Ever listen to Christmas carols with confusing wording or hear certain phrases used around the holidays that hold next to no meaning for you? ExploreUSA RV Supercenter, your Texas RV Dealer wants to bring you some fun facts that will help those phrases click when you hear them during the holiday season.
Tidings: Ever had a caroler bring you “tidings of comfort and joy” or “glad tidings” to “you and your kin”? This term has been heard for years, but many do not think about what it means. A tiding is a new piece of information or event; it comes from the Old English word, “tidan” which means “to happen.” Therefore, the correct response to “glad tidings” is “thank you.”
Figgy Pudding: During the holiday season, many have demanded “figgy pudding,” saying that they “won’t go until [they] got some!” Well if you wish to meet caroler’s demands, you need to know what a figgy pudding is. A figgy pudding is relative to a fruit cake but is fig-based. It was very common in the 1600’s and was popularized in the 1900’s through the song “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
Holly: When you prepare for the holiday season, decorating is essential. If you’ve ever wanted to “deck the halls with boughs of holly,” but haven’t a clue what holly is, look no further. Holly is a tree that grows white flowers and red berries. The “boughs” or branches of the tree are a traditional decoration, from American to English cultures. The word “holly” is a shortening if an Old English word for the evergreen plant, “holegn.” It has been used to represent rebirth on the European continent for centuries.
So whether or not you come across a group of carolers this holiday season in your new RV, you will be more prepared for the holidays as they try to befuddle you with merriment.
Have you ever made a figgy pudding? What traditional items do you come across during the holiday season?
