the sidewalks. The parade leaders were followed by a children’s choir and marching pipe band, complete with tartans and black bearskin hats.

You could see the interest in the happy faces of children, with lots of flashes from cameras lining the route. The festive parade turned left at Northgate into Boley Hill to join the carol concert on the open-air stage in front of the magnificent Rochester Cathedral and Castle. A brass band sang a selection of popular Christmas carols and parade goers joined in the singing.

We did not stay for the service in the cathedral, but the church was warmly lit from inside and the stained glass windows created a charming scene. I left feeling that the traditional Christmas with all know from English Christmas card scenes can still be enjoyed in Rochester.

Why Rochester?

Charles Dickens spent five of his childhood years in Medway, from 1817 to 1822. He returned to the area, a national legend and spent the last 13 years of his life at Gads Hill, where he died in 1870.

Many of his books featured places and buildings in and around Rochester. Satis House in Great Expectations was based on the impressive red brick Restoration House in Crow Lane, Rochester and Eastgate House, also in Rochester, was referred to as Westgate House in his first novel, The Pickwick Papers and as the Nun's House in his last, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

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Festival of Christmas 2007 Portsmouth

Festival of Christmas 2007
Address	Historic Dockyard The Hard Portsmouth Hampshire PO1 3LJ
Telephone	023 9286 1533
Email	Festival of Christmas 2007
Summary	With its snow-covered street, seasonal carols, Father Christmas, Christmas shopping and cast of Victorian Characters, this hugely popular event is a delightful trip to Christmas past for all the family.
Description	Step back through the European-style shopping village, Victorian Street, Georgian collonnades and discover superb quality gifts, fine crafts, festive food and drink and the biggest Christmas market on the South Coast. A Festival of Christmas ticket includes free entry into all of the attractions at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Starts 10am-6pm
Event Type	Christmas Event Crafts Market
Target Audience	For all the Family
Date(s)	30/11/2007 To 02/12/2007
Admission	Adults £10, Seniors & Children £8 Family £33

Christmas in Shakespeare Country

Enjoy a Magical Christmas in Shakespeare Country

Including Christmas lights, festive markets and carol concerts. Christmas lights provide a perfect backdrop for shopping! The lights will be switched on in Leamington on 18 November, in Stratford-upon-Avon on 22 November and in Kenilworth on 23 November. The Warwick Victorian Evening takes place on 29 November with the lights being switched on at 7.15pm. Christmas markets are held on the five Thursdays in the run up to Christmas in Bridge Street, Stratford and on Sundays on The Parade in Leamington Spa providing an enjoyable atmosphere in which to find some special gifts. The Shakespeare Houses have children's activities at Nash's House on 6 December and on the 13 & 20 December you can celebrate Christmas the Tudor way with a free tour of Shakespeare's Birthplace by candlelight. Experience a 'Victorian Christmas' at Anne Hathaway's Cottage between 14-16 December. The vibrance, warmth and colour of a Victorian Christmas will be conjured up at Warwick Castle from 8th December to 6th January with a Victorian steam fair, trees, carol singers, costumed entertainers, festive storytelling and an ice trail. The Castle will be illuminated at night by candles which will cast a magical glow on the decorations and spectacular Christmas tree in the Great Hall. The Royal Shakespeare Company continues with Michael Boyd’s acclaimed staging of all of Shakespeare’s history plays in The Courtyard Theatre. The RSC will also be performing at Stratford Civic Hall and will present a delightful production of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox and a new adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s novel Noughts and Crosses during the festive period which will be ideal for younger audiences.

Bath Christmas Market, Bath

Bath Christmas Market, Bath

29 Nov 2007 - 9 Dec 2007 Bath Christmas Market Bath Christmas Market, the internationally renowned festive gift market is set to go ahead in its seventh year from 29th November – 9th December 2007, and with the event growing in popularity year on year, now is the perfect time to start planning your visit. 117 traditional wooden chalets full of everything you’ll need to prepare for the perfect Christmas will occupy the Abbey Churchyard area, a magical setting in the shadow of Bath Abbey and next to the Roman Baths right in the centre of the stunning Georgian city’s shopping district. Visitors to the market will love the festive atmosphere, created by the hustle and bustle of the market and added to by aromas of festive, warming food, served at the event to give weary shoppers a boost. Whether a mulled wine and minced pie as a warming snack, or something more substantial, there will be something to suit all tastes. Bath Abbey, next to the market, is a stunning building, which hosts a full programme of Christmas services throughout the festive season. The sound of carols echoing around the Abbey and drifting through the market creates an extra special atmosphere. This is complimented by a full programme of entertainment at the event – carol singers, children’s entertainers and musicians that add to the festive ambience.

www.bathchristmasmarket.co.uk

Ellen McNulty is President at www.lynotttours.com>

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May Day - Morris Dancing

Every May Day, outside the village pubs of England, strangely clad people can be seen leaping into the air, waving handkerchiefs and sticks, with bells jingling from their clothing. This traditional ritual to welcome the return of spring is called morris dancing, and it goes back at least to the 15th century.

Despite its early origins, morris dancing is a reinvented tradition, part of the great British folk revival of the late 19th century. At the time, it had died out in all but a few villages, but was revived by folk music researcher Cecil Sharp.

Today, morris sides, for women as well as men, can be found not just across Britain, but in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.

As well as national costume, national dishes and a national sport, a nation should have a dance. Argentina has its tango, Poland the polka and England has the Morris. Like much else in our culture, it isn’t of unmixed English origin, but derived from Moorish styles of dance back in the 15th century. It filtered throughout western Europe, but it was in England, especially at the Tudor court, that it really took hold.

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March 1 - 2007 St. Davids Day

March 1 - 2007
St. David's Day
Wales
Special celebrations are held throughout Wales to commemorate the Patron Saint, St David.

Saint David's Day (Welsh: Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant) is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on March 1 each year.

The date of March 1 was chosen in remembrance of the death of Saint David on March 1, 589, and has been celebrated by followers since then. The date was declared a national day of celebration within Wales in the 18th century.

In 2006 Saint David's Day was officially celebrated on 28 February by Roman Catholics and on 2 March by the Anglican Church in Wales as saints' days are not celebrated on Ash Wednesday, which is a day of penitence.

Traditions

Children take part in school concerts or eisteddfodau, with recitation and singing being the main activities. Formerly, a half-day holiday was afforded to school children. Officially this custom does not continue, although the practice can vary on a school-to-school basis.

Many Welsh people wear one or both of the national emblems of Wales on their lapel to celebrate Saint David: the daffodil (a generic Welsh symbol which is in season during March) or the leek (Saint David's personal symbol) on this day. The association between leeks and daffodils is strengthened by the fact that they have similar names in Welsh, Cenhinen (leek) and Cenhinen Bedr (daffodil, literally "Peter's leek").

Males usually wear leeks or daffodils. The younger girls usually wear their Welsh costumes to school. This costume consists of a long woollen skirt, white blouse, woollen shawl and a Welsh hat.

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The Flag of Saint David is most commonly seen flying on Saint David's Day.

The Burns Supper

The Burns Supper is an institution of Scottish life, a night to celebrate the life and genius of the national Bard. Suppers can be everything from an informal gathering of friends to a huge, formal dinner full of pomp and circumstance.

Piping in the guests
A big-time Burns Night calls for a piper to welcome guests. For more formal events, the audience should stand to welcome arriving guests: the piper plays until the High Table is ready to be seated, at which point a round of applause is due.


The Selkirk Grace
A short but important prayer to usher in the meal

Piping in the Haggis
Guests should normally stand to welcome the dinner's star attraction, which should be delivered on a silver platter by a procession consisting of the chef, the piper and the person who will address the Haggis. A whisky-bearer should also arrive to ensure the toasts are well lubricated.
During the procession, guests clap in time to the music until the Haggis reaches its destination at the table. The music stops and everyone is seated in anticipation of the address "To a Haggis".

Address to the Haggis
The honoured reader now seizes their moment of glory by offering a fluent and entertaining rendition of "To a Haggis". The reader should have their knife poised at the ready. On cue ("His knife see Rustic-labour dight"), they cut the casing along its length, making sure to spill out some of the tasty gore within ("trenching its gushing entrails").

Warning: it is wise to have a small cut made in the haggis skin before it is piped in. Instances are recorded of top table guests being scalded by flying pieces of haggis when enthusiastic reciters omitted this precaution!

The recital ends with the reader raising the Haggis in triumph during the final line ("Gie her a Haggis!"), which the audience greets with rapturous applause.

Toast to the Haggis
Prompted by the speaker, the audience now joins in the toast to the Haggis. Raise a glass and shout: "The Haggis!" Then it's time to serve the main course with its traditional companions, neeps and tatties. In larger events, the piper leads a procession carrying the opened Haggis out to the kitchen for serving; audience members should clap as the procession departs.

The meal
Dinner is served with some suitable background music. The sumptuous Bill o' Fare includes traditional cock-a-leekie soup before the main course ("Haggis wi' bashit neeps an' champit tatties"), followed by a sweet course of "clootie dumplin" (a pudding prepared in a linen cloth or cloot) or "Typsy Laird" (a Scottish sherry trifle).
Afterwards comes the cheese board, served with bannocks (traditional oat-cakes) and tea/coffee/malt whisky.
Variations do exist: beef lovers can serve the haggis, neeps and tatties as a starter with roast beef or steak pie as the main dish. Vegetarians can of course choose vegetarian haggis, while vegaquarians could opt for a seafood main course such as Cullen Skink.

The drink
Liberal lashings of wine or ale should be served with dinner and it's often customary to douse the Haggis with a "wee splash of whisky sauce", which, with true Scottish understatement, is whisky neat.
After the meal, it's time for connoisseurs to compare notes on the wonderful selection of malts served by the generous host.



The speaker concludes with a heart-felt toast: "To the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns!"

The toast to the Lassies
The humorous highlight of any Burns Night comes in this toast, which is designed to praise the role of women in the world today. This should be done by selective quotation from Burns's works and should crescendo towards a positive note.
The toast concludes: "To the Lassies!"


The reply to the toast to the Lassies
In mixed proceedings, a woman has the right of reply to the men's toast. Thanking the toast-master for his kind words is a necessary - and some times strained - formality, but the response offers the chance to upstage the men, again through cunning use of examples from Burns's life and works.

Final entertainment
As the last drops of malt are drained, a final entertainer bravely faces the (usually restless) audience.

Vote of thanks
The host now climbs to his potentially unsteady feet to thank everyone who has contributed to a wonderful evening… and to suggest that taxis will arrive shortly.

Auld Lang Syne
The chairman closes the proceedings by inviting guests to stand and belt out a rousing rendition of the famous tune. The company joins hands and sings as one, having made sure to brush up on those difficult later lines.

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Ellen McNulty is President at www.lynotttours.com

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