Daft days bring festive frivolity to The Real Mary King's Close
The bleak Scottish winter is probably not a time that most people would start thinking of outdoor japes and pranks, but that is exactly what would have happen in the 16thcentury, as visitors to The Real Mary King’s Close in Edinburgh will discover with its series of festive tours launching on 7thDecember.
In the 16thcentury the close would have been open to the elements, but for 21stcentury visitors, developments in the mid 18thcentury led to the street being enclosed below the Royal Exchange, creating an almost cosy ‘closed’ Close that provides welcome relief from the frantic festive shopping on the High Street above!
Throughout December, visitors will learn of the seasonal traditions enjoyed by the people of Edinburgh, from the ‘daft days’ which ran from Christmas Eve until Twelfth Night – which included mischief-making and practical jokes from some of the city’s younger residents – to the almost complete ban on celebrating Christmas that started in 1575 and was not officially lifted until 1958!
“The festive season would have been celebrated in many different ways by residents of The Real Mary King’s Close throughout its history, and this year, we’ll be looking again at some of the traditions long lost, as well as those that are still familiar today, whilst reminding visitors about some of the Close’s infamous residents and the not-so-happy Christmases they spent here,” comments general manager, Craig Miller.
Indeed, for the Close’s original residents, the fun would not have been enjoyed by those making their way down the Close on cold winter nights. Household waste – including human excrement – was disposed of by throwing it into the cobbled street, where, in good conditions, it would drain down into the fetid Nor Loch at the bottom of the close. Unfortunately, when the temperature dropped, the waste would freeze in the street, creating a treacherous slide that would deliver any unwitting residents to a most unpleasant demise in the icy water below.
Having started the visit in the 16thcentury, the Festive Tours take visitors through over 300 years of the Close’s history, concluding with a hot drink and a mince pie in the late 1900s, for a taste of a Victorian Christmas – and maybe even catch a glimpse of the ghost of Christmases past in the Dickensian scene!
Christmas Past Tours run:
Friday 7th December & Saturday 8th December - 6pm to 9pm (last tour) every 30 minutes
Sunday 9th December - 5.30pm only
Friday 14th December & Saturday 15th December - 6pm to 9pm (last tour) every 30 minutes
Sunday 16th September - 5.30pm only
Friday 21st December - 6pm to 9pm (last tour) every 30 minutes
Tickets cost £15 for adults, £13.50 for seniors and students, and just £7 for children. Each ticket includes a glass of mulled wine (or non-alcoholic alternative) and a mince pie.
To find out more and book tickets please visit www.realmarykingsclose.com or call 0845 070 6244.
ENDS
For further media information, please contact:
Jay Commins
PRO – The Real Mary King’s Close
Tel: 0113 251 5698
Mob: 07810 546567
Email: jay@fim.org.uk
