|Author: Clara Lawrie||Published: 5th December 2009 17:44|
Christmas is steeped in tradition, but how did these start and
where did they come from ? For example, why did we all decide it
was necessary to send cards or eat Christmas pudding ? It seems
that the first recognised commercial Christmas card was produced
in England in 1843 by Henry Cole, founder of the Victoria and
Albert Museum. It was a hand-coloured print showing a family
scene flanked by scenes of Christmas charity ( see image right
). This was inscribed with the words, A Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year to You, with space at the top to put the name of
the recipient and at the bottom for the name of the sender.
However, it was not until the 1860s that the Christmas card as
we know it came into being. Initially these were small cards
with a simple greeting, set within an embossed border. Over time
, they have evolved into the variety of cards available today.
The origins of the Christmas pudding go back to the 14th century
when a type of porr