Charleston Living Magazine Nov-Dec 2021

PHOTO LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, MUSIC DIVISION; PRINCIPAL CHURCH, CHARLESTON. MEYER, A., ARTIST, 1861
There are more
than 400 houses
of worship in
Charleston, many
from the city’s
earliest days.
here are some other traditions and a little
information on their historic contexts that
in my humble opinion, should keep a prominent
position during the holiday season.
Madeira and Pecan Pie
This deliciously sweet, fortified wine, originally
imported by the Portuguese from the
Canary Islands, boasts an exotic bouquet
with notes of dates, toffee, roasted nuts and
caramel brought to full flavor by being stored
at a high temperature. As such, it was very
popular among Southern Colonists due to
our extremely warm weather. It was generally
the practice to store the barrels in the attic
during the hot summer months.
Madeira wine was a
popular fortified wine
in the early aughts.
“Madeira Wine: A
Parody on the Willow”
song was created in the
1800s.
As the weather cooled in the late fall,
the barrels were tapped just in time to toast
the Christmas season. Madeira was so highly-prized
that Louis Manigault stored 2,100
bottles in the Old Powder Magazine that
still stands on Cumberland Street downtown
and instructed that it “remain there until my
death, and then to be divided equally among
my sons and daughters.”
While my own children are too young
to imbibe, the best way to help them cultivate
a taste for Madeira (find some at area liquor
stores) is to tipple a couple tablespoonfuls
of the good stuff into our family pecan pie
recipe. The first well-documented recipe for
pecan pie only dates back to 1898.
The confection grew in popularity after
a similar recipe began to appear on the labels
pasted onto bottles of Karo syrup in the
1920s. So technically, this culinary delight is
only now approaching its first century as a
Southern tradition. Nonetheless, one taste
(especially with the Madeira) and you’ll
never want Christmas without it. And by the
way, my grandfather would wish for me to
coach you on the pronunciation. According
to the late Samuel Edward Lowry, the word
is pronounced “puh-KAHN.” He would then
wink wickedly and add “A pee can goes under
the bed at night.” (Grandpa being a little
bit wicked on Christmas is also traditional. If
he gets too wicked, hide the Madeira.)
Fireworks
No one seems to know why or how the
discharging of pyrotechnics and/or firearms
as a celebration of Christ’s birth became a
holiday tradition, but if you grew up in the
South, you are well accustomed to the report
of more than a few fusillades on Christmas
Day. In fact, this custom was so prevalent in
old Charleston that the legislature passed a
law in 1750 prohibiting “the firing and flinging
of squibs, crackers, and other fireworks”
to avoid the endangerment and annoyance of
people passing in the streets.
According to historian Nic Butler of the
Charleston County Public Library, (Podcast,
Charleston Time Machine, Episode 138)
a reminder of this 1750 law was published
in the local newspaper every December for
many years following. But apparently it became
a happy tradition to completely ignore
the newspaper’s admonition. In October of
1772, a local complaint was registered in
regards to the “illegal mirth of a few inconsiderate
people” engaged in “the common
practice of firing guns on the eves of Christmas,
and on the mornings of the New Years.”
If you plan to keep this particular tradition
alive, please check with your local neighborhood
association for policies regarding
the discharging of firearms. And remember
to always wear safety goggles.
Listening For Christmas to ‘Fall’
In direct contrast to all the noise you can
make with a variety of explosive devices,
many Southerners enjoy solitude and the accompanying
silence on Christmas Eve. We
sit up and listen for Christmas to fall. For an
explanation, I defer to the celebrated writer
Archibald Rutledge and paraphrase from his
book Plantation Game Trails (1921): In the
South, as perhaps is the case nowhere else in
the world, there are many superstitions associated
with Christmas. One of these, which
amounts to genuine belief, is that “Christmas
falls.” Perhaps someone once heard it said
that “Christmas falls on a Friday this year.”
Whatever the origin of this expression, folks
on the plantation firmly believed that the
coming of this great day was heralded by
some mighty convulsion of nature. Being a
romantic like Mr. Rutledge, I have often sat
up until midnight on the eve of the Holy Day
waiting to hear Christmas “fall.” Perhaps the
most spiritually advanced do indeed distinctly
perceive at the precise moment a mystic
far-off detonation. As for me, if someone
whispered, “Did you hear?” I would answer
“yes,” and in my heart of hearts hope that it
was true. •
Storyteller Tim Lowry is a Southern raconteur
from Summerville. Learn more at
www.storytellertimlowry.com.
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