Sussex Exclusive Magazine Issue 6 2023

shops would leave out spoiled items for
the poor. Apparently, Sir Timothy Shelley
of Field Place near Horsham used to give
away large quantities of beef!
Christmas Day seas swim
Christmas sea swims aren’t unique to
Sussex, but we are home to the country’s
oldest continuously running swimming
club at Brighton, founded in 1860. And
the Christmas Day swim has been held
almost every year since then! Lots of people
dress up for the occasion which presents
quite a spectacle on Christmas morn.
Boxing Day meets
Whilst fox hunting with horses may be
considered a sport best forgotten, back
in the day, the Boxing Day meet was a
major event when crowds turned out in
towns like Horsham and Lewes to see
the huntsmen in their smart jackets on
their well-groomed horses. Much more
of a controversial sight these days, meets
are still held across the county on Boxing
Day but you might be more likely to find
yourself at a meeting of old vehicles and
steam engines like the one at Slinfold
near Horsham.
Burning the Clocks
A much newer Christmas tradition
is the Brighton based Burning the
Clocks, a winter solstice festival that
first took place in 1994 as a response to
Christmas commercialisation. Lanterns
are paraded through the streets with a
carnival style atmosphere with music and
costumes until they reach the beach where
there is a lantern bonfire and fireworks.
The costumes often include a clockface
to represent the passing of time and the
lanterns are made of paper and willow.
Thousands of spectators now turn out
to watch.
Sussex Wassailing
Wassailing is not just a Sussex tradition
although it’s most practiced in counties
where fruit trees are common (like Sussex
and Kent). It has its origins in Pagan
culture which abounded in our part of
the world before Christianity. Wassail was
a type of toast that means “Good health”
to which other revellers would reply “Be
well” or “Drink hael” (drink well). The
drink involved was warm, mulled ale,
wine or cider.
Wassailing normally takes place on the
Twelfth Night (5th of January) or the
17th of January, the correct date before
the introduction of the Gregorian
calendar. The aim is to bless the fruit trees
and ward off any bad spirits to ensure a
bountiful harvest in the year ahead.
Even a few years ago, you’d have been
hard pushed to find a wassailer, but it
seems to be enjoying a resurgence and
you’ll find various wassailing events
popping up across Sussex in January.
Sussex illuminations
Sussex Wassailing
Steam up
Sussex illuminations
A much newer Sussex tradition in recent
years has been the illuminated events
that light up venues like Wakehurst,
Leonardslee, and the Cowdray Estate at
Midhurst. These beautiful venues sparkle
after dark with thousands of creative
and magical illuminations as visitors
brave the cold winter night to follow an
evocative trail.
SteamLights
Fast becoming a tradition in many
households, SteamLights is one of the
Bluebell Railway Christmas tours. The
train is lit up for those on board, and
the 90 minute journey involves festivethemed
scenes among the trees and
clearings and a colourful light show
orchestrated in time with music.
But the real tradition for those who
aren’t on the train, is to see if they can
catch a glimpse of the illuminated train
rushing through the countryside. There
are a couple of spots along the route that
if you know where and when, you just
might just see it.
The wonderful thing about traditions is
that they are ever evolving. Traditions
may become lost or forgotten, but in a
county as culturally rich as our Sussex,
there are always ways to create a few
more. Merry Christmas.
14 | sussexexclusive.com 15