Try this ritual and recipe on Stir-up Sunday

Make a wish, try a bit of divination and soak up all the spiced goodness

Hello,

I don’t want to introduce the Christmas word too early, but with Stir Up Sunday (26th November) just around the corner I thought it might be acceptable to gently broach the topic. Because traditionally this Sunday is the day to make your Christmas pudding if you want to give it enough time to mature ahead of the big day.

Although the concept of ‘Stir Up Sunday’ was invented in Victorian times, making a spiced pudding at Midwinter is an old practice dating back to the Middle Ages and it has some elements to it that feel ancient and magical (such as setting fire to it on the Shortest Day!)

So if you want to embrace some early Midwinter magic this Sunday, here are three ways to enjoy the spirit of Stir Up Sunday, along with a recipe at the end.

Photo by Jack Bass on Unsplash

Why this Sunday?

The name ‘Stir-up Sunday’, was introduced by the Victorians, when the ritual of making a Christmas pudding became linked to Christianity - the first Sunday before Advent was allocated as the day to make it.

But, like most rituals around the Winter Solstice, elements of this tradition hint at something much older.

Casting wishes as you make the pudding, for example, or hiding charms in it for divination and then setting fire to the pudding on the darkest day of the year all seem to me to carry an echo of ancient Midwinter practices.

Here are a few rituals to try if you’re making your pudding this weekend.

1. Stir in a wish

The ritual of stirring wishes and protection into food is an ancient concept that feels particularly magical at this time of year. And making a wish as you stir the mixture is an essential part of Stir Up Sunday.

At my primary school in the 1980s the school cook used to bring a huge bowl of Christmas pudding mixture round to each class at the end of November so we could all make a wish (anyone else remember this?). The accepted practice is to stir clockwise for luck.

2. Try some divination

Putting coins and silver charms in the pudding is a practice that was thought to have been introduced by the Victorians. It also links back to an older, Pagan tradition of divination on special dates. Each charm was thought to tell the fortune of the person that found it in their pudding bowl on Christmas Day.

If you want to put charms in your pudding this year, a silver coin generally means prosperity, an anchor means a safe year ahead and a wishbone suggests good luck.

3. Add a sprig of Holly

The Christmas pudding is traditionally decorated with a sprig of Holly, which has long been used as a symbol of protection and luck during Midwinter. The Holly tree was considered sacred by both the Ancient Celts and also the Ancient Romans who used to decorate their homes and temples with it during Winter Solstice celebrations.

Adding a sprig on top of your pudding just before you serve it acts as a symbol of evergreen life on the darkest day. Just make sure not to eat any of the berries, as it’s (ironically) highly poisonous.

4. Light a flame

Why do we set fire to our Christmas pudding? No one really knows, but I like to think it links back to an ancient need for warmth and light at the dark point in the year, when fires were worshipped as a way of calling back the sun on the shortest day.

Although you can’t set fire to your pudding just yet, you could light a candle while stirring up your pudding mixture as a nod to the ancient fire rituals of Midwinter.

Photo by Alistair MacRobert on Unsplash

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Christmas Pudding Folklore

You know I always like to leave you with a few folklore facts to share each month. Here are your Festive Folklore snippets for this month:

1. Christmas pudding were banned by Oliver Cromwell in 1647

Along with many other Christmas traditions, pudding were banned by the Puritans who considered them to be too decadent and sinful. Fortunately this was short lived and the tradition was restored in 1660.

2. They used to be made of meat

Early Christmas puddings were made of beef and mutton, with fruit, wine and spices added mainly in order to preserve the meat. The current form of fruit pudding was (luckily) introduced by the Victorians.

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Christmas pudding recipe

If it’s your first time making a Christmas Pudding and you want an entry level recipe (that would be me), I would say this Mary Berry one is a fairly safe place to start. I will be making mine at the weekend, so I’ll let you know how it goes.

Photo by Zoe on Unsplash

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That’s all for now, I hope you enjoy your Stir-Up Sunday.

I’ll see you next week for a December edition of the Monthly Notebook. We’ll be diving into Midwinter magic, Solstice traditions and Winter sun rituals. I’ll add a sprinkling of weird and wonderful folklore for you too. Look forward to seeing you there. If you haven’t already Subscribed then just click below to make sure that post arrives safely in your inbox.

Vicky xx

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