The Rural Voice, 2004-12, Page 34COUNTRY TRADITIONS LIVE ON
In an increasinglg urban societg, countrg traditions are still
front and centre at Christmas. No wonder when food plags
a big part in celebrations created in rural parts of Europe
before being brought to Canada
n an increasingly
J
urban world, Christ-
mas is the one time of
the year when rural life,
and the food produced in
rural areas, take centre
stage in the national
consciousness.
From the images of
horse-drawn sleighs, to
trips to the country to cut
a Christmas tree, to the
holiday celebration that
seems to involve food at
every turn, it's hard to
imagine Christmas
without itS rural roots.
From the earliest of days,
food has played a huge
part in all celebrations.
Many of our traditions in
Canada today trace back
to customs of the farms
and villages of various
parts of Europe.
Birds rule the roost on
the Christmas table in
many European cultures,
possibly because of their
availability and the
simple realities of
weather.
In Germany, for
instance the migratory
goose became a part of
the diet in early times,
since it merely needed to
be captured upon arrival for food or
domestication. Geese were ready for
butchering in early November, and
from this arose the custom of the
Martinsgans. on St. Martinsday,
November 11.
When the weather wasn't cold
enough for hog butchering, the goose
was a convenient stand-in because it
could be eaten up quickly without the
need of freezing. Not only did it
By Keith
Roulston
Even our tradition
of Christmas
turkey came by
way of Europe,
though the birds
originated in
North America.
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30 THE RURAL VOICE
provide meat, but also eggs and fat
for baking. Gansefett (goose fat) and
crackling, on a slice of bread with a
little salt, was a delicacy. The down
feathers provided fluffy pillows and
warm feather beds, the quill was
needed for writing, and the wing
made a good duster.
Around Victorian times in
England, most Londoners would
have been familiar with the "goose
club", which was a method
of saving to buy a goose
for Christmas. Goose clubs
were popular with
working-class Londoners,
who paid a few pence a
week towards the purchase
of a Christmas goose.
The week before
Christmas, London meat
markets were crammed
with geese and turkeys,
many imported from
Germany and France,
although some were raised
in Norfolk, and taken to
market in London. These
birds were walked from
Norfolk to the markets in
London. To protect their
feet the turkeys were
dressed in boots made of
sacking or leather and
geese had their feet
protected with a covering
of tar.
The traditional Christmas
goose was featured in
Charles Dickens' A
Christmas Carol as the
meal eaten by Bob
Crachit's family ("There
never was such a goose.")
but when Scrooge, after his
eye-opening night of
dreams, ordered a bird to
be taken to the Cratchits, it
was a turkey.
With that, Dickens is credited by
some with popularizing turkey for
Christmas dinner, according to the
University of Illinois Extension
website.
Wild turkeys had inhabited
northern Mexico and the east coast of
North America as far north as
southern Ontario for 10 million
years. There's evidence of aboriginal