“NO MATTER WHAT SEASON, LIFE IS OCCURRING FOR JANE’S CHARACTERS.”
Pride and Possibilities editor, Sophie Spruce, discusses the celebration of holidays in Austen’s novels and the Regency period.
Pride and Prejudice’s opening line, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife,” is one of the most famous lines in literary history. Only a few paragraphs later, Jane sets the stage for the conflict of her novel, revealing to the reader a single man with a significant fortune will be taking the tenancy at a nearby house. Mrs. Bennet announces to her family “he is to take possession before Michaelmas.” It is one of several times Jane references Regency holidays in her works, which she often uses as markers that orient her readers in the story’s timeline.
Though these holidays are never the center of her novels—they remain thoroughly in the background—Jane’s inclusion of them seems to ascribe importance to them, even if she doesn’t explicitly state it. After all, Jane describes the Elliot/Musgrove Christmas in Persuasion as being “completed by a roaring Christmas fire, which seemed determined to be heard, in spite of all the noise of the others.” It is as if the reader cannot get too lost in the dynamics of the family and must remember the reason why they have gathered in the first place.
“The Christmas Tree” from Godey’s Lady’s Book, 1850
There were four holidays of importance in the Regency Era: Lady Day, which celebrated the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary (March 25), St. John’s Day, which coincided with Midsummer (June 24), Michaelmas (September 29), and Christmas (December 25). The four days were known as quarter days and were important celebrations on the English calendar. Of these, only Michaelmas and Christmas are named in Jane’s writings, with Michaelmas mentioned twelve times in five out of six novels, Northanger Abbey excepted, and Christmas referenced at least once or more per novel. But although named, Jane never describes Michaelmas or its traditions, and Christmas, for the most part, is only briefly referenced.
Mansfield Park mentions “Christmas gaieties” occurring, Pride and Prejudice documents the Gardiners visiting the Bennets, and it is briefly mentioned the Steeles extend their stay at Barton Park to participate in Christmas festivals in Sense and Sensibility. The only significantly detailed Christmas description occurs in Emma. The limited descriptions of these frequently named holidays may lead us to think they weren’t important in Jane’s writing beyond their purpose in signaling the time of year. But perhaps such descriptions weren’t necessary.
Michaelmas, created to honor the Archangel Michael for expelling Satan from heaven, was celebrated across the British Isles in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Readers in the Regency era, especially the upper classes who Jane was popular with, wouldn’t have needed an explanation for Michaelmas, just as many of us don’t need an explanation for Christmas. Because of the way movies and television have represented Christmas, the word conjures images of sledding on snowy hills, drinking hot cocoa, and Santa Claus scurrying down a chimney.
The Archangel Michael defeats a dragon, 12th century manuscript
For Regency readers, the mention of Michaelmas would have made them think of goose and blackberry pie. According to folklore, this was the last day one could eat blackberries because Satan had cursed a blackberry bush after landing in it during his fall from heaven. It was a holiday that included the payment of wages and rent, the renewal of business contracts, and the election of magistrates as well as the beginning of school sessions. The Crofts possession of Kellynch Hall in Persuasion and Mr. Bingley’s tenancy at Netherfield Park occurring at or around Michaelmas were completely normal transactions.
Christmas, which was a national holiday, would have included many things we still do today like going to parties and family celebrations and giving gifts. According to Historic UK, “Food played a very important part in a Georgian Christmas.” This included turkey or goose and plum pudding. This was also the time when traditional decorations such as holly and mistletoe gained notoriety. The Musgroves’ “roaring Christmas fire” would also have been known as the “Yule log” and was “the centerpiece of a family Christmas.”
Christmas Eve entertainments often included a game called Snap-dragon (also played on Halloween). In Snap-dragon, raisins, or some other dried fruit, were placed in a shallow bowl. The fruit was doused in brandy, and then set on fire with the goal of the game to snatch as many pieces of fruit without getting burned. The game’s origins can be traced to the 16th century, referenced by Shakespeare in Love’s Labour Lost. For many of us, it may seem dangerous to allow children to stick their hands into an open flame, but Snap-Dragon was a well-loved parlour game even into the 20th century. It was tradition that Jane’s family continued in Chawton until 1987, the last Christmas the Knight family would call Chawton House home. The Foundation’s founder, Caroline Knight, played it every Christmas and gives a detailed description of the exciting game in her book Jane & Me: My Austen Heritage.
Children playing Snap-Dragon
Despite the wide range of traditions Michaelmas and Christmas encompassed in the early 19th century, Jane kept these celebrations in the background of her novels. We never hear the character’s opinions of a newly elected magistrate or of Mrs. Bennet paying wages to her servants. Anne Elliot laments the loss of Kellynch Hall on Michaelmas. “She could not think of much else on the 29th of September,” Jane writes, but the festivities of the day are never described. Jane’s texts aren’t set in specific seasons, which benefits her stories because they aren’t unnecessarily bogged down by excessive details on culture or tradition at the expense of her characters. Although she just as easily could have ignored these important days, timing her narrative skips to avoid mentioning them altogether, she instead approaches these holidays in a natural progression. They are moments in time, present when necessary, grounding her characters in a believable reality, and moving the story forward.
In Emma, Jane treats us to a wintry scene while the characters are on their way to enjoy a Christmas dinner at the Westons. “A few flakes of snow were finding their way down, and the sky had the appearance of being so overcharged as to want only a milder air to produce a very white world in a very short time.” The snow later becomes important in dictating who will ride in which carriage, leading to an infamous proposal from Mr. Elton that leaves Emma perturbed and Harriet humiliated. Early in Persuasion, the Elliots let their home, Kellynch Hall, to the Crofts at Michaelmas. Though the tenancy opens only because of the Elliots’ debt, it unwittingly becomes the catalyst that reunites Anne with Captain Wentworth.
Emma celebrates Christmas with the Westons, Emma 2020
Jane Bennet is cruelly dismissed in a letter from Caroline Bingley as she and her brother quit Netherfield Park for London’s parties. “I sincerely hope your Christmas in Hertfordshire may abound in gaieties which that season generally brings, and that your beaux will be so numerous as to prevent your feeling the loss of the three, of whom we shall deprive you.” Though Caroline wishes Jane well, the implication is clear. The Bingleys do not intend to return, nor will Jane be invited to spend any of the holiday season with them. Caroline even hints that she hopes Jane will find another match because she secretly believes Jane isn’t good enough for her brother.
No matter what season, life is occurring for Jane’s characters, and they are not exempt from heartbreak and upset, even in times that should be joyful.
Although the world has changed plenty since Jane’s time, we are very much doing the same things that her characters did. They were building friendships, handling complex family relationships, falling in love, navigating societal expectations, and doing everything else necessary to build a life. Whether the 19th century or the 21st, some things remain the same no matter how much time passes, including days of celebration.
©️Sophie Spruce 2022, editor of Pride and Possibilities
Sophie Spruce is a graduate student working on her masters in English. She is a lover of Jane Austen, fantasy novels, and Korean dramas and music. Sophie has also written two books: Symbols & Signs and The Maiden of Myth. She is currently working on a new book series.
Works Cited:
Austen, Jane. Emma. 1815.
--Mansfield Park. 1814.
--Persuasion. 1817.
--Pride and Prejudice. 1813.
For more information on Regency Michaelmas and Christmas:
How to Celebrate a Regency Michaelmas: Plus, Every Mention of Michaelmas in Jane Austen’s Novels
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