12th Night Celebration: An 18th Century Christmas Story

During the 18^th century, Christmas and the holiday season was celebrated a little bit differently than it is today. Santa had yet to become popular, Christmas trees were not brought inside homes, and it was more of an adult holiday than the children’s focused holiday we have today. For four years, I worked at Pottsgrove Manor in Pottstown, Pennsylvania as their Museum Assistant. 12th Night was my favorite time of year! I loved decorating the manor house in garland with candles and enjoyed giving tours to guests where I talked about the Potts families holiday celebrations and how they were very different from what we have today. Let’s travel back in time to the 18th century, when times were simple, and there was no indoor plumbing. Trust me, the holiday celebration made up for it!

Pottsgrove Manor in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, was the home of John Potts, a local iron master and owner of Valley Forge. The home was built in 1752 and was a short carriage ride from Philadelphia and Reading which were prosperous towns for the time period. John and his wife Ruth had 13 children, who all lived to adulthood. Their home is a symbol of early wealth and was the perfect place to celebrate the holidays! 12^th Night was celebrated on Epiphany twelve days after Christmas (January 6^th). This was usually the largest Christmastide celebration with elaborate parties, special foods, drinks, and desserts. Christmas Day was usually a quiet day with a small dinner and church. 12^th Night was when the real party began!

Let’s chat about decorations. While we are used to the elaborate decorations of today (here’s looking at you giant blow up Santa) decorations for the holiday season were simple and made with what was readily available. Decorations made of evergreens, holly, mistletoe, and cloved oranges. Many of the decorations would be changed out throughout the celebration depending on their freshness and smell. There is nothing better than the smell of fresh evergreen! A very popular decoration for the time period was the Kissing Ball which was the precursor to the mistletoe tradition.

There wouldn’t be a party without dancing! Many upper-class men and women would dance the night away. Let’s be honest though, the most important thing for me at any party is the food! Having finer foods at your table would show off your wealth, especially in the country. We know from the ledger books at Pottsgrove Manor that the Potts family did not skimp on the luxurious foods of the 18^th century. There would be plenty of roasted meats, oysters, cheeses, breads, and desserts. A very popular dessert for the holiday season was the 12^th, Night Cake. This would be a rich fruit cake with icing and was often decorated with evergreens. Baked inside the cake would be a bean or trinket. Whoever found it would be the King or Queen of 12^th Night! That meant they would be in charge for the evening and could make people do an endless number of silly things. It also meant that you had to host and bake the cake for the next year’s celebration. I have actually baked a 12^th Night Cake before. I followed Martha Washington’s recipe and it was very good and very high in alcohol!

Children during the 12^th Night festivities celebrated away from the adults and had their own party. They would often perform a dance for the adults and retire upstairs where they would have their own treats and open small gifts. While our holiday celebrations today are very focused on children, during the 18^th century, the holiday celebrations were not. Adults were the main focus of the season. The 12th Night season was a very popular time to get married. Since everyone you would have invited to your wedding was already there, you might as well get married! Talk about a way to save money on invitations.
There are many other activities that were popular during the 12th Night celebrations, including hunting, shopping, singing, and, of course, spending time with loved ones. It is interesting to see what past times have been passed down to our celebrations today. Pottsgrove Manor is open for tours year-round to show how an upper-class family lived and worked during the 18th century. There are also many other things to do around the area, such as Valley Forge National Park and King of Prussia. Make sure to visit close by Philadelphia for even more history fun! Contact your super today to plan your next historical vacation. Happy 12^th Night!