STORIES BEHIND
SUPERSTITIONS
Why do we put coins into our Christmas puds on Stir-up
Sunday? Twenty pennies for your thoughts...The last Sunday before Advent is ‘Stir-up Sunday’, the
day that traditionally Christmas puddings are made (25
November this year). The name sounds self-explanatory,
but in fact comes from a line from the Book Of Common
Prayer, used in Anglican churches on that Sunday: “Stir
up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful
people.” It’s thought coins started being dropped into
the mix in Victorian times, but it’s based on a much older
tradition. When Twelfth Night was a big occasion, a
dried pea and bean would be baked into a Twelfth Night
Cake. The finders would become king or queen of that
evening’s revelleries. In France, you’ll still find a dried
bean in a Galette Des Rois, eaten on Twelfth Night.
Other silver tokens dropped in range from a wishbone
for luck or a ring for marriage. Just look before you tuck
in, or it could bring more bad luck than good.Snap me from this angle will you? Now this
one. And this one. Now to think of a caption:
‘A bit grey-headed,’ no. ‘Blanket-headed’,
that’s not right either. I’ve got it! ‘A bit woolly-
headed this morning’. Now that’s a like! Now,
just to upload. Hashtags on... You may mock,
but it’s not easy being an influencer. Posing
cutely in gorgeous knitwear is still work, you
know... #itsadogslife #blessed
Tweet us a pic of your #dogsinblankets or
#catsonmats @simplethingsmagTIPPLE OF
THE MONTH
Irn-Bru is Scotland’s bestselling soft drink
and thirdintheUK).Atthebeginningofthe
0th century, ‘Iron Brew’ was a generic name
for a kind of health tonic. In 1946, Glasgow’s
AG Barr & Co dropped the vowels and
laimed market domination. Their top-secret
recipe, known only to three people, contains
32 ingredients – including a sugar reduction
of 50% earlier this year.
SERVING SUGGESTION Ideal for
perking up the morning after one-too-
many whiskies the night before.On St Andrew’s Day, here’s to
Scotland’s ‘OtherNational Drink’IRN-BRU
DOGS IN BLANKETS
The secret thoughts of readers’ pets:
Flea, whippet, aged 10Trouble threading
a needle? Simply
spray the end of
your thread with
hairspray. The
stiffened thread will
be easier to pass
through the eye.
HOUSEHOLD