stir up sunday - is it this sunday? who does this?

artichoke

hi all

I am wanting to start a stir up sunday tradition in our house...

is it this sunday coming?

who participates in your family? it would be just me and the 2 kids in or house as DH will be at work...

art

cooking-mama

Sorry,i dont know what stir up Sunday is?

rosieben

I decided to make my christmas pudding this year - first time for years - so I'm interested in when other people are doing theirs. I never heard of stir-up sunday though, is that an American thing? My mother made her cake and puddings whenever she'd managed to get all the ingredients in and everyone had a stir and a wish, including any friends, visitors who happened to be there. Her puddings were gorgeous, and she never used a recipe. IIRC she included grated carrot, stout (Guinness or Mackeson I think), candied peel, masses of sultanas and raisins and - I think - figs. Will have to ask sis.

sorry not much help in answering your question though

eta I think its a great idea to start the tradition off for your own family. All traditions have to start somewhere and it will be a lovely memory for your kids.

lillibet_dripping

I believe 'Stir-up Sunday' is always the last Sunday in November.

If you listen to The Archers (Sunday omnibus), they always mention it the Sunday before:o

It is a very old English tradition where the whole family gather to make and stir the pudding (clockwise?) and make a wish.

It's a lovely tradition and signals the start of the Christmas preparations in our house - not to mention making the house smell Christmassy:D

Dunners

We always do it in our family, it's a really good excuse to get everyone together, have a drink and a giggle and make a wish for the year ahead!

I would definitely recommend it as it's a tradition that can be carried on through the generations - it started from my nan. My OH never had anything like it in his family and thinks it's fab.

There's usually around 15 of us - parents, siblings, and siblings' OHs and kids but when aunts and uncles, cousins etc join in it can be up to 25 - the benefits of having a large family! :j

suki1964

Oh we used to do this when we were small, not for the pudding but the cake as it was so huge and so full of fruit everyone had to have a stir to get it all mixed.

I loved the start of the cake making, sitting picking the fruit over pulling any stalks - so much ended up in our tums that supper was never required. I loved the glace cherries and used to be allowed to finish off what was left in the pot

And then being given the bowl to lick after, think all that was nicer then the cooked cake

ubamother

If you really want to know why it's called Stir Up Sunday read on....

In Anglican churches the collect is a set prayer (originally from the Book of Common Prayer in C of E Churches) for the day. RC churches have a collect too, but not the same ones as the mainstream Anglican churches.

The collect for the last Sunday before Advent (Advent including the four Sundays before Christmas Day) starts with the words, "Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people". It carries on about bringing the fruits of good works. Christmas puddings and cakes including hard work and fruit make it highly appropriate, and of course, the stirring!

Even if it wasn't in my Anglican tradition, I love calendar rituals like this, that mark seasons and special days.

I used make a couple of Christmas cakes, mincemeat and Christmas pudding, but now confine my ritualistic urges to mincemeat! It's lovely to think of the like-minded people all over the country sharing this tradition, whatever its origins.

dibuzz

suki1964 wrote: »

And then being given the bowel to lick after, think all that was nicer then the cooked cake

The mind boggles :eek::eek::eek:

suki1964

dibuzz wrote: »

The mind boggles :eek::eek::eek:

Oops

That one always gets past the spell checker :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

ViksB

We always do it the first sunday of December as part of the start of Advent. I can't get my head around anything Christmas until Dec!!

tessie_bear

love this....we all doing some cake stiring every year...a fun tradition