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VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES
AT THE FALL RIVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Photographs by Jan Armour, Photography
Portsmouth, RI
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Each year, beginning the week before Thanksgiving, the Historical
Society's mansion is lavishly decorated in the Victorian manner.
Holiday spirit abounds from room to room, with the focal point being
a magnificent 14-foot Christmas tree in the Music Room. Aglow with
thousands of lights, it is a tree guaranteed to instill holiday
spirit in both young and old.
Traditional decorations are creatively used, working with a variety
of holiday themes, to create a display unlike anything to be seen
in the Fall River area. Last year's theme, "Victorian Christmas
Traditions," was very well received by the public and was photographed
by VICTORIAN HOMES magazine for its Christmas 2003 issue. The Music
Room's tree was illuminated by the glow of 4100 white lights, was
laden with silver tinsel and decorated with hundreds of mouth-blown
glass ornaments  typical
of the Victorian period. The concept of Christmas as we know it
originated in Germany and was introduced to England by Prince Albert
of Saxe-Coburg Gotha, consort of Queen Victoria. Americans, who
strove to emulate the British traditions, quickly adopted the holiday
and made it their own. Bavarian glassblowers created untold thousands
of ornaments, many of which carry holiday lore. Replicas of many
of these ornaments can be found on the Society's tree. Among the
most popular are: the glass pickle, which was traditionally hidden
on the tree, to be discovered on Christmas morning by the most perceptive
child, who was rewarded with a special gift; "Crampus,"
a small devil-like figure with black horns made of coal, who followed
Father Christmas rewarding naughty children with coal; the carrot,
an ornament traditionally given to new brides to bring luck in the
kitchen.
 The
parlor was banked with paper poinsettias. This plant was named as
a tribute to Mr. Joel R. Poinsett, the American Ambassador to Mexico
and amateur botanist, who so admired the Mexican wildflower that
he brought it to North America and cultivated it in his own greenhouses.
In this manner did it become a major part of our Christmas tradition
today. The delicate hothouse plant was a great rarity in cold New
England winters and so was often copied by nineteenth-century paper
flower makers.
The dining room was ornamented with della robbia of sparkling crystal-beaded
fruit, with the table set with a magnificent nineteenth-century
Davenport china dessert service. The centerpiece of the table was
a three-tiered cake traditionally decorated with candies, nuts and
sugared fruit, surmounted by a pink peppermint pig. As the pig was
a symbol of good luck in the Victorian era, candy-makers in Saratoga
Springs, New York, began to manufacture small peppermint pigs. In
observance of the tradition, those who purchased the pigs would,
following the holiday meal, shatter the pig so that each family
member could taste of the candy as a wish for good luck in the coming
year.
In the bedroom stood a tree decorated entirely in nineteenth-century
photographs and greeting cards, very typical of trees in Fall River
homes during the nineteenth-century, documented by photographs in
the Society's collection.
The first floor hallway was simply decorated using evergreens and
holly, incorporating roses in tribute to the legend of the Christmas
rose. As the story goes, a little girl happened upon the stable
in Bethlehem where the Christ child lay. Upset because she had no
gift to bring, she began to cry and, incredibly, her tears turned
into beautiful roses.
While touring the museum, guests might also want to browse in the
museum shop, which is filled with a vast number of unique gifts.
Here you can find the right present for that someone special on
your list. This year, many new mouth-blown glass ornaments will
also be featured. Among our museum shop bestsellers are delectable
sugar plums, the traditional Victorian candy meant to bring sweet
dreams to any child that slept with one beneath its pillow.
The Fall River Historical Society hopes you will take advantage
of this opportunity to visit. The museum will be "decked out"
for the occasion in the grand manner of an elegant Victorian mansion
and will be a sight to behold!
These are some of the highlights of the holiday exhibit last year
at the Historical Society. The open house will be open daily through
Sunday, December 29, 2002.
Museum hours are: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.;
Saturday and Sunday, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The museum will close
at noon on Christmas Eve and will be closed Christmas Day. For further
information, please call (508) 679-1071.
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