- Christmas
- 17th Dec 2025
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Christmas history of the North East: Forgotten Yuletide stories
When you think of festive traditions, the snow-lit streets of Newcastle or glowing markets in Durham might spring to mind.
But peel back the tinsel, and the North East of England has some truly unusual and almost forgotten Christmas customs – and a history that feels more like folklore than Victorian cardinals.
Yule-Doos from the Pit Vill
In the coal-mining communities of County Durham, miners’ families long ago crafted Yule-doos: small dough cakes shaped like baby Jesus, studded with raisins. These were lovingly baked by wives of hewers (coal cutters) and handed over to putters (workers who hauled coal) as a sign of care and camaraderie. The tradition carried more than sweetness – it embodied community, faith, and a simple warmth in the darkest, coldest of winters.
Sword Dancing at Christmas
Far from the graceful ballet of the Nativity, some Northumbrian and Durham households welcomed sword dances on Boxing Day. Teams of dancers – sometimes dressed in characters like a ‘fool’ – would clasp lightweight swords to create a ‘knot’ in triumph, before theatrically withdrawing them in a mock decapitation. It was a strongly symbolic, ritualistic performance – and while it may sound macabre, these customs connected to ancient winter rites, invoking ideas of rebirth, sun, and community strength.
Wassailing: Blessings and Booze
Although more broadly English than uniquely Geordie, wassailing had a foothold up here in the North. Traditionally observed on Twelfth Night or ‘Old Twelvey Night,’ wassailers would travel from house to house demanding treats and offering blessings – and sometimes performing in return. In northern Christmastide, wassail was less tame than the modern carol: songs, ale, and good-natured insists on food and drink were part of the bargain, making it a boisterous expression of community generosity and festivity.
The Hearth and The Yule Log
In more aristocratic North East homes in the 18th and early 19th centuries, Christmas wasn’t just about church services, it was about grand hearth rituals. A great Yule log, cut on Christmas Eve and carried in with hazel branches, would smoulder in the grand fireplaces throughout Christmastide. Keeping a splinter of last year’s log was common – to relight the next season’s fire – and believed to bring protection from fire or storm. Garlands of holly, ivy, and ‘kissing boughs’ adorned halls, while open-house hospitality reigned: guests, servants, and neighbours were welcomed throughout the twelve days.
The Northumbrian ‘First Foot’ Christmas Luck
Long before ‘first footing’ became associated with Hogmanay, parts of Northumberland quietly practised their own Christmas-time version. A dark-haired man was considered the luckiest visitor to cross a threshold on Christmas morning – usually bringing small gifts like bread, coal, or a sprig of evergreen to symbolise warmth and prosperity for the year ahead. A fair-haired or red-haired first footer was thought to bring mischief or misfortune, echoing ancient protective winter folklore across the Borders.
These traditions may no longer be part of the mainstream seasonal bustle in the North East, but they remind us how deeply rooted our region’s festive spirit is in folk ritual and community love.
Next time you’re sipping mulled wine at a Christmas market, spare a thought for the miners of old, dancing swords, singing wassailers – and the flames of a mighty Yule log burning in a coal-black hearth.
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