Christmas Pudding Charms - Sterling Silver, England, circa 1930-1950 (2024)

FAQs

What is the meaning of Christmas pudding charms UK? ›

It was customary to hide a number of small trinkets in the mixture, a bit like the twelfth night cake. These charms often included a silver coin which signified wealth, and a ring to represent a future marriage.

The Christmas sixpence

A silver sixpence was placed into the pudding mix and every member of the household gave the mix a stir. Whoever found the sixpence in their own piece of the pudding on Christmas Day would see it as a sign that they would enjoy wealth and good luck in the year to come.

These charms, among others, are a donkey, a little duck, piggie, belle (a bell), imp and spoon. A special set of plum pudding and cake jewellery for lucky charms includes a swastika (long life), bell (marriage), coin (fortune yours), piggie (good luck), bogey man (be happy) and lucky shoe.

These tiny old coins are made of silver. Traditionally hidden in Christmas puddings they make a great Yuletide treat for children and are a nostalgic collectors item. Typically the coin will be of King George V, (reigned 1910-1935).

There is a popular myth that plum pudding's association with Christmas goes back to a custom in medieval England that the "pudding should be made on the 25th Sunday after Trinity, that it be prepared with 13 ingredients to represent Christ and the 12 apostles, and that every family member stir it in turn from east to ...

Christmas Pudding (also known as plum pudding or figgy pudding) is a dish as famous as it is misunderstood.

Finding a Christmas coin in your slice of pudding is believed to bring good luck and especially wealth in the coming year. This lovely tradition may date back as early as the 1300s when a dried pea or sometimes a small silver ring or crown was baked into a Twelfth Night Cake.

Traditionally, a silver sixpence was stirred in to bring whoever found the coin on Christmas Day wealth and good luck in the year to come. This tradition dates back to what was known as 'Twelfth Night Cake', which was eaten during the Twelfth Night festivities.

Adding silver coins into plum pudding is a fun Christmas tradition. The notion being that whoever finds the coin will have good luck. The tradition may date as far back as early as the 1300s when several small items like dried peas and chicken wishbones were added to the pudding mixture.

A Touch of Silver

You'll no doubt be familiar with the act of adding silver coins into Christmas pudding. This tradition came from the notion that whoever finds the coin in their pudding serve can keep the coin, AND has the added bonus of “good luck” for the new year ahead.

What is traditionally hidden in a Christmas pudding? ›

Traditionally a silver coin (six pence) was hidden inside the Christmas Pudding. The silver coin brought good fortune to whomever was lucky enough to find it when the pudding was cut. The lights are turned off so people can see the flames. Christmas Pudding is served with custard or brandy sauce.

A Christmas pudding should have 13 ingredients – that represent Jesus and the 12 disciples. Traditionally, these ingredients include: raisins, currants, suet, brown sugar, breadcrumbs, citron, lemon peel, orange peel, flour, mixed spices, eggs, milk and brandy.

As with all British silver coins, the silver content was reduced from sterling (0.925) silver to 50% silver, 40% copper, 10% nickel in 1920, 50% silver, 50% copper in 1922, and 50% silver, 40% copper, 5% nickel, 5% zinc in 1927, while the design of the reverse of the circulating threepence (but not the maundy ...

A few different variations of these charm sets existed, but the following were commonly added to Christmas pudding mixtures: a coin to represent wealth in the coming year, a wishbone for good luck, a silver thimble for thrift or spinsterdom, a button for an enduring bachelor and an anchor for safe harbour.

Also if you are using coins or charms then you must warn the pudding eaters in advance that there are items in the pudding to avoid anyone choking and if you feel that it is a risk then we would strongly advise omitting coins and charms.

Superstitions say that Christmas pudding must be prepared with 13 ingredients, which are said to represent Jesus and his twelve disciples. It is also said that the mixture should be stirred in turn from east to west, by each family member, to honour the disciples' journey.

Finding a Christmas coin in your slice of pudding is believed to bring good luck and especially wealth in the coming year. This lovely tradition may date back as early as the 1300s when a dried pea or sometimes a small silver ring or crown was baked into a Twelfth Night Cake.

Adding silver coins into plum pudding is a fun Christmas tradition. The notion being that whoever finds the coin will have good luck. The tradition may date as far back as early as the 1300s when several small items like dried peas and chicken wishbones were added to the pudding mixture.