123 hour in which the meal was taken: 500-7:00 p.m. Another sugges-
tion is that the expression "high tea" originated from the custom
of having this meal on high tables, in comparison with the after-
noon tea which was eaten on low tables
.
/
http://www.wtea.com/about-tea_teatime-Ceremonies.aspx / Christmas crackers or bon-bons are an integral part of
Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom and Common-
wealth countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and
South Africa, as well as the United States of America to a lesser
degree. They are also popular in Ireland. A cracker consists of a
cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper,
making it resemble an oversized sweet-wrapper. The cracker is
pulled by two people, and, much in the manner of a wishbone,
the cracker splits unevenly. The split is accompanied by a small
bang or snapping sound produced by the effect of friction on a
chemically impregnated card strip. One chemical used for the
friction strip is silver fulminate, which is highly unstable.
Crackers are typically pulled at the Christmas dinner table
or at parties. In one version of the cracker tradition, the person
with the larger portion of cracker empties the contents from the
tube and keeps them. In another each person will have their own
cracker and will keep its contents regardless of whose end they
were in. Typically these contents are a coloured paper hat or
crown; a small toy, small plastic model or other trinket and a
motto, a joke, a riddle or piece of trivia on a small strip of paper.
Assembled crackers are typically sold in boxes of three to
twelve. These typically have different designs usually with red,
green and gold colors. Making crackers from scratch using the
tubes from used toilet rolls and tissue paper is a common Com-
monwealth activity for children. Kits to make crackers can also
be purchased. Crackers are also a part of New Year celebrations
in Russia where they are called хлопушка - khlopushka.
/