countdown to christmas

18 – Chronicle Classifieds, Friday, December 12, 2008 To advertise telephone (01226) 734666

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

Taking bookings for

Christmasand New Year & your party or wedding

PHONE US NOW!!

24 Shambles Street , Barnsley S70 2SW

01226 240000

BistroRomanosRistorante Italiano

Christmasremedies

IF YOU are feeling a littleunder the weather duringthe festive season – whetherit’s through overindulgenceor an attack of the commoncold – perhaps our ances-tors could have some sageadvice.

Then again, maybe not. Remedies used through-

out history include: n English ivy: the ancient

Roman philosopher Plinysuggested that eating yel-low ivy berries before a bignight out would preventdrunkenness.

That said, Pliny’s medicalknowledge can be lookedupon with a sceptical eye:he also suggested that kiss-ing the hairy muzzle of amouse would cure a cold.n Prayer: The medieval

Christ-ian church believedthat colds were caused bydemons getting into thenose.

This allowed part of thesufferer’s soul to leave theirbody, and is the historic rea-son why we cover our noseswhen we sneeze!n The Upward Purge:

After overindulging, theRomans would head to aspecial room called thevomitoria, where the lord orlady would have the back oftheir throat tickled by aslave to make them vomit.

After a glass or two ofwarm water, they wouldreturn to the party to con-tinue their indulgence! n Phlegm on the chest was

treated by swallowing livesnails, thought to eat up themucus.

Deck the halls withboughs of hollyHAVE you ever won-dered how holly and ivycame to be so very close-ly associated withChristmas?

If so, Dan Booth, headgardener at BrodsworthHall, the Victorian coun-

try house situatedbetween Barnsley andDoncaster, has theanswer: “Like many ofour Christmas traditions,the story of holly and ivygoes back well before thebirth of Christ, but over

the centuries, ancienttraditions have beenincorporated into theChristian festivities weenjoy today,” he said.

“For the Romans, hollywas a symbol of goodhealth and prosperity, so

was often given as agift in the new year,whereas pagans usedholly as a healingplant, believing that italso protected youagainst evil spirits andlightning strikes.”

Holly was also said tohave sprung from thesteps of Christ whenhe walked the Earth,the pointed leaves rep-resenting the crown ofthorns placed on hishead on the cross, andthe red berries symbol-ising the blood heshed.

Evergreens have longbeen established aspart of the Christiantradition, particularlyat Christmas, as theywere thought thatthese plants represent-ed eternal life, withpeople often hangingbouquets of ever-greens, including hollyand ivy, as a symbol ofChrist around theChristmas period –although again, it isthought that this is a

Christianisation of theNorse tradition ofevergreens being hungover a door to keep evilspirits away.

These ‘Holly Boughs’were common in manymedieval households,although whenCromwell and his puri-tans came to power,like so many other cel-ebratory traditions,these symbolic repre-sentations of Christwere banned.

However, in defiance,many people justrenamed the garlands,from Holy Boughs toHolly Boughs.

Often, mistletoewould be added intothese decorations, andmany people still fol-lowed the Viking tradi-tion of kissing undermistletoe as a sign offriendship.

Many visitorsthroughout Decemberare expected to buyholly for their own dec-

orations fromBrodsworth Hall, asDan Booth’s team ofgardeners commencethe annual pruning ofsome of the 250 hollybushes and treesthroughout thegrounds.

Said Dan: “We haveone of the largest col-lections of holly vari-eties in the north, withbetween 120 and 150different speciesspread throughout thegrounds.

At this time of year,we tend to prune thebushes back strongly –hat-racking – toencourage lots of newgrowth and spikierleaves, so we take a lotof the trimmedbranches down to ouradmissions desk forpeople to take away –there are some won-derful differentfoliages, includingsmooth leaved and var-iegated varieties.”

Advertising feature

£7.95

Christopher Jessopwelcomes you to thenewly refurbished

Mustard Pot.

£7.95 served 12 noon-9 pm. every Sunday

Midhopestones (off Stocksbridge bypass)

Sunday Lunch CarveryBeef, Pork, Lamb,Turkey, Honey Roast Gammon,Fresh Salmon, Specials Board,Vegetarian option.

Christmas Day Lunch Boxing Day & New Year’s Day Carvery12 noon to 9.00pm and A La Carte Menu available

Beautifully renovated a la carte restaurant available throughoutthe festive season.

Tel. 01226 761155Tel. 07717 539853

£38£38

Barnsley. Beautifully appointed en suite bedrooms, Ye Olde Mustard Pot can accommodate you in style. Sowhy not relax, enjoy the fine food and atmosphere in this traditional 17th Century Country Inn, decoratedlike a Winter Wonderland with traditional stone flagged floors, oak beams and open log fires.

Set in idyllic country surround-ings overlooking UnderbankReservoir, 15 minutes from

RHODES GROUNDWORKS

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Specialists in• Demolition/Excavation• Footings, Drainage

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RHODES LANDSCAPES

Telephone: 01226 210430Mobile: 07506 699907

Specialists in• Full Landscapes• Garden Clearance• All Types of Fencing• Paths and Paving• Turfing and Decking• Trees and Hedges

Removed

BOOKINGS NOW BEINGTAKEN FOR 2009

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23 The Arcade, Barnsley. Tel. 01226 770878

Expression

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74 High StreetDodworth

Barnsley S75 3RGTel. 01226 286480

PROFESSIONALS

We wish all our clients aMerry Christmas and aprosperous New Year.From all @ Expression

Sue, Suzanne, Katie & Mel.

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Carpets, Vinyls, Laminates, Woods & Rugs to choose from at home

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BARNSLEY 731005MOBILE 07831 454 549 (Ian)

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CONTRACTORS HEALTH & SAFETY ASSESSMENT SCHEME

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WHY US?

Days � Evenings � Weekends �

Criminal Records BureauCRB

Barnsley & RotherhamChamber of Commerce

ADVERTORIALFAMILY flooring firm Floormasterinvites customers to sit back and relaxwhile its experienced installers takethe strain.

As well as its bricks-and-mortarBarugh Green base, the business oper-ates a unique mobile showroom, bring-ing over 5000 samples of carpets,vinyls, woods and laminates to you soyou can make your choice from home.Appointments are made at your conve-nience, daytime, evening or weekend.

Floormaster will also take up anddispose of your old carpet and moveyour furniture before and after fitting, ifrequired.

The company has almost 25 years ofexperience of fitting out domestic andcommercial properties, includingshops and offices, as well as hospitalsand schools.

It is Contractors Health and SafetyScheme accredited and staff areCriminal Records Bureau checked forcustomer peace of mind.

The firm is dedicated to offeringchoice, convenience, value and exper-tise, with help and advice always avail-able from its team of professionalcraftsmen.

Most floor coverings are fitted within24 hours.

For more information or to make ano-obligation appointment, pleasecontact the proprietor, Ian.

Floormaster is based at Unit 5Cannon Way in Claycliffe BusinessPark, Barugh Green, Barnsley S77 1JU.