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A Colonial Christmas Celebration
| Article
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10311 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
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12 / 1993 |
2,117 Words |
| Author
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Varda Avnisan
Varda Avnisan writes stories and children's books. |
The Duke of Gloucester Street is dressed for the occasion. Festive boxwood wreaths and garlands ornamented with fresh fruit are fastened to every door. The chimneys emit the aroma of firewood, which drifts and mingles with the fragrance of hot apple cider on the street corners. Groups of carolers enliven the night with traditional holiday melodies, and the sound of fifers and drummers is heard through the town.
Crowds of visitors, bundled against the cold night air, intermingle with local residents waiting patiently in front of the Governor's Palace and the House of Burgesses for the annual Grand Illumination ceremony. A cannon blast in the distance signals the residents to light a single white candle in every window. Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia's early capital, now restored, officially ushers in another Christmas season.
The evening of the Grand Illumination (this year held on December 5) typically draws a crowd of over thirty thousand. This lighting of a city celebrated the birth of a sovereign in colonial times. It was not a part of the colonial Christmas celebration but was added when the town was opened for Christmas in the 1930s. Today, people flock from all over the country and the world to participate in these festivities. A spectacular fireworks display based on eighteenth-century fireworks crowns the ceremony, lighting up the night sky and silhouetting the towers and turrets.
Every night throughout the holiday season, which lasts until New Year's Day, the candles continue to twinkle inside the old buildings. Men and women dressed in period costumes stoke bonfires and kindle wrought-iron street lamps. To adhere to tradition, electric lighting is not used outdoors in the town, so the only light is firelight or moonlight, which cast a soft glow.
Williamsburg, situated about 150 miles south of Washington, D.C., was the capital of Virginia, England's largest and richest colony, between 1699 and 1780. The town's influence spread to other parts of the colonies, for which it acted as a political and social center. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Peyton Randolph, George Mason, and George Wythe were among the leaders who graced the community with their presence.
During the American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson moved the state's government to Richmond, and Williamsburg lost its influence, drifting into tranquillity, sheltered and preserved by the Virginia countryside. Restoration of the old capital began in
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