Victorian New Year's Eve Celebration by Kit Morgan

 

As the clock struck midnight on December 31^st, a gentle cheer rang out through the streeets of America’s cities and towns. Victorian era Americans were celebrating another New Year’s Eve! Back in the day, people all over the country placed tremendous importance on bringing in the New Year with joy and hope. There was special emphasis placed on observing different traditions that folks passed down for generations to ensure both a prosperous year ahead and fidelity in their relationships with one another. So put aside your modern-day partie4s and getaways; let’s look back at how Victorian Americans celebrated this festive holiday.

 

From kissing loved ones under mistletoe and gathering around bonfires in the streets to exchanging heartfelt New Year cards as tokens of love. The New Year was a special time for Victorian Americans, as it gave them the chance to celebrate with friends and family while reflecting on the year gone by. These were deep symbolic meanings which added an extra layer of meaning to their celebration. Victorian Americans were known to take New Year's celebrations very seriously, as it was seen as an important opportunity to celebrate the joys of the past year and look ahead with hope. 

 

Parties often involved various parlor games such as charades or card games, while meals consisted of traditional dishes like roast beef. On New Year's Day, it was also customary for men to visit their friends to exchange gifts and well wishes, while children were delighted by festive treats. 

 

Many of these traditions have been passed down through generations and are still observed today in many parts of America—a reminder that even though times have changed, our capacity for hope remains unchanged. Gathering with family and friends On New Years remind us how important it is to take a moment each year to reflect on all we've accomplished in the past and look ahead with optimism towards the future! 

 

So it's not all about watching the ball drop in Times Square on TV every New Year's Eve, Victorian era Americans looked at the past and the future together. 

 

Until Next Time,

Kit

 

 

 

Oysters and Champagne - A New Year's Tradition by Jo-Ann Roberts

 

Champagne and oysters were a favorite combination to ring in the new year on the frontier. As odd as it may seem, oysters were a trendy food in America during the 19th century. While they were mainly imported from the East Coast, some came from Mexico and the West Coast.

In Grant, Nebraska, The Perkins County Herald advertised dances and oyster suppers to their subscribers. And in the beloved Little House on the Prairie series, author Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote that she had never tasted anything as good as "the sea-tasting hot milk with oysters at the bottom" when Ma, Pa and the three girls dined on oyster stew with neighbors on New Year's Day.

While it seems a little incongruent for pioneers to be dining on what we perceive as delicacies on the frontier, it was surprising to learn that during the late 1800s through the turn of the century, oysters were cheaper than meat, poultry or fish thanks to plentiful oyster beds all along the East Coast. Chicago, St. Louis, and other inland cities throughout the Midwest imported the mollusks from the east, then shipped them, usually by rail, to the western frontier in large barrels full of small tins packed in ice.

 

Oysters were used by ladies in Helena, Montana in 1875 to raise funds for the Catholic church. Held at the International Hall, they advertised "...refreshments, including oysters in every style will be served at all hours..."

Kansas City, Missouri, celebrated the arrival of 1891 in high style with oysters, champagne, and a snowstorm. As the wicked weather continued, one host treated guests to oysters in cream, ham basted in champagne sauce, lobster salad, Saratoga chips, Roman punch, ladyfingers, fruits, and nuts.

In 1892, San Franciscan residents ushered in the new year in style. Those who could afford to dine at the luxurious Palace Hotel feasted on turkey, chicken, ham, pressed meats, salad with fried oysters, asparagus on toast, artichokes with hollandaise sauce, and prime rib of beef. If they had left room for dessert, they could choose from English trifle, plum pudding with rum sauce, mincemeat, apple or pumpkin pie, and coconut cream sandwiches...and if that wasn't enough, they could end the meal with ices that included orange water, strawberry, and pistachio ice cream!

 

Although champagne in the mid-19th century could only come from France, winemakers from California were already creating some sparkling wines. German immigrant, Jacob Schram founded Schramsberg Vineyards on Diamond Mountain in Napa Valley, California in 1862.

Mt. Diamond property

Hillside caves for wine-aging & storage

The Jacbo Schram family

Today, Schram, Cooks, and Korbel are still made in California. They were and still are wildly popular and well-known. In 1887, French champagne averaged about $30 a bottle...compare that to a miner's salary which was $4 per day!

The New Year's meal on the frontier was an occasion that looked to the future, where families welcomed neighbors and visitors, and perhaps mended fences and worked out (or forgot!) differences. It was a time to realize that a united front was certainly the most beneficial, both for individuals and for the community as a whole.

From our home to yours,