The Appalachian region is known for its folklore and marked cultural distinctiveness. It is especially true at Christmas, as our mountain towns are drenched in seasonal traditions. Numerous traditions in Appalachia have been influenced by the Scots-Irish, Cherokee and Pennsylvania Dutch communities.
Most small Appalachian churches have a Christmas Eve service where Christmas treat bags are passed out to the members. The bags usually include oranges, apples, mixed nuts and sometimes a candy cane or chocolate. They are often in a brown paper school lunch bag. It is said that the tradition began during The Great Depression to ensure that children received a gift during the season.
Since we know that apples are a mainstay in the region, then we have to have a delicious apple dessert known to our area. Enter the Apple Stack Cake, sometimes called “the poor man’s fruitcake.” It is made from dry apples and is typically 5 to 7 layers of thin cake, separated by apple butter. According to the folklore, it was originally for weddings, and the more layers it had, the more popular the bride.
Christmas used to be celebrated on Jan. 6, now known as “Old Christmas” or The Feast of Epiphany. The “new” Christmas that is most widely observed today on Dec. 25, was moved when we switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. Many people in Appalachia wanted to keep the old Christmas date and continued to celebrate it in January. Later, it became 12 days of Christmas festivities from Dec. 25 until Jan. 6. It was a time of celebration including “serenading,” or caroling from house to house, as well as storytelling and dancing. The large groups going from door to door could get rowdy and unruly. They would ring cowbells, bang on buckets and even shoot off guns to surprise the residents, but it was all in fun and the festive spirit.
According to blogger Catherine Pond, the folklore surrounding Old Christmas Eve suggests that animals could speak at midnight after the Holy Spirit came to earth when the elder bushes bloomed and granted them that power.
When I moved to Tennessee I noticed that people put a candle in each window. I had never seen that while I lived in California. It started so that visitors could see where they were going during the dark winter months and as a sign to visitors that the homeowners were ready to welcome guests. It meant safe shelter and food available.
Speaking of food, jarring and canning is particularly popular in our region. It is customary to open homemade jelly or preserves gifted on Christmas Day with a block of cream cheese and a box of Ritz Crackers to enjoy before Christmas supper. Some popular flavors are pear butter, grape ghost pepper, huckleberry and elderberry jam.
An interesting seasonal superstition is that if a cat meows on Christmas Day it causes evil spirits to visit you throughout the New Year, but a rooster crowing on Christmas Eve wards off the evil spirits. It was also important not to let the fire go out on Christmas Day as this was another omen of bad luck. Children would often burn their letters to Santa in the fire so that magical “fairies” could carry the message up the chimney to Santa before the big day.
While Christmas traditions vary greatly from region to region, and family to family, they are meaningful ways to bring a sense of togetherness and unity for the people who carry them. Happy holidays!
