15 Old Holiday Traditions Society Has Practically Abandoned

by N/A, 11 years ago | 1 min read

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If you thought your families holiday traditions were weird, check out these outlandish (and kind of fun) traditions that history forgot.

Christmas History holidays holiday Humanities Humanitarianism Culture/Ethnicity Traditions Non-Premium

1. Yule mumming

Scandinavian kids used to put on scary masks and pretend to be ghosts on Christmas eve.

2. No laundry

In 19th century Britain, people believed it was bad luck to do laundry on New Year's Day.

3. Hot cockles

This pre-Victorian game required that a blindfolded player lays on someone's lap and gets smacked by another party guest. They then have to guess who hit them.

4. Poems with presents

In Ancient Rome, gifts can accompanied with seasonal poems.

5. Mince pies

During the 12 days of Christmas, Medieval Europeans would eat minced pie everyday.

6. Cake tossing

In the 1890s, people would throw a cake at their door because they believed it would keep them from being hungry during the next year.

7. Alphabetical feasts

The Greco-Roman festival called Brumalia lasted from November 24-December 17. Each day is marked with a letter and people bring gifts to their friends, whose names start with that letter.

8. Humble pie

This became popular in the 1600s. The pie usually included liver, hearts and other unsavory innards.

9. White tie for NYE

In the 19th century, people would throw swanky parties. White ties and handkerchiefs were standard attire.

10. Redding the house

In Scotland, people used clean their houses and clear out their fireplaces by midnight on December 31. They believed that reading the ashes could tell them what was to come in the upcoming year.

11. Shoe the mare

During Elizabethan times, a family member would run around like a horse and other people would try to put a shoe on them.

12. Decorate with rose petals

In colonial Virginia, people would decorate their home with fresh flowers to keep them smelling fresh and festive.

13. Ceramic tipping boxes

The British used to present their servants and apprentices with boxes containing annual bonuses.

14. Wassailing

In the 1600s, it was common practice for men to make large amount of hot cider and walk door to door offering cupfuls to people.

15. Have a child host the party

It was common practice in Roman times to have a child host holiday parties.