Sussex Exclusive Magazine Issue 6 2023

A truly traditional
Sussex Christmas
Sussex has always been strong on
tradition. And whilst many of the above
traditions may have faded from my
household, there are still plenty of Sussex
traditions, old and new, that create some
of the magic and mystique of this time
of year.
We take a look at Sussex Christmas traditions both old and new
In the 1970s, in our house, Christmas
started in the early autumn when
the Christmas pudding was made.
Not for that year, I would add,
but for the following Christmas.
I’d watch my mother chopping dried
fruit, mixing it all in a bowl and adding
tiny silver coins (which we’d all hope to
find when we ate it), before eventually,
it was tied in a muslin cloth and put
on top of the cupboard. For well over a
year. Occasionally coming down for the
addition of some brandy before being
carefully re-wrapped and replaced. I can
still remember the distinctive smell of
dried fruit, candied peel, nutmeg and
other spices and the sense of Christmas
ceremony. Unlike the TV Christmas
ads of today, it was the first sign that
Christmas was coming.
As the year then slowly rolled into
December, we made our own sweets: teeth
breaking treacle toffee, coconut ice with
real Cochineal (which I genuinely believed
was made from dead bugs – well it is, kind
of) and quince jelly (which nobody liked).
Then we dug out my grandmother’s old,
well-worn stockings. No pillowcases of
presents for us back then.
On Christmas Eve we made our way
to Horsham’s St Mary’s church for the
evening service where we lit candles.
The idea then was to take them all the
way home with us (in the back of my
mother’s Morris Thousand Traveller)
without the candles blowing out.
No seatbelts. And as we didn’t live in
Horsham, it was quite a long (and
perilous) journey home.
Sussex Wassailing
If it’s
traditional
Sussex music
you’re after,
Sussex has
its own carol
(The "Sussex
Carol") the
words of
which were
first recorded
in the 17th
century and
the melody
of which was
recorded
in the 19th
century after
being heard at
Monk's Gate,
near Horsham.
Sussex Mummers
Dance, folk songs and Mummers’ plays
would have been a massive part of
our Sussex Christmases of yesteryear.
Mummers’ plays are folk plays performed
by troupes of amateur actors, known
as Mummers. In Sussex, however,
they are often known as Tipteers’ or
Tipteerers’ plays and the troupes would
travel from village to village putting on a
Christmas play in the village pub.
Many of the traditional Sussex songs
they performed would not have changed
significantly for centuries, some even
dating back to the Saxon era. The songs
were often performed with extraordinary
vocal variety and the lyrics would reflect
the life of the countryside and humour of
its people.
The good news is, if you love this as a
tradition, and prefer it perhaps to the
modern version (a pantomime), you’ll
still find lots of troupes of Mummers
performing across Sussex today.
The Sussex Carol
If it’s traditional Sussex music you’re after,
Sussex has its own carol (The “Sussex
Carol”) the words of which were first
recorded in the 17th century and the
melody of which was recorded in the
19th century after being heard at Monk’s
Gate, near Horsham.
It’s by no means the only Sussex
Christmas carol and in 1928, Sussex
County Magazine published a version by
a K H MacDermott which includes the
words, “The Angels came to a south land
fair, To a cottage in the Weald”. Other
regional carols include The Ditchling
Carol, The Burwash Carol for Christmas
Day and the Falmer Carol.
Sussex mince pies
According to a 1974 source (Tony
Wales, ‘The Good Things of Christmas
Times Past’), our Sussex mince pies
used to be oval in shape to represent the
manger in the Christmas story. And if
you’re thinking of snacking on a mince
pie early, Sussex tradition states they
should only be eaten during the 12 days
of Christmas.
Going a Goodening
The Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle,
established in the 12th century, originally
fell on December 21st, also the day
of the winter solstice (although in the
Catholic calendar, St. Thomas Day has
since been moved). In Sussex, the 21st
December became a day when no one
could say no to a caller who came to your
door and asked for a gift. It was known
as Going a Goodening and it was usually
the woman of the family who visited the
big, wealthier houses. People would call
out “Please remember the Gooders” and
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