Tryon Palace 



Reconstructions of Christmases Past 



The Christmases of our day are 

 steeped in rich traditions and hearty 

 libations, overeating and endless 

 greeting, the joys of giving and 

 receiving. 



But if we could stop for just a 

 moment, look back into history and 

 compare our holiday to that of 

 centuries past, we'd probably be 

 surprised at how our frenetic, yuletide 

 year-ender has changed. The season 

 that we so enthusiastically anticipate 

 has evolved far from its quiet, early 

 years in our country. 



Tryon Palace offers a glowing 

 candlelight interpretation of Christ- 

 mases past with its historic tours in 

 December. The reconstructed Geor- 

 gian palace is part of a complex of 

 buildings that unfolds the secrets of 

 the season with storytelling and 

 caroling, candles, wreaths and food. 



Of course, the site's history and 

 culture draw visitors almost every day 

 of every week. In 1995, more than 

 74,000 people toured the buildings and 

 gardens. But one of the best (and 

 busiest) times to visit is during the 

 weeks of the Christmas Celebration, 

 when the block around the palace 

 bustles with activity and the evening 

 candlelight tours enhance the night 

 with a soft glow. 



Visitors can glimpse the holidays 

 as they were celebrated from the late 

 1700s through the early 20th century. 

 Christmas evolved in this time as both 

 a holy day and a holiday, blending 

 together Christian and folk influences 

 from around the world. 



♦ Tryon Palace (ca. 1770) 



The first Christmas at Tryon 



Palace was in 1770. On Dec. 5 of that 

 year, Royal Governor William Tryon 

 threw a great party to celebrate the 

 completion of his palatial home and 

 King George's birthday. But Christmas 

 was not part of the festivities. 



In those days, the holiday season 

 was quietly celebrated between Dec. 25 

 and Jan. 6, a European tradition carried 

 to the South. It was not the high-tempo, 

 emotional gift-giving time that we know 

 today. Nor was it marked by carols or 

 cards. Christmas was instead a time of 

 shared hospitality with friends and 

 family, says Hilarie M. Hicks, curator 

 of interpretation at Tryon Palace. 



"The Tryons probably would have 

 celebrated in a simple way," Hicks says. 

 "They might have gone to church, 

 attended dinners or balls or other festive 

 events. For people in the 18th century, 



Christmas wasn't a very big deal." 



The 1 2 days of Christmas recog- 

 nized by colonial Americans usually 

 concluded with a cake and a Twelfth 

 Night party, where a king and queen 

 were chosen from among the guests to 

 reign over the festivities. At one time, 

 the tradition was to bake a pea and a 

 bean into the cake, and whoever 

 received them in their slices would be 

 royalty for a night. For that honor, the 

 king would host the party the following 

 year, and the queen would bake the 

 cake. But by the 1770s, they were 

 drawn on slips of paper — a much 

 easier and tidier process. This custom is 

 re-enacted nightly at the palace during 

 the Christmas Celebration. 



"What amuses me to no end is that 

 afterward, as you walk around the 

 campus, you can hear people teasing 

 and talking to the guy who was drawn to 

 be king," Hicks says. "They're still 

 calling him king. And that's probably 

 the same way people did it in the 18th 

 century. It was fun to put that role on 

 someone in your crowd." 



Today, the stately palace, decked 

 out in colonial garb, is the showstopper 

 of the Tryon Christmas tour. Authentic 

 period furniture, decorations and foods 

 fill the rooms, and costumed characters 

 explain their customs of the late 1700s. 

 Massive garlands of boxwood and pine 

 drape doorways and cover mantels. 

 Dried and fresh flowers scent rooms 

 and peek from all corners. Wreaths 

 burst with oranges, lemons and pome- 

 granates and ribbons of cotton and silk. 

 Beauty berries and laurel adorn doors 

 and windows. 



The tables are filled with lavish 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 3 



