Please note that we recently underwent a redesign and redevelopment of our website and are in the process of back-posting our 280+ blog posts for Ask the Past. Rest assured that all of the information still exists and will soon appear here again. We appreciate your patience as we work through deep history of posts — thank you!
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Holly at Home
The use of evergreens to decorate for Christmas goes back to Kalenós, the ancient mid-winter feasts of the Romans.
Pomander - What's that?
The word pomander comes from the French pomme d’ambre, meaning amber apple. Pomanders, small balls of perfume carried in a hinged metal case or aromatic spheres prepared with fruits and spices, had a dual purpose.
Singing in the Snow
Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago. These were pagan songs sung in celebration of the winter solstice, or mid-winter. Over time, wassailing and Christmas caroling went hand in hand in Tudor England.
Wassail - Good for What Ails!
In Tudor times, what was wassail, and what was wassailing? During the Christmas season, groups of people traveled from house to house with a communal wassail bowl to wish good health to their neighbors and sharing the wasssail drink.
Decorations at Agecroft
Agecroft Hall was built in Richmond with the intention of it becoming a museum.