Celebrating the Season: Food, Festivities, and Folklore
Fogo Island has a rich cultural history and heritage. Although rugged wilderness and remote landscapes kept settlers isolated, the traditions they brought to Newfoundland kept community spirit and holiday cheer alive.
We wanted to share some of our favourite holiday celebrations that are quintessentially Newfoundland.
A Toast to Traditions: Tibb’s Eve
Holiday celebrations usually kick off on December 23 with Tibb’s Eve (sometimes known as Tipp’s Eve or Tipsy Eve). With origins from Newfoundland’s southern coast, the exact meaning of Tibb’s Eve is unclear.
Some folklorists say that Tibb’s Eve is a way to say “never” or a “day that doesn’t exist.” If something were said to happen on Tibb’s Eve, it would likely never happen! Others pinpoint folk etymology and pronunciation shift, with the phrase becoming linked to tipsy or tipple.
One tipsy staple is Christmas Slush, usually made and stored in a reused salt beef tub. Almost everyone has their own preferred recipe, but many are made with frozen pineapple and citrus juices, and vodka or rum to get spirits bright. Once this concoction is frozen to a slushy consistency, it is spooned into glasses and finished with ginger ale or soda.
Whether it signifies that day that doesn’t exist or a playful nod to revelry, Tibb’s Eve begins Christmas merriment on the island.
Mummering
Mummering is an old holiday custom with origins in both England and Ireland. This practice happens largely in outport or more rural communities in Newfoundland, and Fogo Island is no exception.
At any time during the holiday season, groups of friends and family dress up in costumes and disguise their voices so that they are completely unrecognizable and head out for a night of fun in the community. They announce themselves with a firm knock on the door, and if they are invited inside, they entertain their host with informal performances of music, dance, jokes, or recitations.
And the goal of this night? For the mummers to conceal their identity and trick their host, making it impossible for them to guess who’s hiding under the costume. Once the visitors are named, they can remove their disguises and enjoy some time with their hosts before moving on as a group to the next unsuspecting home.
Mummering is a less common activity these days; nevertheless, a hard knock on the door, followed by a quick “any mummers ‘lowed in?” never fails to bring a smile to the face of hosts and visitors alike.
Learn more about Newfoundland & Labrador customs: Heritage NL
On the Table
The holiday season is a time for toasting and feasting with family and friends. Many of the food and drink traditions that are popular today arrived from England and Ireland with the settlers who came here to fish for cod. Other dishes were born of the islanders’ resourcefulness to get through the winter months using preserved ingredients, such as salt meat and fish.
Salt Cod on Christmas Eve
Like the Italians and Portuguese, many Fogo Islanders observe the tradition of eating salt cod on Christmas Eve. In Newfoundland, it’s usually prepared as Fish and Brewis, made from salt cod, hard-tack bread, mashed potatoes, onions, and savoury, and topped with scrunchions (crispy fried pork fat).
Sweet Treats
While people like to bake year-round, the holiday season is peak cake-and-cookie season. Classics like snowballs – no-bake chocolate oat balls rolled in shredded coconut – and Date Squares – oat crumble bars with a gooey centre made from dates – are easy favourites. Fruitcakes are also a popular treat. Dark fruitcake is choc-full of dark rum-soaked dried fruits and spices, resembling the traditional British Christmas Cake. Its rich colour comes from brown sugar and molasses and only improves with age. Light fruitcakes are made with light syrup or white sugar, and predominantly golden or yellow fruits (adding a splash of light rum is optional).
No matter the treat, it’s always enjoyed best with a warm beverage and the company of loved ones.
A Recipe from Us
In the spirit of the season, our Culinary Team wanted to share a recipe that you can easily whip up at home. This recipe for Sour Cherry Cake was adapted by our Executive Chef, Tim Charles, for us, but originated from his mother-in-law’s recipe book! We hope you enjoy this little piece of Fogo Island.
Plan Your Stay
The Inn take the winter to refresh our building and prepare for a new season, but stories of Fogo Island’s culture and heritage are woven into everything we do: in the activities we offer and in the people you meet.
Learn more about Fogo Island’s cultural traditions when you experience activities like a lively Shed Party, a Traditional Boil-Up Lunch, or chat with our Community Hosts at the Punt Premises or on an Island Orientation.