Crimbo!

by Zuzanna Leniart and Zuzanna Łangowska 8H

On Christmas Eve, the British only hang socks on fireplaces to which Mikołaj will put his gifts on the next day. The most important day of the Christmas season in the UK is 25, which is Christmas Day, not December 24. Just then, the British sit down for a gala dinner, give each other gifts, share and listen to what the Queen has to say. Traditionally, at 15 o'clock, Elżbieta II turns to the Christmas address to the nation. 

At the British table, we share a delicacy called Christmas Crackers.

They are simply candies or other sweets packed in a colored paper that makes a distinctive crack when unpacking. To get to the sweetness you need two people who pull wrapped from two sides. In the middle of such a "cracker" you can also find a paper crown, a joke or some other funny little thing that effectively relaxes the atmosphere at the table. In Britain, gifts are unpacked throughout the day.

 Each gift is unpacked separately, and the whole celebration is accompanied by typically English tea breaks. It lasts all day! On the British table there are dishes such as: stuffed turkey, Christmas cake (dark cake with nuts and raisins, poured marzipan, which is prepared for two months before Christmas), Christmas pudding (delicacy also with delicacies, but strongly soaked in alcohol, usually brandy, traditionally made of 13 ingredients and mince pies - small muffins filled with dried fruit stuffing.It is worth noting that there are other delicacies (including sausages wrapped in bacon) that are eaten in paper crowns, a reference to the Three Kings.

Boxing Day is named after the traditional custom of donating servants or poor gifts packed in boxes from the Middle Ages In the UK, Boxing Day is a traditional day for big, post-holiday sales, a full Premier League football match is played. "looser" day when you can visit your extended family or friends.

Traditional food

In England, there is no tradition of celebrating Christmas Eve. The most important day is Christmas. It is then that the family meets at a festive Christmas dinner. They often call Christmas Crimbo.

Instead of carp ...

A turkey is a traditional Christmas meal in England. It can be said that it is the equivalent of Polish carp. It is stuffed with chestnuts and covered with vegetables and dried fruits. Of course, holidays are a time of a feast for the palate, which is why it is usually accompanied by other dishes such as, for example, wrapped sausages in bacon.

Holidays in England - on the royal table ...

An interesting fact is that the turkey also appears on the royal table of the royal family. Other delicacies that are found there are, among others: the best of British prawns from Norfolk, mutton and venison. The main dishes serve exquisite wine, and the sweet touch of the dinner is a soufflé and caramelised apple tart with brandy cream.

Sweet Christmas

Also on the tables of ordinary English people, you can find a lot of sweet delicacies. The most popular are: pudding, muffins with dried fruit (mince pie) or festive cake.

The way they are made is inspired by the cuisine of the east, in which it is popular to mix different ingredients that do not match each other. Cookies were created with a combination of sweet ingredients and salty. It is one of the most popular Christmas dishes in Great Britain.

Although the English cuisine is called quite specific, I think that the holidays spent at the English table will certainly be tasty!

Take a look at how to talk about the next days of holidays:

24 December - Christmas Eve - wigilia

25 December - Christmas Day - Boże Narodzenie

26 December - Boxing Day -  drugi dzień świąt 

Watch this hilarious video showing differences between British and American Christmas: